We all love a great cup of coffee. There are so many ways to make coffee, but if we’re trying to maximize taste, a french press can make a delicious cup of coffee.
All a French Press is a pot with a plunger with a filter to screen the coffee grounds from the water. It is a simple method that can make good coffee. The secret to a great cup of coffee from a French Press is all in the coffee grounds. You can customize the grounds to change the flavor of the resulting coffee.
What is French Press Coffee
The French Press was invented in France in the 1800s. There have been many names for this very simple coffee maker. All it is is a pot and a plunger. It has been called a plunger pot, a melior, coffee machine piston, plunger coffee, and press pot.
It is one of the easiest ways to make coffee. As well as the cheapest methods to make great coffee. It is comparable in ease to a drip coffee maker. Just pour and press and you have your coffee. The difference is with a French Press you can have a big pot and brew for many people at once.
One benefit to French Press coffee is the ease of brewing. If you are busy in the mornings and want your cup of coffee you can just pour the water on the grounds and do something else while the coffee extracts. All you have to do after that is press the plunger down to have your coffee. It is very reliable and you will have a consistent coffee every time if you use the same amount of water and beans.
Why You Should Try French Press Coffee
If you’re one of those people that loves a full-bodied coffee the French Press is a perfect choice. This is because there is no paper filter involved in the brewing process. As a result, micro-grinds and other small coffee particles and oils can dissolve into the coffee. You will be left with a richer and fuller body to your coffee. You will have a slightly oily feel to your coffee reminiscent of very dark roasted coffees.
The preparation is also very simple and you will not have to learn too much technique when brewing coffee in a French Press. There are only a few things that you need to keep track of. This is the water to coffee ratio, water temperature, grind size, and how long to brew your coffee. Once you have that all down you will be able to make the perfect cup of coffee every time. Of course in this article, we will teach you all of this and more!
How to make French Press Coffee
Step 1: Heating Your Water
Preheat your water for brewing coffee. We recommend boiling water to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and letting the water sit a little so it’s not at a roaring boil and you can’t see any gas bubbles.
Step 2: Heat Up Your Equipment
You should preheat all the equipment you will be using to brew your coffee. This includes your French Press pot and your plunger.
You can warm it up by rinsing it in hot water. This helps with the brewing for the best extraction of the coffee beans.
Step 3: Prepare Your Coffee Beans
You should measure out the correct ratio of beans for the amount of coffee you want to brew. We recommend using a scale to measure the exact amount of coffee to grind to ensure a consistent cup of coffee.
Here is some common French Press Coffee to Water Ratios:
| Brew Strength | 3 Cup of Coffee | 8 Cup of Coffee | |
| Mild | Coffee Beans | 18g – 3 Tbsp | 55g – 9 Tbsp |
| Mild | Water | 300mL – 10oz | 900mL – 30oz |
| Medium | Coffee Beans | 23g – 4 Tbsp | 68g – 11 Tbsp |
| Medium | Water | 300mL – 10oz | 900mL – 30oz |
| Strong | Coffee Beans | 30g – 5 Tbsp | 89g – 15 Tbsp |
| Strong | Water | 300mL – 10oz | 900mL – 30oz |
Step 4: Grind The Coffee Beans
Use a burr coffee grinder to grind it to a coarse coffee ground. This should be as coarse as breadcrumbs or Kosher salt. Your coffee grounds will be in direct contact with your end product with a very thin filter between it. If you grind your coffee too fine you may have particulates in your coffee. However, I encourage you to experiment with your coffee to find what you like best. You may use an additional paper filter to remove the particulates.
Step 5: Bloom Your Coffee Grounds
Set your timer for 30 seconds and pour in just enough water to cover the coffee grounds. You will want to pour in enough water to saturate all the beans with the hot water. Then you will have to swirl the coffee around lightly to help remove the gasses. If you don’t have a timer just wait until all the bubbles dissipate. You don’t have to be too precise with this step.
This releases the CO2 trapped within the coffee beans. This is also referred to as degassing. If the gas is not removed before the addition of more water it will cause turbulence with the water and the coffee grounds will not have full contact with the water and will not extract properly.
Step 6: Finish Pouring
Set a timer for 3 minutes and 30 seconds and resume pouring the rest of the water you measured out. Make sure there is a crust of grinds that forms around the top of your French Press pot. Once these forms, lightly stir the grounds. This agitates the floating particles and speeds up extraction. This releases flavor, but also bitterness so try not to agitate it too much!
