French Press

A Guide to Brewing the Perfect Cup

Start

An Introduction

For a full-bodied and flavorful coffee, brewing by French press is the way to go. A French press is a manual coffee maker with a cylindrical carafe and a plunger with a built-in filter that percolates or makes the hot water pass through the beans.

French press is more gentle than drip coffee-making or by machine using steam and pressure for an espresso that heats the water very hot and often scald the beans. With a French press, coffee also doesn’t sit on a warming plate after brewing so it doesn’t continue to “cook” and turn bitter.

What you’ll Need

Coffee
French press
Scale or Coffee Scoop
Grinder
Kettle
Water

Brew Time

4min

Step 1

Choosing the Coffee Beans

The “best” coffee is a matter of preference, but generally speaking, high-quality and freshly-roasted coffee beans will give you a great cup. Most French press experts tend to prefer medium and dark roast coffee, which lends to the slower extraction of oils, flavor, and character of brewing. When selecting coffee beans, keywords to look out for are French roast, smooth, full-bodied, smoky, chocolate, cocoa, woody, nutty, earthy, fruity or caramel.

Boil water

You can use a stove-top or electric kettle to boil water ahead of time, which will make pouring hot water into the French press effortless and safer. If you’re not using an electric kettle that gives you an exact temperature, you can use stove-top and bring the water to boil.

Step 2

Grinding

For the freshest-tasting coffee, we recommend grinding your own beans at home. Pre-ground coffee may be oxidized, having lost its flavor over time. Also, if not stored properly, it may have absorbed smells from your kitchen. Ground your beans just right, not too course and not too fine.

Step 3

Measure by Scale or Scoop

Put a scoop or two for for every cup is the rule of thumb. If you want a stronger coffee you may add in an extra scoop. Using a scale to measure your ground coffee may sound complicated, but it is a foolproof way to get consistently great tasting coffee. It takes the guesswork out of exactly how much ground coffee to use each time. A coffee scoop or measuring spoon can also be used. Level the ground coffee on the scoop each time to ensure consistency.

Step 4

Pour the Hot Water

After adding the gound coffee to the carafe, pour in the hot water. Wait for four minutes, plunge the filter, and you have the best tasting full-bodied coffee to enjoy!