How to Make the Perfect French Press
The French press is a simple yet elegant way to brew coffee at home. The method highlights great coffee by maximizing water contact time with the coffee. This method offers one of the best extractions and, as a bonus, is one of the more forgiving methods of brewing. That means you’ll still get a great cup of coffee, even if you mess up a little.Coffee: Any coffee you enjoy will work well for the French press. Whole bean coffee ground right before brewing is ideal.Grind: We recommend a course ground, due to the amount of time the water and grounds stay in contact. If you use too fine a grind, the coffee will be over-extracted and will develop a bitter taste.Left: French press grindRight: Drip coffee grind
Temperature: Water temperature is key to the French press. More than 95 percent of coffee is water, yet people often overlook water quality and temperature. Ideal water temperature ranges between 195-205 Fahrenheit, but most home brewers only brew around 175 to stretch the coffee.Portions: The ideal portion is two grams of coffee per ounce of water. For example, if you're making coffee for two, start by placing 40 grams of coarsely ground coffee in the cylinder and then pour in 20 ounces of water.
Technique: Water contact is vital for the perfect French press. When pouring the water, make contact with all the grinds to start the brewing. Once all the water is poured, place the lid on top.
Time: Brewing the coffee in the French press takes four minutes. After four minutes, plunge and pour all the coffee immediately. If any coffee is left in the press, it will continue to brew and it will overdevelop.
Enjoy: Now that you’ve made a perfect French press Coffee, there’s only one thing left to do.