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How To Make Hot Coffee In French Press

Perfect Water Temperature For French Press

How To Make French Press Coffee

As a rule of thumb, coffee experts say that boiling water is not suitable for coffee. Aside from being too hot for the palate , boiling water destroys that full body taste of coffee and replacing it with bitter, very tangy black liquid.

Since water temperature is very crucial in the brewing process, the National Coffee Association sets a prescribed temperature range to achieve the optimum brew. The ideal water temperature is between 195 degrees Fahrenheit to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

Waters boiling temperature is 212°F, and that range is actually in reference to the brew temperature in other words, when the grounds and water are together.

For French press, the ideal water temperature should be between 195 degrees Fahrenheit to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It is recommended to use a thermometer to measure the temperature. But in the absence of a kitchen thermometer, a boiling water can be cooled down for 30 seconds to reduce temperature to the optimum level suited for French press.

How To Serve Iced Coffee

If you like, you can serve iced coffee with a splash of milk and sweetener! Here are our top choices for this drink:

  • 2% milk: Just the right richness
  • Oat milk: Oat milk is a great dairy-free option with good creaminess and flavor. You can also try almond milk or cashew milk, but oat milk is our top choice for coffee drinks
  • Maple syrup: Maple syrup adds jut the right hint of sweet
  • Other sweeteners: You can use other sweeteners like honey, agave nectar, or simple syrup

Why A Burr Grinder Is Important For Good French Press

And then theres the grinder. There arent many processes in the kitchen that truly depend on one gadget or tool, but good French press coffee is one of them.

Heres why. A regular blade grinder like this one is perfectly good for grinding coffee beans for a drip machine and other methods, but a French press relies on having very evenly-sized grains of coffee, and they need to be relatively big. Smaller-sized grains will get through the filter, creating a sediment in your cup, and also get over-extracted, making your coffee bitter. Its essential that all the coffee beans are ground to the same consistency and the burr grinder is far superior at making this happen.

Takeaway: If your French press turns out too bitter for you, or with a lot of gunky sediment at the bottom, then consider changing your grinder to a burr grinder. Or have your local coffee shop grind the coffee beans for you their commercial grinders will do a great job as well.

If you dont have space for a burr grinder, then another brewing method might be better for you, like the Chemex or another pour over, or the Aeropress. More on these methods soon!

More on Burr Grinders

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How To Make A Latte Using A French Press

We’ve showed you how to make the perfect cup of coffee with your French Press. This week we show you how to expand your French Press use and make lattes!

Stopping at your local coffee shop day after day can get expensive. Don’t get us wrong we LOVE coffee shops but, did you know that you can bring that same coffee shop quality home? It’s much easier than it sounds! We lay out how to make a better latte with your French Press below! We’ve started with 4 simple recipes that most people will enjoy but, don’t be afraid to branch out. It is amazing how versatile and effective a little French Press can be. If you haven’t invested in one yet we strongly suggest taking the plunge .

Enjoy the directions and ingredients below!

Measure/weigh Your Coffee Grounds

How to Make the Perfect French Press Coffee Infographic ...
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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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How To Make Cold Brew Coffee With French Press

Before you get started, collect the following:

  • French Press
  • Pour Over Cone + Filter
  • Second Carafe

Any pour over cone should work as the second brewer. Even a basic kitchen funnel with any coffee filter will do. As long as it filters micro-grounds, itll work. For the second carafe, a mason jar, glass bottle, large mug, or any other vessel will do. Nothing special needed there – just something thats food safe.

With the ingredients and tools within reach, youre ready to begin the process.

Keep in mind that this recipe requires 12 hours to brew. One of the easiest ways to use this brew length to your advantage is to set it up at night and filter in the morning, though youre free to begin whenever you would like.

  • Grind 60g of coffee beans at a coarse setting and pour them into the french press.
  • Pour 500g of cold water over the coffee grounds, carefully saturating them all evenly.
  • Start a timer for 12 hours.
  • After 5 minutes, take a wooden spoon or paddle and gently push the coffee grounds that have formed a crust back into the water. Its important that all the grounds are fully immersed. Avoid using a metal spoon for your carafes sake.
  • Attach the lid, leave the filter unplugged, and set the press on the counter.
  • When 12 hours have elapsed, plunge the filter down slowly.
  • Set up your pour over cone and filter over a second carafe. Slowly pour the cold brew concentrate through.
  • Instructions: To Prepare Coffee

  • Measure and add 4 tablespoons of freshly ground Royal Cup coffee to French Press.
  • Pour water into pot and bring to a near boil. For best results water should be just around 200 degrees .
  • Sir coffee gently.
  • Let coffee brew in French Press for 4 minutes.
  • Press plunger down.
  • Pour into cup and combine immediately with milk recipe below!
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    Ratio Of Water & Coffee For French Press

    The instructions below make 32 ounces, a common size of French press that makes about four servings. But what if you want to make more or less? Heres a general guide to proportions by volume. Note that coffee beans are measured before grinding.

