How To Make French Press Coffee With Ground Coffee

Troubleshooting French Press Coffee

There are two things that really muck up French press coffee: water temperature boiling water that scorches the grounds, or tepid water that doesnt extract fully and badly ground coffee with too much fine grit that makes the pressed coffee muddy and bitter.

These are the two factors that, to me, are most commonly ignored and yet easiest to remedy. All you need is a sense of how hot your water is and a burr grinder.

Takeaway: Getting the temperature right is easy .

Remove The Lid And Filter

Get started by removing the lid and filter from your French press. If your French press is made of glass, you may want to pre-heat it, to prevent possible cracking or shattering. To do this, pour hot but not boiling water into your French press and let it sit for a few minutes. Pour this water out before adding your coffee grounds.

How Many Tablespoons Of Coffee Per Cup

To begin, it’s important to note that measuring coffee by tablespoon is similar to measuring water by gulp. Tablespoons are a precise measurement that works well in most contexts, but not in coffee. A tablespoon of coffee will have a different quantity of coffee in it. Even the process of removing the cherry pulp from the bean has an impact on the moisture content of the beans. The quantity of coffee in a tablespoon is also determined by the coarseness of the grounds. Accuracy, as well as consistency, are at the heart of the concept.

If you’re not using a scale, tablespoons or scoops can suffice, but you;need to know what a tablespoon means in the context of coffee. A tablespoon of coffee weighs around 10.6 grammes on average. In order to make a cup of coffee, use 12 to 2 teaspoons of coffee grinds. This is not about instant coffee crystals here, but;about coffee bean grinds. If you’re using scoops, make sure each one is equivalent to 2 tablespoons.

A “cup” was once defined as 5 ounces. That is correct when accurate measurements are used. While using scoops or tablespoons, a normal cup of coffee contains 8 ounces of coffee, which requires 12 to 2 tablespoons of coffee. Because every tablespoon contains around 5.3 grammes of ground coffee, you may calculate the correct ratio from there.

When using tablespoons and an 8-ounce cup, this is the general rule.

You also need to pay close attention to the cup you are using because its size impacts how much coffee ground you use.

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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.;

Measurements And Water Ratios

A very easy rule to keep in mind if you want to measure the perfect coffee is what is termed the golden ratio.

Here, the ideal ratio is 1:18, where 1 stands for 1 gram of coffee grounds while 18 stands for 18ml of water. Therefore, if you want to make excellent coffee, this ratio is a good beginning. However, you can also play with this ratio to change the ratio based on your preferences in taste.

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Bean Weight Or Count: Whats More Important For Making Coffee

This is a very common blunder. The coffee business weighs its bags rather than counting the number of beans in each one. The amount of coffee grounds you’ll need for each cup is calculated by weight. Based on how you brew your coffee, you’ll need extra beans, but this has no bearing on the rest of the process.

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Step by Step

Step 1

Heat your water to 205 degrees by bringing it to a boil and letting it sit for 30 seconds.

Step 2

Fill your French press about one-quarter full with hot water and press the plunger all the way down. Swirl the hot water around inside the French press for about 10 seconds, then pull the plunger up and remove the lid. Discard the rinse water.

Step 3

If using pre-ground coffee skip to Step 4. Otherwise, weigh out your whole bean coffee and grind it on a coarse setting. See our for reference.

Step 4

Pour your ground coffee into the French Press and gently shake it back and forth to settle the grounds.

Step 5

Time: 0:00-0:30

Pour about half of your hot water evenly over the grounds. This step is called the bloom. Hot water forces the ground coffee to release trapped gases, leading to expansion of the coffee and wonderful aromas for you to enjoy. During the bloom, a thick crust of coffee grounds will also form.

Start your timer once youve finished pouring.

Step 6

Time: 0:30-0:35

Once your timer hits 30 seconds, stir the coffee gently for 5 seconds to break up the crust and mix the grounds evenly with the water.

Step 7

Time: 0:35-4:00

Pour the remaining half of your hot water over the coffee. Place the lid on your French press with the plunger pulled all the way up. Let the coffee steep until your timer reads 4:00.

Step 8

Time: 4:00-4:15

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What Is A French Press

A French press also referred to as a coffee press, press pot, and cafetière has a long history going back to at least the 1850s. It consists of a cylinder, usually made of glass, that is paired with a lid and plunger that includes a fine mesh filter that fits tightly into the cylinder and is used to separate the grounds from the coffee when the plunger is pressed down.

