A couple days ago, a friend emailed me an article in the New York Times [1] about how various beverages affect our health.

I dutifully skimmed it, expecting to find the same old, same old. You know, water is good for us, soda is not, cut back on sugary drinks, and caffeine and alcohol are healthy in moderation.

But a few paragraphs down (and in parenthesis), I discovered a bombshell. Apparently, drinking coffee brewed in a French press -- as well as espresso machines -- raises cholesterol and harmful LDL levels.

Mais non! Say it ain't so.

A French press [2], also known as a press pot or coffee plunger, is my very favorite way to achieve the perfect cup of coffee. The flavor is yummier and the texture is thicker and more sediment-y (some of us appreciate this quality.) And apparently, the process leaves behind some essential oils.

And that is where the trouble starts. Unlike a drip machine, coffee made in a French press or espresso machine doesn't require a filter. As a result, chemical compounds, including Cafestol and Kahweol remain in the coffee, and seem to cause our cholesterol levels to spike. It seems that Cafestol is the most potent cholesterol-elevating compound [3] known in the human diet. Great.

To a French press addict like myself, this is terrible news. After all, that humble coffeemaker is one of my favorite things in the world. It is, quite simply, one the reasons that I get out of bed in the mornings.

For years, I've loyally defended my French press, as the coffee snobs in my life who feel the need to upgrade to outrageously expensive coffeemakers.

The same loyalty sent me to Google [4] the situation, just to see how dangerous this method really is. Unfortunately, what I found wasn't especially encouraging. Several sites, including MSNBC [5], Wikipedia [6], CoffeeGeek [7], and, of course, Lime.com [7] note that the French press or European brewing methods are linked to higher cholesterol. Somehow, though, I'd never registered this information.

The silver lining is that people with low or average cholesterol rates probably don't have to worry much about this. Still, I'm not sure if I can have my potta joe if I cut back on eggs or other high-cholesterol foods.

The truth is, I refuse to put my favorite coffee pot on a high shelf. I might live a bit longer if I do that -- but I'll be too grumpy to enjoy the extra time.

Photo credit: CoffeeGeek [8]