I know it makes coffee, but if I went for a French Press as a replacement for buying an espresso maker could it do the same thing?
No, though the French press will make excellent brewed coffee, nothing is like an espresso maker. My preference is for a real one that accepts ground coffee, and eventually also soft coffee pods from any brand, not the Lavazza or Nespresso types that don't give you the choice. Ah, and of course, the best is to buy (roasted) coffee beans and to grind them yourself (using a coffee and/or spice grinder) I have a DéLonghi espresso maker, quite basic and not expensive (~80 $). Very convenient and great coffee! Enjoy!
not a true espresso but if you don't want to fork over $100-$300 for an espresso maker it'll be fine, check out Good eats episode Espress yourself, you'll learn about the 4 m's. You'll see what I mean.
No. Espresso is made by forcing the hot water through very fine grounds at high pressure. A French press cannot generate the appropriate pressure, and is best used with coarse grounds (unless you like extra grounds floating in your mug.)
No, it will make great coffee. To make espresso, you have to force steam through the ground coffee, that's why espresso grind is very fine.