It uses an immersion method to brew â which is when the coffee is completely submerged and stays in contact with the water throughout the brewing process. Other commonly used processes are pour-over where the water is poured over the grounds and the vacuum method that uses heat and a vacuum to extract flavor from the beans.

Using a press pot is often considered one of the most environmentally friendly methods for brewing because it doesnât use any filters and the only energy it uses is what it takes to heat the water and the tiny bit of exertion it takes to press down on the plunger.

A part of its popularity has to do with the iconic designs from companies like Bodum and Le Creuset that have elevated coffee makers to an art form. Our favorite is Bodumâs Chambord model.

How Much Coffee Will My French Press Make

I dont know who invented the french press cup size system but they obviously did not have enough coffee when they did it.

You should generally get the following number of 9 oz cups of brewed coffee per each press size:

• How much coffee for 3 cup press 1 cup
• How much coffee for 8 cup press 3.4 cups
• How much coffee for 12 cup press 5.3 cups

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Why Do We Love French Press Coffee

There are so many reasons. We gravitate towards making French press coffee most mornings at Fit Foodie HQ because it is a way to brew really good coffee for more than one person at a time.

We prefer a pot of French press coffee over a coffee machine because we have a bit more control over water temperature, how long the coffee brews, and it is usually the perfect amount of coffee for 3-4 people.

Interested In A Coffee Grinder

Have you thought about what having a grinder could mean for your coffee drinking experience? Investing in a grinder now means

1. A Customized Coffee ExperienceA grind setting can make a world of difference when youre trying to find your perfect brew. Want a stronger coffee? Try a finer grind. Getting a bitter taste? Go with a coarser setting.

2. A Perfect Grind, Every TimeGetting the right grind size for your brew method isnt essential , but its highly recommended. The brew process is exponentially more likely to yield a flavorful and delicious cup when you grind to your brew method.

3. Make Mornings That Much BetterIf youre brewing coffee every day, a grinder is an investment for a lifetime of better coffee!

Our #1 pick for functionality, consistency, durability, and overall quality isthe Baratza Encorelearn more about the grinder that makes our mornings better

WHY WE LOVE THE BARATZA

Beginner-friendly

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How Many Scoops Of Coffee Per Cup

A level coffee scoop is approximately equal to two tablespoons of coffee. Therefore, if you want strong coffee, you will have to use one scoop for each cup.

However. If you want a weaker cup of coffee, you will have to use one scoop for every two cups. You may also use half a scoop for every two cups of coffee for a weaker cup.

The Best Coffee To Use In A French Press

The best French press coffee is really whatever type of coffee you love in your mug, be it Colombia, Egyptian, or what have you. You could even decide to use the worlds strongest coffee;if thats your thing, or indulge in one of the worlds five most expensive coffees.

What matters more than variety is the coffee grind type. French press coffee makers work best with coarse grinds for two reasons. The first is pretty obvious: finely ground coffee is more likely to slip past the presss filter and get into your drink. And who wants that?

The other reason coarse grinds are the best for French press brewing is due to the way the hot water permeates these larger bits of the bean during the extended time the grounds and water spend together, which is different than drip coffee. Large grounds absorb more water than finer bits and subsequently release more flavor, yet they do not lead to the over-extraction common with finer grinds, thus the resulting brew is full-flavored without being acidic or astringent in taste.

As for taste, I recommend a medium roast coffee. Darker roasts often have a more acidic profile, so lighter roasts are better for the long extraction period. Also, medium and lighter roasts usually have more caffeine, which is another bonus.

And with that, you now have all of the information you need to brew the best damn cup of French press thats ever been pressed. Its now time to get your caffeine on! Though you may want to grab a carafe to put your coffee in.

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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!

How To Make French Press Coffee With Regular Pre

If youve ever had coffee brewed in a French press, you know just how delightful the results can be. But youve also probably heard coffee snobs going on about the importance of the grind size and how you should never use pre-ground coffee.

Now, we agree that grinding your own fresh coffee beans is always going to result in a better cup of bean juice, but were not here to judge.

We cant deny the convenience of pre-ground coffee, and these days you can even order pre-ground coffee from independent roasters who will ship their coffee to you at peak freshness.

