More Ways To Make Coffee
There are many different ways to prepare a perfect cup of coffee for yourself in the morning!
Machine Drip Coffee- Good ole Mr.Coffee to the rescue. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a machine drip coffee maker. It is all about convenience, personal preference, and if you get the ratio of grounds to water just right youll have one amazing cup of coffee!
Pour Over- When I am home alone and just need one delicious cup of coffee, pour over is my favorite way to go! We have a tutorial on how to make the perfect cup of coffee that walks you through the perfect cup of pour-over coffee.
AeroPress- The AeroPress uses pressure to extract flavor from coffee grounds. It produces delicious coffee, but also can only produce one cup of coffee at a time. We love taking our AeroPress camping. It is packable and perfect for calm mornings when you have the time!
Espresso Machines- Nespresso and Keurig machines are good options for those of you who need a quick cup of coffee in the morning! They use prefilled coffee pods to produce a cup of coffee or espresso.
We are partial to the Nespresso machines because they have a great recycling program for their pods!
Percolator- A percolator is a small espresso maker that involves preparing your espresso over the stove! It produces strong espresso that makes a great Americano!
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Can You Make Cold Brew With A Coffee French Press
If youre tired of hot coffee and want to switch to cold brew, you can easily do that with a French press. I have a whole tutorial on making cold brew coffee at home youll want to check out too.
How to make cold brew with a French press:
Whats The Right French Press Ratio
There is no one-size-fits-all ratio. There is a huge spectrum of tastes and preferences, variations in coffee beans, differences in roasts, etc. that can make each batch of coffee entirely different. So start with a ratio, and then adjust from there based on how it tastes.
RULE OF THUMB Use a 1:15 ratio of coffee to water. For every one gram of coffee you need 15 grams of water, which is about 3 tablespoons of coffee for 1 cup of water. Start here, as this will be on the weaker side, so you can always add a little more coffee if you find it to weak.
Below, youll find a French Press ratio calculator + chart.
How to use the calculator: First, click the red number under how much coffee do you want to brew in fluid ounces? and enter your number. Refer to our table above if you need to:
Next, click the red number under how strong do you want your coffee? It has a range for strength, from 1 to 7.
- 1 = Strong
- 7 = weak
An example If I have a 3 cup coffee maker, and I want to make a strong brew, Ill enter 10oz. for the amount of coffee I want to brew, 1 for the strength, and the calculator will give me a ratio of 1:10. The calculator will tell me exactly how much coffee and water to add, in customary and metric units. Cool!
| PRESS SIZE |
| 51 oz / 1500ml |
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How Long Should French Press Coffee Steep
To recap from the instructions above, we first pour in a small amount of boiling water, stir, and wait. Then we pour in the remaining water and stir again, and wait.3-4 minutes is the optimal window of time to get an average strength cuppa out of a coffee press.
If you prefer lighter coffee, finish the batch off a bit early. If youre a fan of stronger stuff, give it more time. However, I wouldnt give it TOO much time, as you may ruin the coffee by allowing it to over-extract and get bitter.
How To Make French Press Coffee
Ive said many times before, and Ill say it again. The best place to begin with any kind of coffee is withgood coffee. As in, good beans.
Buy good ones. Buy them whole. And then for French press, grind them immediately before using them to a coarse ground. They should be about the consistency of breadcrumbs.
Then measure out the amount of coffee you would like to use. Everyone has different opinions here about their preferred coffee-to-water ratio. I like to weigh my beans before grinding them, and use 52 grams per 4 cups of water. But if you dont have a scale, that is the equivalent of about 1/2 cup of beans before they are ground. So for different sizes of French presses, that would mean:
- 8 cup* French press = 4 cups of water = 1/2 cup whole beans
- 4 cup French press = 2 cups of water = 1/4 cup whole beans
- 2 cup French press = 1 cup of water = 2 tablespoons whole beans
- 1 cup French press = 1/2 cup of water = 1 tablespoon whole beans
*Again, dont get confused by the cups thing. If you purchase a French press that says its an 8-cup French press, that means it will hold about 4 cups of water, and thus produce 8 servings.
The first step is to heat your water to boiling. Once it reaches a boil, pull it off the heat and let it rest for 45 seconds. Ideally you want the water to be 195 degrees F, but I never measure.
Wait 1 full minute for the coffee to puff up and bloom.
Once the total 4 minutes are up, gently push the plunger down until it firmly reaches the bottom.
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French Press Coffee Directions
1.Grind your beans. When brewing French press, its important that you use a coarse grind from a burr grinder if the one you use is too fine, the grounds can get through the plungers mesh filter. Nobody wants a mouthful of gritty coffee grounds.
2. Add ground beans to the base of your French press.
3. Heat water to 195-205 °F. We like to use an Adjustable Temperature Kettlethat way you get the perfect temp for your brew.
4. Add water to your French press.
5. Stir the grounds.
6. Place plunger and lid on top to retain the heat. Wait four minutes. Time is of the essence when youre French pressing! Too little time and your coffee will turn out watery.
7. Press the plunger down and pour yourself a cup!
Did You Know You Can Use French Press For Other Things Besides Brewing Your Coffee
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Frothing milk – I love making cold foam using French press for my latte’ simply warm the milk and pump until its frothy and enjoy with your espresso based drinks
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Brew loose leaf tea – Just add desired amount of tea, hot water, and let it steep. Press and enjoy.
