Id recommend you get yourself an aeropress. It uses a paper filter, and the coffee tastes magnificent, similar to french press for the dark roasts I love. And it leaves itself open to experimenting with different steep times and brewing techniques. Its quite fun to play around with.
Regular drip-machine filters work fine in a French press, you just sandwich one into the parts stackup at the plunger's business end. An Aeropress sounds like
fun for coffee experimentalists, but all I require is that my two morning cups be delivered with maximum reliability and minimal fuss, so I'm all set with what I have.
Not to discourage your French press setup (as it sounds lovely!) but I've never encountered "maximum reliability and minimal fuss" better than with an Aeropress. If you're looking for something to try be sure to give it a go!
I mean, the French press makes two cups' worth in one go, which by happy coincidence is exactly as much as I permit myself per day. Having to go through the setup and teardown twice, as the Aeropress's one-cup capacity would appear to require, lacks appeal by comparison. But I'm glad to see that so many Aeropress evangelists have found something that seems to really work well for them!
Yeah, you have to make each serving one-at-a-time, which is a bit of a downside. It's not the best fit if you're hosting and want to brew for guests after a meal. I keep a larger French press for those occasions.
This is super subjective, but I think what "sold" me on the Aeropress was how no-fuss the teardown is compared to anything else I've tried or researched. Everything gets compressed into a dry little puck and it only takes a moment to "pop" into the compost bin. It's nice not to have to worry about the extra work anymore.
I actually noticed this because I was using an aeropress and thought it'd be more environmentally friendly to get a metal filter. But then my coffee got oilier.
