How To Make Coffee With A French Press?
Enjoy A Fresh Cup Of Coffee With French Press
Are you interested in French Press Coffee and would like to know how you can make fresh coffee with it? Well you have landed on the right page. We’ll teach you all you need to know about learning how to make French Press Coffee. Everything from the coffee equipment you’ll need, the best coffee ratio to water, the recommended coffee ground size for French Press as well as a step by step guide with useful tips. Let’s dive in!
What is French Press Coffee?
It’s one of the simplest ways to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee anywhere you go. Making this coffee doesn’t require a lot of different equipment, plus it’s relatively low cost. Famous for its simplicity and balanced taste of coffee.
Why Use A French Press?
If you want to enjoy freshly brewed coffee at home or your workstation, French Press Coffee is quick and convenient. The coffee is a richly aromatic coffee with natural coffee oils that make it very flavorful. It’s a delicious, full bodied cup of coffee.
What Equipment Do You Need for French Press?
Minimum equipment needed:
- French Press Coffee Maker
- #7 preground coffee or roasted coffee beans
- Hot water
Extra equipment you may want to buy:
- Coffee grinder – to enjoy freshly ground coffee with a more aromatic smell than the pre ground French Press Coffee.
The below equipment will be needed if you would like to create a consistent recipe for each of your favourite coffee beans, in order to be able to make that exact same cup of coffee again.
- Coffee scale
- Coffee timer
- Coffee thermometer
Step By Step Guide On How to Make French Press Coffee
- Boil the water
- While boiling the water, if you have roasted coffee beans, grind your coffee beans to coarse ground (see here on grind size guide)
- Warm up your French Press Coffee Maker by rinsing it with boiled water
- Leave the boiled water to cool down for 30 seconds
- Remove the plunger
- Place your favourite coffee into your French Press Coffee Maker. See below our coffee to water ratio recommendations.
Keep in mind that there is no fixed coffee to water ratio as it really depends on your taste. After you use this ration, you’ll be able to adjust the coffee amount or water amount according to your taste preference.
COFFEE STRENGTH | COFFEE TO WATER RATIO FOR FRENCH PRESS COFFEE | |||
300ml of Water | 600ml of Water | 900ml of Water | 1200ml of Water | |
Mild | 18 grams 3 Tablespoons | 36 grams 6 Tablespoons | 56 grams 9 Tablespoons | 74 grams 12 Tablespoons |
Medium | 23 grams 4 Tablespoons | 46 grams 8 Tablespoons | 69 grams 12 Tablespoons | 92 grams 16 Tablespoons |
Strong | 30 grams 5 Tablespoons | 60 grams 10 Tablespoons | 90 grams 15 Tablespoons | 120 grams 20 Tablespoons |
7. Pour in only 20% of the total amount of water to allow the coffee to bloom first
8. Then pour in the rest of the water
9. Leave it to sit for 4 minutes
10. Slowly press the lever down
11. And pour into your favourite coffee cup
That’s it!
How To Make Cold Brew Coffee
Can you make Cold Brew Coffee with a French Press Coffee Maker?
Yes, you sure can! It’s really simple and easy to make yourself. It it’s as simple as steps 1 to 6:
- Removing the plunger
- Placing your favourite cold brew coffee (in French Press ground) into your Coffee Maker. See above our coffee to water ratio recommendations.
- Pour in the cold water
- Leave it to sit in your fridge for 12-15 hours
- Slowly press the lever down
- And pour into your favourite coffee cup
And there you have it, a fresh homemade Cold Brew Coffee!
Extra Useful Tips For French Press Coffee Makers:
- The final taste and texture of the coffee can be changed depending on how the crust is handled. For a full-bodied coffee, use a spoon to gently break up the crust and slightly stir it. This will cause most of the coffee to fall to the bottom of the beaker. For a light-bodied coffee, scoop out the crust. Keep scooping until you have removed all the floating coffee grounds.
- Avoid pouring out the last 10% of brewed coffee, because this is the part that has a high concentration of silt.
- If you want to grind your coffee beans fresh, then make sure to buy a Burr Grinder, and one of the best solutions would be the manual coffee grinders. The electric blade coffee grinders will have some large and small ground coffee mixed together.
- If you would like to keep your coffee nice and hot, then a double wall stainless steel French Press Coffee Maker would be perfect for this.
- For a crispness in the acidity, use an extra coarse grind with a longer brew time.
- If you love decaf coffee, you can try making your very own decaf coffee by simply following steps 1 to 7, and let it sit for a minute then press and pour out the water. Then repeat steps 7 to 11, and voila, you have your very own decaf coffee!
Happy brewing and have a productive and positive day! Until next time …
Susan Villota (Borvornpotsakul).
Founder of Coffee Culture Asia