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Use it as a drink mixer if you dont own a proper cocktail mixer
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Steep and brew cold coffee and tea
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How Does The Coffee Ratio Work
The coffee ratio isnt as scary or as scientific as it sounds, its simply the ratio of water to coffee you use. But what does that mean and how does it affect your coffee? Well Ill tell you
Basically it dictates how strong your coffee is going to taste, a 1:14 ratio will taste much stronger than a 1:17 cup. One isnt better than the other it just depends on what grind size you use and what type of flavor you enjoy. Im going to look at grind size in my next article so stay tuned.
I personally stick with 1:15 as my middle ground for pre-ground coffee meant for a French press. Thats my true north and usually what I go for when Im trying a new coffee, BUT my exception is if its got the word lava in the title, or its described as a 5+ in strength somewhere on the packet, and if its got the word full bodied.
These all likely mean its going to taste much stronger, much thicker in your mouth, and likely be a little more bitter. So in these instances I go for a 1:16 or a 1:17 ratio, and I know it doesnt sound like a huge difference but you really notice the difference. I dont have any coffee palette to speak of but Ive tried both with the same coffee and you can tell it tastes different.
Measure/weigh Your Coffee Grounds
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What you measure out depends largely on the size of your coffee press and the amount of coffee you want. I hope you used a coffee grinder to freshly grind your beans. See the FAQs below for the right grind size. For the basic method, you want a medium-coarse grind but if youre following the advanced bonus steps, you want a medium grind.
Refer to the table below the instructions if you need to. For bonus points, measure your grinds using a scale rather than a spoon heres why. And heres THE WHY in the video form:
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Whats The Ideal Brew Time
While I like to brew my French press coffee for 2 minutes plus 2 minutes, you may find you like a slightly longer or shorter brew time.
If you make this recipe once and find the coffee is brewed too strong for your tastes, brew it for less time for the next cup. If its too weak, brew it for longer next time and youll get stronger coffee.
With a little time and experimentation, youll find your own sweet spot for the best cup of coffee.
Do Finer Grind Make Stronger Coffee
Using a finer grind can make your coffee taste stronger. To tone down the strong flavor, try experimenting with how much coffee you use to make your coffee. You may find a little goes a long way with a fine ground coffee. The flavor may be just as strong, but taste better with a reduced coffee to water ratio.
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Our Recommended 10 Best How To Make The Best French Press Coffee Reviews In 2022
- 1 2.2 pound bag of Lavazza super crema Italian whole coffee beans
- Mild and creamy medium espresso roast with notes of hazelnuts and brown sugar
- Blended and roasted in Italy
- Best used with espresso machine
- Produced in a nut-free facility center, contains only coffee
How To Make The Perfect French Press Coffee
Coffee is universally loved. Whether its the fresh start to a new morning or a soothing brew after a full dinner, coffee comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Maybe for you its an ice cold Venti Mocha Frappuccino or a classic double shot espresso theres no wrong way to drink coffee, but there are some better ways. Enter: the French Press.
Black coffee doesnt have to be the dark, watery, bland, burnt and bitter beverage most of us are used to drinking. If you think coffee just tastes like coffee, youre missing out on a whole world of flavor and variety. Just like craft beer and premium wine, coffee has an incredible spectrum of taste. From where the coffee beans are grown, to how the coffee is prepared and roasted, to the brewing method and how the coffee is served, there are so many ways coffee can reveal itself as more than brown burnt water.
In the video below, we take you through the steps required to make the perfect French Press coffee. Weve also provided some additional tips and product recommendations.
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How To Use A French Press To Make Coffee
This recipe is sized to make 2 cups of coffee. You can easily adjust it to make more or less depending on your needs. Ill explain all of the details of the proper ratio of coffee to water further down on the page.
How To Use A French Press With Ground Coffee
If youve never used a French press coffeemaker before, it can definitely seem like a rather complicated process.
This is especially true for those of you who may be making the switch to a french press from an automated drip coffeemaker or even worse, from making instant coffee.
Quick Navigation6 Steps to the Perfect Cup of Coffee Using a French Press Grind Your Coffee Beans Get the French Press Ready Add the Water Allow the Coffee to Steep Plunge It! Enjoy Your Coffee!FINAL VERDICT
Dont sweat it though, because once you know what to do, its actually an incredibly straightforward and simple way to make a delicious cup of coffee.
So if youre now the owner of a brand new french press and youre wondering how to use a french press with ground coffee, read on for step-by-step instructions that will have you brewing like a pro in no time!
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The Best Coffee Beans For French Press
Start by selecting the right type of bean for your French pressdarker roasts tend to win for this style of coffee. Then note that the freshness of your beans will impact the flavor in your freshly pressed cup of joe. Coffee can technically go bad by losing its flavor if not stored properlystore your coffee in a container with UV-light blocking technology.
S To Make Espresso With A French Press
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Espresso is a favorite coffee drink of many. The aroma is almost addictive. But unless you have your own espresso machine, its usually consumed in a coffee shop.
Why do we limit ourselves?
With the right technique you can use a French Press to brew a drink that closely resembles the Espresso coffee.
Here are the steps to follow:
- Grind your coffee
- Pour
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