    • 1 serving 1 cup water 2 tablespoons coffee beans
    • 2 servings 2 cups water 1/4 cup coffee beans
    • 4 servings 4 cups water 1/2 cup coffee beans
    • 8 servings 8 cups water 1 cup coffee beans

    Measure the coffee beans.

    The Metal French Press

    How to make a French Press Coffee at Home

    The benefits of a metal french press are:

  • Suited For a Traveling Lifestyle
  • Durable Materials
  • The drawbacks of a metal french press are:

  • Preheating
  • No Visual Brewing Component
  • A metal french press is the perfect option for any coffee drinker who experiences a vast amount of travel in their lifestyle. The metal material offers rugged durability that allows the metal french press to be competitive, despite having to be preheated. After preheating, the metal french press overs extreme heat retention.

    A metal french press does not offer any visual aspect to the brewing process, and replacement carafe, if needed, can be a little troublesome to find. A metal french press can last an entire lifetime.

    But what happens if your coffee gets too cold anyway?

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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.

    Portability You Can Use It Anywhere

    You can take a French press pretty much anywhere. Its one piece, it can be packed easily in luggage, and it can make great coffee possible wherever you are.

    Just because hotel rooms are outfitted with pod makers these days doesnt mean you have to settle for stale, poorly brewed swill. You can use those machines to get hot water and make your own coffee with freshly ground beans in your French press.

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    The Beaker Base And Handle

    The beaker is usually made from glass but some models use plastic, metal or ceramic. Its purpose is to hold the coffee and water while it steeps and make it easy to pour the brewed coffee into your mug.

    The configuration of the body and handle can vary depending on the materials used to make the French Press. We dive into these variations in the section about buying a french press.

    The French Press is widely used because you do not need fancy equipment like a long neck kettle, a supply of paper filters or any electricity to brew with it. The minimum ingredients to make French Press coffee are hot water, ground coffee and a French Press.

    The quality of coffee you brew will significantly increase with a few additional tools. Using a burr coffee grinder to freshly grind your beans just before brewing will make the biggest impact. Once coffee is ground it begins to oxidize and lose flavor which means pre-ground coffee is not an option if the goal is to make quality coffee.

    A burr grinder will also produce a consistent grind with uniform particle sizes. This is especially important when making French Press coffee because the coffee grounds are steeped with the water for so long. If you have uneven particle sizes, like the ones produced by a blade grinder, the small particles will get over-extracted and the large ones will be under-extracted.

    “What gets measured gets managed”

    How Hot Should The Water Be For French Press Coffee

    How To Make Coffee with A French Press [and Espresso ...

    The French press is one of the easiest way to get fresh brewed coffee any time of the day. But do not be deceived by its simplicity. One wrong move with the French press can lead to a bad tasting coffee.

    A good cup of French press coffee has to have a perfect balance of these elements:

    • Coffee ground It has to be coarse ground coffee that suits well for French press.
    • Steeping time Coffee grounds need to bloom for about 3 to 4 minutes to extract flavor and aroma.
    • Water temperature There is prescribed water temperature for French press coffee to achieve the perfect coffee blend.

    All of these elements, when combined together, make a great tasting cup of French press coffee.

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    Instructions: To Prepare Milk/lattewant More Than Just A Plain Latte Here Is A Quick Guide To Flavors That You Can Combine With Your Milk To Give Your French Press Latte A Flavorful Burst

    • Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey

    • Spiced Vanilla: 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

    • Mocha: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder + 1/2 teaspoon of stevia or other natural sweetener

    • Honey almond: 1 tablespoon honey + 1 teaspoon almond extract

  • Add cold milk to the milk frother and microwave for 30-45 seconds.
  • Pump the frother until the mile becomes foamy. Note: Don’t have a frother at home? that’s ok! Click this LINK for a quick tutorial on frothing milk with only a microwave and a jar from Kitchn.com
  • Fill your coffee mug halfway with your freshly brewed coffee and pour a small amount of still liquid milk in and then top with the foamy steamed milk.
  • Enjoy!
  • How To Store Cold Brew

    Storing cold brew is so simple. You can use the same mason jar, or any container with a lid to store the cold brew in the fridge. If what you have is a container without a lid, you could use cling-film to close it and use an elastic band to keep the film in place.

