Are you a beginner to brewing coffee with a french press? The French press is an easy and inexpensive way to achieve a full flavored cup of coffee. This guide offers instructions on how to use and clean your french press.
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French Press Basics
The French Press, also known as a press pot, consists of a glass or plastic beaker as well as a mesh plunger assembly. French presses come in different sizes; I have one for just myself and a larger one that I use when I have company over.
The french press works by immersion. You will basically steep the coffee grounds in water and then press down on the plunger. The plunger will push the grounds to the bottom of the pot and allow you to pour out the coffee. You can also brew tea this way.
French pressed coffee is heavy and bold with a thicker mouthfeel than other types of coffee. With the right beans, this combination of texture and boldness is really a must try for coffee lovers.
If you are interested but don’t yet own a french press, I would recommend purchasing a smaller, cheaper one at first. A good example of a basic french press is the Bodum Chambord French Press (view on Amazon). This is a great entry due to its cost, simplicity, and traditional design.
French Press Characteristics
French pressed coffee blends the characteristics of particular beans a bit more compared to other coffee methods. This is due to the coffee grounds being fully immersed in water for several minutes. The result is a heavier tasting cup that has body, since there is no paper filter to remove small sediments and oils.
Pros
- The french press is one of the easiest coffee methods to use.
- French pressed coffee has body and is great for bold-coffee lovers.
- French presses are relatively inexpensive.
Cons
- French presses require specific parameters. You must use a coarse grind and an extraction time of 3-4 minutes.
- The coffee made from a french press can be sometimes described as muddy, as the immersion dulls specific traits.
- French pressed coffee will leave a bit of sediment in the bottom of your cup, so you will want to avoid taking the last sip.
Preparations for Using a French Press
Brewing french press coffee requires an extraction time of 3-4 minutes, and a coarse grind. Be sure to stick around while your coffee brews, or else you will have a very bitter and unpleasant cup. The grind size is also very important, and is best acquired using a burr grinder.
If you are new to manual brewing methods, I highly recommend you read a little bit on how to measure coffee and water. Once you get the ratio right, you have an easier time achieving consistency and avoiding bitterness.
Read More: The Coffee to Water Ratio
When you are ready to begin, follow the steps below.
How to Brew Coffee Using a French Press
- First, measure how much coffee and water you will need. If you don’t have a scale, you can start with two level tablespoons of coffee for every 6 ounces of filtered water. If you have a scale, use 10 grams of coffee for every 6 ounces (or 180 grams) of filtered water.
12 ounces of water to 20 grams of coffee.
- Boil your water and grind your coffee. The recommended grind will consist of coarse and relatively even sized particles.
This is what the grind should look like.
- Add your coffee grounds to the bottom of the press. Shake the press a bit to level out the grounds.
You can preheat the press with hot water if you want hotter coffee (before adding the grounds).
- Pour filtered water that is just off boiling (around 195F) and let steep for 4 minutes. Try to saturate all the grounds quickly. Replace the lid but do not press down the plunger, let it remain above the level of the floating coffee grounds. This allows the press to retain heat.
Try to saturate all of the grounds when pouring.
- After a minute has elapsed, stir the contents of the press. This will ensure that all the grounds are saturated for best extraction.
Be sure to replace the lid after stiring.
- When finished steeping, press the plunger down slowly (stop when the plunger is almost at the bottom) and pour the coffee into a cup or a server. Do not push the plunger all the way down! Some sediment will settle to the bottom of your cup; this is normal. Enjoy your french pressed cup!
French pressed coffee served in a pig mug!
How to Clean a French Press
Before you drink your newly french pressed coffee, you should establish the habit of cleaning out the press directly after each use. You don’t want to forget about it and have to clean it days later. To clean the press, follow these steps:
- Remove the lid and plunger assembly and set aside.
- Fill the press with a small amount of water, and then swirl the grounds and water enough to lift them off of the bottom and dump them into the trash.
- Fill the press with hot water, rinse off your plunger assembly, and place back in the press.
- Press the plunger up and down several times while the press is filled with water. This will remove debris from the filter and scrub the sides of the pot.
- Rinse components and set aside to dry.
This sounds complicated, but it can be done in under a minute. The french press is very easy to clean, especially right after brewing while everything is still hot.
How to Reduce Bitterness
If your french pressed coffee comes out bitter or unpleasant, there are a few things you can try. French pressed coffee should be heavy, but not at all bitter.
- Make sure to use filtered water, as tap water will have a burnt metallic taste more often than not.
- Don’t stir or agitate the coffee any more than necessary to get full saturation.
- Try to avoid pressing the plunger all the way down and ringing out the grounds at the bottom. Just press it most of the way down, and pour your coffee out while holding the lid.
- Don’t allow the coffee to steep for more than 4 minutes. You can even go with 3 minutes if it’s a particularly dark coffee.
- The darkest roasts might not be best suited for a french press. Consider a medium-dark roast (full city +) for best results.
- Use as coarse of a grind as possible. This is the most important step! You cannot achieve the right grind consistency with a standard blade grinder. Have your local coffee shop grind your coffee or invest in your own burr grinder. French pressed coffee using a standard blade grinder will certainly be bitter!
Read More: Burr Grinder Basics
French Press Upgrades
One of the nice things about the french press is that it is available in many different variations. If you already have a basic french press and want to upgrade, check out some of these options.
Please note that different manufacturers advertise using different size “cups”. For example, Bodum defines a cup of coffee as 4 ounces. A normal sized coffee mug will typically hold 8-10 ounces. When selecting a french press, keep this in mind.
The press that I currently use is the Bodum Columbia Press Pot (view on Amazon). This press is a bit more expensive because it is constructed of stainless steel and is vacuum insulated. Also, the plunger assembly is better designed and easier to clean. This press will maintain optimal brewing temperature for the duration of the extraction and is very durable due to its metal construction (allowing you to travel with it).
The Espro French Press (view on Amazon) uses a double filter assembly and brews cleanest possible french pressed coffee. The Espro comes in glass, copper, and stainless steel variations, and it is quite pleasing to look at.
These are just a few examples, there are many more. A french press is a pretty simple device, so your chances of finding a good one are pretty high.
Final Thoughts
Every coffee lover should own a french press. The device is so simple to use and offers such a different experience, it is absolutely worth having around. French pressed coffee is difficult to get wrong and is a very consistent way of brewing coffee, assuming you stick around and use the correct grind.
French pressed coffee is very different from other types of coffee in that it develops more body and averages out the taste profile a bit more. Overall, it’s a great and easy experience, and the end result is well worth it.
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