So, the bottom line is that using pre-ground coffee isnt the sin that it once was.

Lets now briefly cover the process of making a French press brew with pre-ground coffee.

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How To Brew The Perfect French Press Coffee At Home

Brewing French press coffee may seem simple, but if youre not careful, you can easily end up with overly bitter or silty coffee. But dont worry, its just as easy to avoid. To help you brew a great cup of French press coffee every time, weve put together this detailed guide. In a few straightforward steps, you can have a delicious pot of French press whenever you want it.

What Makes French Press So Good

Its the gentle, slow brew that make french press such a great way to brew coffee.

When coffee is brewed at a slower pace, its not forced to release everything its got.

This means that you wont get an inordinate amount of bitterness or acidity from a French press, unless you let it brew for too long or use boiling water which will scald the coffee.

If you were to use water cooler than those 200 F/93 C, youd also need to add a minute or two to the brewing time.

For comparison, cold brewing takes several hours and comes out with very little bitterness, and nearly no acidity.

This process is very similar to the one used by the French press, in that coffee is allowed to seep at its own pace.

Another reason why French press brews so beautifully is because it uses those coarse grounds.

Coarse grounds mean longer steeping time, yes, but they also mean something else.

A coarse ground coffee will release more notes and specific elements from the coffees origin flavor that might otherwise be lost with other brewing methods .

If you were to use fine ground coffee, and add an extra filer to the French press to make sure you catch everything, your coffee would need to brew for a much shorter time.

And youd get an effect very similar to a standard drip filter coffee.

Again, the grind size does matter, and there is no better grind than coarse for a French press.

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Before We Begin: Choose The Right French Press

Youre going to have a hard time making great coffee if you use a cheap, crappy press pot to brew. Its tempting to go for the cheapest option, but will it really be worth it when you have to replace it in 6-9 months?

The standard press pot size is between 4 and 8 cups. Just remember, a cup is much smaller than a typical mug of coffee. Many companies count a standard cup as a meager 4 oz.

In general, you have small, large, metal and electric options:

• Small french press if its just you and maybe a friend or loved one using it on a regular basis. Typical sizes include 3 and 4 cup presses.
• Large french press ;These 8 to 12 cup behemoths are meant to pacify a crowd of coffee seekers and can produce several cups of coffee in a single batch!
• Metal french press Are more durable, and seem to retain heat better than glass. Choose if you live in a cold area.
• Electric french press ;For the lazy. These units heat the water, brew the coffee, and keep it warm after its ready!

• Save

Youve probably heard about the ever so popular Bodum Chambord an iconic looking thing which is made in three different sizes: 3, 8, and 12 cups. They generally have glass beakers with a stainless steel base and handle. The two smaller options even come with an unbreakable beaker option!

However, Perfect Daily Grind recommends trying out French Presses made out of other materials .

You may also want to subscribe to some of these amazing coffee-brewing channels.

How Long To Brew French Press Coffee

After pouring the water into the French press, and giving the grounds a nice stir, its time to let everything sit.

We have found that the sweet spot is 5 minutes. Anything less than that and the flavor of the coffee isnt quite there. Anything over 5 minutes can leave the coffee tasting a bit bitter!

After stirring the grounds and the water together, let coffee brew for 5 minutes! Pour into your favorite coffee mug and enjoy!

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Why Do You Need To Measure Your Coffee

One of the most essential reasons to measure your coffee is to guarantee that you have a consistent cup of coffee every time you want tea. Too much of anything is undesirable, but if your mix is also under-measured, it may be hazardous to your health. This is why it is beneficial and advised to develop the practice of measuring coffee accurately. When coffee is roasted, it undergoes a number of transformations. One of these changes is a reduction in the moisture content of the beans.

Prior to roasting, the moisture level of green coffee is typically around 11 per cent. But, after roasting, there is a dramatic drop in moisture content, which can be as low as 3 to 5 per cent.

In that way, you get the impression that drinking a wonderful cup of coffee is one thing, but understanding how to measure the proper things that go into creating that amazing content is quite another. For example, if you use a lot of coffee to make your choice content, there’s a chance the brew won’t be as good as it might be. The end result is a sour coffee flavour that leaves the sweetness behind. As a result, your coffee has a salty flavour.