There is no filter between the coffee grounds and the coffee so all the oils from the beans will be in your coffee. This will give you extra strength and flavor in your coffee.
Step 7: Press the Plunger
Once the timer is up, immediately press the plunger down. You do not want to over-extract your beans in fear of too much bitterness. Do not push the plunger all the day down. If you push the coffee all the way down it may agitate the coffee and make the coffee too bitter. You do not need to squeeze any extra flavor out if you brew it correctly!
Step 8: Enjoy!
Pour the coffee out and enjoy your coffee! You have a cup of beautifully brewed coffee. It goes well with a lot of treats and snacks.
Tips for making French Press Coffee
Tip 1: Use an Amazing Coffee Grinder
Consistency is key to any good coffee. With a good coffee grinder, it will let you grind your coffee to a consistent coffee ground. If you have a bad grinder it may grind some beans too small and lead to over-extracted coffee.
By grinding the coffee to fine you may have a coffee with a lot of grounds in it.
Tip 2: Coffee to Water Ratio
15 grams of water to each gram of coffee is a good ratio that we like using.
Tip 3: Use the Right Water
Instead of using tap water to make coffee you will have a much better tasting coffee if you use filtered water. By having other minerals and additives in the water it may change the flavor of the coffee.
Also, keep your water around 180-205 degrees Fahrenheit so you don’t “burn” the coffee.
Tip 4: Have a Second Pot
Once you’re done brewing your coffee pour out the coffee as soon as possible. French Presses have the coffee grounds sitting inside the coffee even if you don’t drink it immediately. As a result, your coffee will get over-extracted and bitter.
The solution is once your finish brewing the coffee pour it into another pot slowly.
Tip 5: Clean your French Press
Make sure your French Press is cleaned properly after every use. After every usage, there may be coffee grounds lodged in the plunger. If you do not clean property there will be a stale coffee taste contaminating your next cup of coffee.
Tip 6: Be Consistent
Weigh all your beans and water every time you brew a cup of coffee. If you are striving for the best cup of coffee then you should make sure your record everything you do. That way you will be able to improve and track what you like and what you don’t like.
Tip 7: Vary Brew Time with the Coarseness of your Grind
The best thing to do is to experiment. You have to find the best what you like best. Is your coffee too bitter? Then try making the grounds coarser. Too sour? Make the grounds finer. Find out your perfect settings and stick with them.
Tip 8: Sift Your Coffee Before Brewing
By sifting your coffee before brewing you remove the grounds that are too coarse. This makes the grounds more consistent and creates an even extraction of all the coffee beans.
Tip 9: Stir The Coffee Grounds Periodically
When you stir the grounds into the water it helps with the overall extraction of the beans. It helps with the flavor of the coffee, but you will have to experiment to see how much flavor you like.
We like stirring at the beginning of the brew to help saturate and de-gas all the coffee grounds.
Then, once more right before the plunge to get the coffee grounds evenly distributed before we plunge. This helps the plunge because it allows less of the particles to pass through the filter.
Tip 10: Extra Filtering
If you like the flavor of the finer coffee grounds, but don’t like the “muddiness” of the coffee grounds in the coffee you should use a paper filter to do an extra layer of protection when you pour out the coffee.
Pros and Cons of French Press
When you make French Press coffee it is great because the coffee grounds are in direct contact with the water. This is a double-edged sword because while you get more flavor it is very easy to over-extract the coffee.
We have emphasized this point many times throughout the article because it is the easiest way to mess up French Press coffee.
It is very easy to make French Press coffee and it is the least time-consuming method.
It is prone to bitterness and oiliness and this can turn people off. However, if you follow the steps in this article you will be able to make great French Press coffee.
Conclusion
Experiment with the different brewing parameters. Try adjusting one variable at a time and see what the results are.
Broom Wagon Coffee
If you make a bad cup of French Press coffee, don’t worry just make another cup. The spirit of good coffee is innovation and continuous learning. Don’t be afraid to try something new the new time you brew a cup of coffee.
If French Press isn’t for you and you like espresso drink, read our article about Americano Coffee.
I want to make 24 oz of coffee. How much ground coffee do I use for 24 ounces? 3/8 cup?