What Is The French Press Method
Heres how many coffee lovers get the most from their favorite grounds in a simple manner.
All it requires is a glassor sometimes aluminiumjug with a mesh filter and plunger that firmly fits inside and can be pushed down.
You can let your coffee brew for a while and then push down the grounds and pour yourself a cup.
Follow Grinding Best Practices
Probably the biggest cause of too much sediment is poor grind uniformity. When you grind lazily or with cheap tools like a blade grinder you end up with grounds of many sizes. The smallest of these groundsfinesslide right through the filter.
- Hold the grinder as still as possible while grinding
- Hold the grinder vertically while grinding
- Clean the burrs every couple months
- Replace the burrs when they become dull
When you swing your device around while grinding or hold it at an angle, the beans dont funnel in smoothly, which creates inconsistency in the grounds. Similarly, if your burrs are coated in leftover coffee oils or just dull from a year of use, they wont perform nearly as well as they should.
I suggest starting here. Care for your grinder, and itll care for you.
Baratza Virtuoso+ Burr Grinder
A good-quality burr grinder that lets you adjust how fine or coarse the grinds are can really level up your cup, but it will also be one of the more expensive pieces of equipment, says Phillips. The Baratza Virtuoso+ is our pick for the best coffee grinder of 2021, thanks to its consistent grind and 40 available settings.
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Choose The Right Roast Level For Your Tastes
For many people around the world, the sign of a nice, strong cup of coffee is one that has dark, caramelised, roasty notes which produce a very bold cup with a heavy body.
If thats the case, then youll need to look for darkly roasted beans to satisfy your coffee kick.
Another contributor to the way some might perceive coffee strength is the variety of coffee used. Over 98 percent of coffee worldwide comes from just two varieties of coffee beans: arabica and robusta.
Whilst arabica is considered superior in taste to robusta, the flavour that robusta provides is definitely a winner for those looking for a highly caffeinated, knock-your-socks-off cup of joe.
So next time youre at the store, make sure to check the roast level on the packet and look out for packs that dont specify that the contents are 100 percent arabica.
Pros And Cons Of French Press Coffee
French press coffee has somewhat of a cult following. It extracts a very strong and robust cup of coffee, without the need for any sort of electrical brewing system. You get complete control over your brew, and you can use a French press coffee maker to make other beverages like tea or even cold brew coffee. Plus, it’s dirt cheap. You can get a .
But the French press is not without its drawbacks. Because it’s a manual brewing system, you can’t exactly set it and just walk away. It’s also a little finicky when it comes to the grind size it’s recommended that you grind your own beans to achieve the uniformly coarse grind necessary for French press coffee. But once you get the hang of the process, you really will end up with delicious coffee in its simplest form.
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What Are The Best Whole Coffee Beans For A French Press
Similar to the many different opinions on the proper way to make French coffee, the best type of coffee beans to use in a French press is also highly debatable. This comes as no surprise, as I mention often that most things with coffee are very subjective.
Although many baristas prefer to use medium or dark roasts, as the French press produces a less bitter taste of coffee often associated with those roasts , I personally believe that you can use any of your favorite roasts in a French press.
So use these tips and coffee recommendations as a guide as you find what your absolute favorite beans are for the French press!
Prepare The Water And Beans
First, you need to boil some water. Once you have boiling water, turn it off and allow it to cool. Otherwise, you may scorch your coffee beans. Once you turn off the heat, let the water rest for at least 30 seconds.
While the water is boiling, grind your beans using a burr grinder. For a French press, you want a coarse grind.
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Here’s What You’ll Need:
Why You Want A Little Sediment In Your French Press Coffee
French press sediment is essentially tiny coffee ground particles. These particles dont dissolve, which is why they feel grainy and gritty. They actually accomplish a few things that make french press coffee special:
- The coffee particles tone down the acidity. The coffee solids actually bond to some of the acids that are dissolved in the water. When you take a sip, your tongue feels the coffee particle more strongly than the acid, and your brain interprets the flavor to be less acidic overall.
Read: The Ultimate Guide To French Press Coffee
- The coffee particles create a full, satisfying body. That boldness that you love from french press coffee? Thats largely created by the presence of these super tiny grounds floating around in your brew. Your tongue interprets them as giving your coffee a satisfying, full mouthfeel.
The sediment isnt all bad. But I agree, its not very fun to drink .
Lets look into some ways you can reduce your french press coffees sediment while still enjoying the benefits it provides.
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Why Make A French Press Coffee
The reason French press coffee has such fantastic mouthfeel is the metal mesh filter lets more coffee oils into the finished drink that texture and deep flavor is also enhanced by the fact that the coffee grounds are completely submerged in the brewing water for the entire length of the process, which allows for a slower and more even extraction compared to brewing a pour-over coffee or drip coffee.
