To press (coffee) or not to press?

European pressed coffee has become more fashionable in the U.S. But it may have a negative impact on health if you drink too much, according to nutrition expert Eric Rimm of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Pressed coffee is made by mixing ground coffee beans with boiled water in a special glass pitcher called a French press. After the coffee steeps, you press a mesh plunger down to strain the liquid and trap the coffee grounds. There’s no coffee filter, so some of the grounds can wind up in your cup—and they contain oily substances called diterpenes that may pose a health risk.

“Five to eight cups a day of unfiltered coffee may actually raise your ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol,” said Rimm, professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, in an April 29, 2016 article in the Harvard Health Blog.