French Press- a coffee classic at the breakfast table
The good old French Press... a glass jar with a handle, a metal mesh filter and a lid with a spherical handle on top, you know it from your own kitchen cupboards, from acquaintances or definitely from movies. The most famous design comes from the Danish company Bodum. There are also French Press jugs made of stone, ceramic or stainless steel.
Some may already call this method of making coffee retro or oldschool. In fact, French Press coffee is prepared by soaking/steeping coffee powder in hot water and this is the most basic and longest lasting method of coffee preparation.
Brewing French Press coffee is really no big deal. In this step-by-step guide, we'll show you how to make powerful, aromatic coffee with the French Press.
Table of contents
The ingredients, for your French Press coffee
- Your favorite coffee (you will surely find it in our store)
- Optimally a coffee grinder
- Bodum French Press (press jug)
- Fine scale or a stinking normal kitchen scale
- Stopwatch or cell phone
- Kettle
Before we start - the warm-up (but don't worry there are no sports exercises following)
No matter which coffee brewing method you choose, preheating your utensils is always a good idea. With French press, you simply pour hot water into the glass container and empty it again just before the actual brewing. Temperature is a key variable in brewing consistently flavorful coffee. So you want to avoid the hot water hitting a cold vessel, which will cause it to cool immediately.
The perfect grind for your French Press
Basically, we recommend that you always grind your coffee beans fresh so as not to lose any aromas. However, if you do not have a coffee grinder, you can have the beans ground directly by your roaster. We recommend a coarse grind for the French press or press pot. If you choose too fine a grind, you can easily over-extract tannins and bitter substances from the coffee.
Water can do more than you think
The water temperature and quantity are really not to be underestimated when preparing coffee. As a model roaster/barista, we would now have to advise you to use a thermometer in order to achieve a temperature of approx. 96°C. But we like it uncomplicated, so our tip: let the water in the kettle boil and then wait about 1 minute, then the water should also be about 96 ° C.
Coffee and water: the right amount for the French Press
The French Press or press pot is perfect for serving coffee to several people. There are press jugs in different sizes. For example, the French Press from Bodum is available for 3, 8 and 12 cups.
The ratio of coffee powder to water should be 1:15 for the French Press. Before you get a headache, we have already calculated the following quantities for you:
3 cups - 23 grams of coffee - 350ml water
8 cups - 66 grams of coffee - 1000ml water
12 cups - 100 grams of coffee - 1500ml water
To make it even easier, leave the measuring cup in the cupboard and use the scale to determine the right amount of water.
💡 One milliliter of water weighs exactly one gram.
As with all types of preparation, the quantities here are not set in stone. We only give you a guideline that you can follow. It may well be that you achieve a better tasting result for you with +/-3 grams. The proof of the pudding is in the eating ;)
The correct preparation
Once you've figured out the right amount of coffee, you're ready to go. Because you're a real fox, you've already preheated your French press and are now emptying out the water used for it.
Start your kettle and while it is doing its job, grind the right amount of beans. When the water is boiling, wait about 1 minute for it to cool down to 96°C. Then pour the coffee grounds into the French Press. Then put the coffee grounds into the French Press and pour the exact amount of water all at once. It is best to use a precision scale or your kitchen scale. Stir again quickly so that all the coffee grounds are evenly distributed in the water.
Now you can put the lid on the pot and push the filter down a bit so that all the coffee powder floats under the water surface. Now set your timer for 4 minutes! When it rings, you can finally do the incredibly satisfying part: push the filter all the way down. Make sure you take your time pushing all the coffee grounds to the bottom, though.
Your French Press coffee is ready to enjoy! If you don't drink all the coffee at once, we recommend that you empty the rest into another container, otherwise the coffee powder will still be in contact with the water and over-extraction could occur.
Short version
- Boil water and cool to 96°C
- Coarsely grind coffee beans
- Pour ground coffee into the preheated French Press
- Pour water under once and stir briefly
- Put the lid on and press the filter just below the water surface
- Infuse for 4 minutes
- Press filter down
- Enjoy your cup of coffee and keep the rest warm in another container
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