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!
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For Using A French Press: Measure Meticulously
After grinding the beans, the key is to use the precise amount of grounds, our experts agree. So much so that both recommend using a digital kitchen scale to measure them.
Kitchen scales are everywhere gram scales can be found at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond for as little as $9, Manson says. Measuring cups and spoons are inaccurate its hard to get repeatable measurements with them. Additionally, coffee widely varies in density. If you need more reasons to buy a kitchen scale, check out our full guide on the best kitchen scales of 2021.
When I pointed out that many readers looking for a good cup of coffee might not go the distance of investing in and using a gram scale, Manson reluctantly agreed to provide a volumetric measurement: 1 tablespoon for 3 fluid ounces of water. For the 34-ounce French press I use daily, that equals approximately 10.3 tablespoons. You can test it at home and adjust to your tastes, of course.
Fellow Ode Coffee Grinder
Upgrading to a burr grinder from a blade grinder is second only to buying more delicious coffee in the amount of impact it can have on your home brewing, says Kasperowicz. The Fellow Ode is an upgrade pick that many of our experts recommend, and Kasperowicz says they even have one in the Trade office.
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Stove Pot Coffee Maker
If you are an espresso connoisseur then you will love stovetop espresso makers for your camping morning cup of coffee. These kinds of coffee makers are great for camping because you put the water in the bottom and put the coffee in a middle layer and then the condensation of the boiling water is what creates the espresso and a top container.
This means that you can place the espresso maker over a fire and wait for the water to boil. Just be warned that if the espresso maker has a plastic handle you want to make sure that that is kept far away from the flames of the fire.
Pros:
- Larger and bulkier than a single cup dripper
French Press Coffee: Step
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The French press, also known as a press pot, is a 19th century French invention that brews an awesome cup of coffee. It bridges the gap between the speed and convenience of a drip coffee maker and the robust flavors of espresso.
Wikipedia gives us some basic info about the French press:
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Coffee Science: How To Make The Best French Press Coffee At Home
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A French press is often treated like Jason Segal’s character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He’s actually the one you want, but people tend to flock blindly to the flashy, temperamental types like coffee-siphon-somethings or Russell Brands. The French press is definitely a potential coffee happily-ever-after, but as with all things coffee, it ain’t rocket science… but it is science! Let’s delve a little deeper into how the French press works, and how you can make the best cup of coffee using this tool.
The French press, also called the cafetiere or coffee press, is a cylinder-shaped beaker with a plunger. The piston of the plunger is made of mesh, allowing liquid to flow through it but not the larger coffee grounds.
With some coffee-brewing methods, the amount of brewed coffee you’re trying to make and the grind size of your beans will affect how quickly the water will flow through the coffeeand how long your total brew time will be. This is true for drip brewing, pourover, and even espresso.
As you may recall from our discussion of the pourover method, I like to talk about coffee brewing as having three general phases: wetting, dissolution, and diffusion.
“In our low-and-slow French press, you’re not adding more water in as you go, so the energy driving diffusion is decreased, resulting in slower, more gradual brewing.”
Fellow Stagg Ekg Electric Pour
Many of our experts recommended this electric kettle from Fellow. It has precise temperature control and is available in multiple colors including a gorgeous green in a collab with Great Jones that weve been testing and absolutely love. If the price tag is too high, Fellow also offers a stovetop version for $85.
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How To Brew: French Press
Here’s How:
French Press Tips
Water
Water makes up 98.5% of a cup of coffee. If the tap water tastes good to drink, it’s good to make coffee with. Use it cold and freshly poured from the tap. If the tap water isn’t great, then use natural spring water for best results.
Grinding
Grind fresh beans just before use. The French Press method calls for a coarse grind. The grind size should be between .75 mm and 1 mm. If the grind is too coarse it will make the coffee taste weak. If the grind is too fine, it will make the coffee taste bitter or too strong. For the most consistent outcome, we recommend a burr grinder.
Measurements
We recommend a coffee to water ratio of 50 grams of ground coffee per 1 litre of water. In English, that’s two tablespoons for every cup of water. More if you’re bold, less if you’re not.
Storage
Coffee absorbs odours and deteriorates when it contacts air. Keep coffee tightly rolled in its Kicking Horse Coffee bag until ready to grind more beans. Store coffee in a dry, cool location, but not in the fridge or freezer.
About the French Press method
For Using A French Press: Stir Gently
At around one minute, stir the top of the grounds gently with a spoon to help sink the crust of the grounds floating above, Phillips says. Manson uses a wooden or plastic spoon for stirring, to lessen the possibility of glass carafe breakage. Place the lid on the press, with the plunger all the way up.
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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.