Why does the French press mesh filter fail to block the oils causing cholesterol elevation?
Answer
It is too porous to capture the dissolved oils and fine particulates like diterpenes
The design of the French press utilizes a mesh filter attached to a plunger, which is effective at separating the large, coarse coffee grounds from the liquid phase, resulting in a beverage with a richer mouthfeel due to the retained oils. However, this mesh structure is intentionally not fine enough to capture micro-particulates or the naturally occurring oily diterpenes, such as cafestol and kahweol, which remain suspended in the brew. Because these dissolved oils pass right through the mesh, the resulting coffee retains the lipid-raising compounds, making it chemically similar to completely unfiltered methods in that regard.
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