    If you prefer, you could dilute all of the concentrate and then store it. This way, you can simply pour the cold brew into a cup and start sipping whenever you want it.

    Pro tip: Make ice using diluted cold brew. You could use this cold brew ice to enhance your experience!

    Make ice with diluted cold brew coffee

    Bear in mind that, 14 days is the maximum duration you should store the cold brew. It tastes best in the first few days. Then the taste will start diminishing.

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    Brew Smaller Batches Of Coffee

    The best way to ensure you never have to reheat any coffee you brew, is to only brew enough for your current consumption. Though, if you do brew more than a cup or two of coffee at a time, a metal or insulated french press may be better suited for your brewing habits.

    A metal french press offers extreme heat retention, though the brewing process of a metal french press calls for the preheating of water, for its material is not penetrated easily by heat.

    Another way to keep excess french press coffee warm is to transfer the excess coffee into a thermos or other insulated container. Some french press enthusiasts have also reported success wrapping their excess coffee container in a hot towel.

    The Lid Plunger And Filter

    How to Make French Press Coffee

    French Presses use a metal filter that allows natural oils and fine particles from the coffee beans to pass through into your cup. This is what gives French Press coffee it’s rich and hearty body compared to brewing methods that use a paper filter.

    The filter is connected to a metal rod that passes through the top known as the plunger which is used to press the filter to the bottom of the beaker and earn the French Press the latter half of its name.

    The lid fits onto the top of the beaker and the filter is sized to snugly slide into the beaker with enough pressure on the side walls to prevent coffee particles from sliding by when its pressed.

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    How To Grind Coffee For A French Press

    A good cup of French press coffee is all about the perfect grind. While you can buy coffee already ground to the right size online, I highly suggest grinding your own beans. Your coffee will be much fresher this way, and youll have total control over the grind.

    • If youre grinding your coffee beans with a manual grinder or an electric grinder, grind them until they resemble coarse sand. If you grind too long and the coffee looks more like a powder, start over! You can use that coffee for your drip machine. You must use a coarse grind for the french press.

    Pros And Cons Of Cold Brewing In A French Press

    Though originally designed to brew hot coffee, french presses do a great job of cold brewing as well. They are multi-functional, which means less gear on your counter and less money spent.

    Using the immersion brewing process, you can immerse coffee grounds and cold water for 12-24 hours to make a rich concentrate. French press carafes enable you to produce a variety of batch sizes and the built-in filter makes filtering out large coffee particles easy.

    The process is simple and forgiving because theres no drip rate to manipulate, like with drip cold brew coffee makers. The press can even store the cold brew concentrate once the liquid is filtered.

    However, french presses arent fool-proof for cold brewing. Unfortunately, most filters allow some micro-grounds through into the filtered concentrate. The micro-grounds continue to extract as you enjoy your coffee over the following two weeks.

    To avoid this, you have to filter the concentrate a second time through a finer filter, such as cloth or paper. Its an extra step, but its not a deal breaker. Just make sure you have some other coffee filters on hand for getting the micro-grounds out.

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    Grounds Sometimes Slip Into The Coffee

    Some sediment in the bottom of your cup is normal. If you cant stand the thought of that, French press isnt for you. If you repeatedly get a gritty and or thick sediment , check the mesh filter if it doesnt fit snugly against the glass or stainless steel surface of your press as you plunge, it may need replacing.

    How To Make Coffee In A French Press

    How to Make French Press Coffee at Home

    French press pots are among the most popular type of coffee makers in the world. Theyre one of the first gourmet type pots that most people find. Youll find them for sale at Starbucks and many specialty coffee shops, as well as online and in department stores. A French press is a simple enough device. It consists of a narrow glass carafe with a metal plunger. Making coffee in a French press is simply a matter of pouring nearly boiling water into the carafe along with ground coffee. After it has brewed in the pot for three minutes to extract the flavor of the beans, you push the plunger down to the bottom of the pot, and pour off the brew. The coffee made with a French press is rich and flavorful, many experts say, because none of the essential oils are trapped in the filter.

    As simple as the process sounds, there are a few tricks and a few caveats to keep in mind when making coffee in a French press. Like any other method, there are ways to mess up and make horribly undrinkable coffee. Once you get the hang of this little ritual, though, youll be drinking the kind of coffee that has made the French press the choice of coffee lovers all over the world.

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    1. Start with a clean press.

    2. Put water in the pot to boil.

    3. Grind your coffee and dump it in the bottom of the French press.

    4. Pour the water into the French press and put the cover on.

    Dont press the plunger yet. Let the coffee steep in the hot water for one minute.

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