6 Steps to Making Coffee Using a French Press
The world of craft coffee offers a wide variety of brewing techniques and methods. A true aficionado would argue that making coffee using a manual brewing method offers more control over the process and can vastly improve the quality and flavors of your coffee, over merely pushing a few buttons on an automatic coffee machine.
Although there are many manual brewing methods, each having its distinct attributes, in this article, we will focus on the popular French Press method of making coffee.
So, what is a French Press anyway?
The French Press goes by many names such as cafetiére, press pot, coffee press, or coffee plunger. As its name suggests, it uses a plunger to push the coffee grounds to the bottom of the container, leaving the upper section of your press with coffee that has a rich, full body and a thicker texture.
You don’t have to be an expert barista to use a French Press given that it’s one of the simplest methods of preparing coffee. However, you may want to keep an eye on the measurements, timing, and type of coffee grind for a more immersive tasting experience. Really, there’s no right or wrong way, so feel free to play around, after all, creativity knows no bounds.
Before we go ahead with our little French Press brewing adventure, you will need the following items.
Step 1
Pour hot water into the French Press. This step is crucial to keeping the Press warm throughout the entire brewing process. Preheating the French Press before we begin is always recommended. Let the warm water sit in the press for about a minute.
Step 1
Once you are done preheating the French Press, pour out the warm water. Now it’s time to add the coffee grounds. The type of grind depends on your preference, however, a coarse to medium-coarse grind would be the ideal setting to hit that right balance of taste and consistency. If you are thinking of how much coffee grounds you need to put in a French Press, we suggest using a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio, so 1 g of coffee to 12 g of water (depending on the serving size).
Step 3
Next, you want to add some of that remaining hot water in your kettle to the French Press, just enough to soak the coffee grounds that are lying at the bottom. This step is called Steeping or blooming. Stir it with a spoon and let it sit for at least 30 seconds.
Step 4
Now that the coffee grounds are all bloomed and soaked, it’s time to fill up the press all the way with hot water. Place the lid on to keep the heat intact. Give it a quick and gentle stir and let it sit for 3 to 4 minutes to brew completely. (Be patient and don’t plunge yet!)
Step 5
And now for the most exciting part!
Once you have waited patiently for the coffee to brew, slowly but firmly push the plunger all the way down, pressing the grounds against the bottom. If the plunger goes down smoothly it would mean that the grounds are too coarse, on the contrary, if there is too much resistance it is an indication that the grounds are a bit too fine.
Step 6
Your coffee is ready to serve! Pour your freshly brewed coffee into your favorite coffee mug. Be sure not to leave the coffee in the press for too long before pouring it into your mug.The longer it steeps the more bitter it becomes.
There you have it, Six simple steps to brew coffee using a French Press.
Although there are many manual brewing methods, each having its distinct attributes, in this article, we will focus on the popular French Press method of making coffee.
So, what is a French Press anyway?
The French Press goes by many names such as cafetiére, press pot, coffee press, or coffee plunger. As its name suggests, it uses a plunger to push the coffee grounds to the bottom of the container, leaving the upper section of your press with coffee that has a rich, full body and a thicker texture.
You don’t have to be an expert barista to use a French Press given that it’s one of the simplest methods of preparing coffee. However, you may want to keep an eye on the measurements, timing, and type of coffee grind for a more immersive tasting experience. Really, there’s no right or wrong way, so feel free to play around, after all, creativity knows no bounds.
Before we go ahead with our little French Press brewing adventure, you will need the following items.
- French Press
- Ground Coffee
- Boiling water
- A Spoon
- Timer
- Scale or tablespoon
- Your favorite coffee mug
Step 1
Pour hot water into the French Press. This step is crucial to keeping the Press warm throughout the entire brewing process. Preheating the French Press before we begin is always recommended. Let the warm water sit in the press for about a minute.
Step 1
Once you are done preheating the French Press, pour out the warm water. Now it’s time to add the coffee grounds. The type of grind depends on your preference, however, a coarse to medium-coarse grind would be the ideal setting to hit that right balance of taste and consistency. If you are thinking of how much coffee grounds you need to put in a French Press, we suggest using a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio, so 1 g of coffee to 12 g of water (depending on the serving size).
Step 3
Next, you want to add some of that remaining hot water in your kettle to the French Press, just enough to soak the coffee grounds that are lying at the bottom. This step is called Steeping or blooming. Stir it with a spoon and let it sit for at least 30 seconds.
Step 4
Now that the coffee grounds are all bloomed and soaked, it’s time to fill up the press all the way with hot water. Place the lid on to keep the heat intact. Give it a quick and gentle stir and let it sit for 3 to 4 minutes to brew completely. (Be patient and don’t plunge yet!)
Step 5
And now for the most exciting part!
Once you have waited patiently for the coffee to brew, slowly but firmly push the plunger all the way down, pressing the grounds against the bottom. If the plunger goes down smoothly it would mean that the grounds are too coarse, on the contrary, if there is too much resistance it is an indication that the grounds are a bit too fine.
Step 6
Your coffee is ready to serve! Pour your freshly brewed coffee into your favorite coffee mug. Be sure not to leave the coffee in the press for too long before pouring it into your mug.The longer it steeps the more bitter it becomes.
There you have it, Six simple steps to brew coffee using a French Press.
