Muuto's latest product has a decidedly Nordic take on the old-fashioned French coffee press. That might seem like cultural sacrilege, but considering the fact that it was actually the Italians who popularized the French press in the early 20th century, all's fair, especially as Muuto's Push coffee pot solves one of the problems of the Bodum in your cupboard by getting rid of all that glass.
In it's more popular form, the French press is incredibly simple: it's a glass carafe with a stainless steel plunger that you push down when the coffee is fully brewed to trap them at the bottom of the pot. It's a simple, functional, and beautiful design, but the glass is fragile.
Designed for Muuto by Danish designer Mette Duedahl, the Push functions identically to a French press, except that the glass is replaced by an earth-toned stoneware body. Stoneware can still break, of course, but no doubt it's less susceptible to the overzealous plunging of undercaffeinated coffee drinkers.
The French press's glass sides do serve at least one practical purpose: they allow you to visually check how well-brewed the pot is. Muuto thought of that. The lid of the Push is made of transparent plastic, allowing you to spot check the blackness of your brew at any time.
It's a quite lovely design, and because it looks like an earthenware jug, you can also use the Push to serve less caffeinating beverages like water when you're not brewing your morning joe.
[h/t Design Milk]