So what's the right way to make French press coffee?
Hi everyone! I was recently gifted a French press and have been experimenting with different ways to make coffee using it. I thought I'd come to the internet to get advice on how to make the best cup of coffee using a French press. I'm especially interested in learning what the right coffee to water ratio is. Thanks in advance for the sugggestions!
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The French Press is an extremely versatile coffee-making instrument. You can make strong, concentrated coffee, large-batch coffee, or anything in between. The two most important things to consider are coffee-to-water ratio and grind size.
Lighter roast coffees call for more water, something like a 1 to 16, 1 to 17, or 1 to 18 ratio of coffee to water. Darker roasts, however, are better with something closer to a 1 to 14 ratio, especially if you plan to put milk in them. So if you're using 10 grams of coffee for a light roast, you'd use around 170 mL of water, but 140 mL of water for a dark roast. You can scale this up for the amount of coffee you want to make! Make sure to pay attention to the type of roast on your coffee (if it doesn't say, assume a darker roast), and use a kitchen scale to measure out your coffee and water.
Controlling your grind size is the number one thing that will make your coffee go from decent to amazing. If you have the means to do it, invest in a burr grinder, or a grinder that has two spinning plates instead of a blade. They're typically around $100. Fresh-ground coffee is so much more flavorful than pre-ground, as coffee loses it's flavor after 24 hours when ground.
I recommend a medium grind for French Press. If it tastes weak, you can lower your coffee-to-water ratio or stir it a bunch, as this agitation will extract more flavor. If it's too strong, add more water and use less coffee.
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Lighter roast coffees call for more water, something like a 1 to 16, 1 to 17, or 1 to 18 ratio of coffee to water. Darker roasts, however, are better with something closer to a 1 to 14 ratio, especially if you plan to put milk in them. So if you're using 10 grams of coffee for a light roast, you'd use around 170 mL of water, but 140 mL of water for a dark roast. You can scale this up for the amount of coffee you want to make! Make sure to pay attention to the type of roast on your coffee (if it doesn't say, assume a darker roast), and use a kitchen scale to measure out your coffee and water.
Controlling your grind size is the number one thing that will make your coffee go from decent to amazing. If you have the means to do it, invest in a burr grinder, or a grinder that has two spinning plates instead of a blade. They're typically around $100. Fresh-ground coffee is so much more flavorful than pre-ground, as coffee loses it's flavor after 24 hours when ground.
I recommend a medium grind for French Press. If it tastes weak, you can lower your coffee-to-water ratio or stir it a bunch, as this agitation will extract more flavor. If it's too strong, add more water and use less coffee.
Using a French press is one of my favorite ways to make coffee. To use a French press, there's a conventional measurement ratio that you can use (I think it's two or three tablespoons for each cup of water), but I just kind of do it by eye. What's important with a French press is to make sure that your coffee is a coarse grind. You don't want fine-ground coffee.
I like to put my coffee in the press first, and then I pour about half of the water in there, and I make sure to do it so all of the ground coffee gets wet. I'll then let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes so it blooms. In other words, the coffee will expand and just kind of grow a little bit. Then, I'll break that crust with a spoon and stir it up. Next, I'll add the rest of the water. Finally, I'll place that lid on top so that it sits right on top of those coffee grinds, and I'll let it sit and steep. My biggest piece of advice for making delicious coffee with a French press is to not be hasty. Let it steep long enough. For me, this process is not like a Chemex or something where there's a scientific measurement of this or that. I do a lot of it just by taste, and I like my coffee strong, so I'll let it steep for a while. I'll use more coffee than it calls for sometimes. It's science, but it's more of an art, like I would say making coffee is comparable to cooking, as opposed to baking. It's really about your preferences and how strong you want it.
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I like to put my coffee in the press first, and then I pour about half of the water in there, and I make sure to do it so all of the ground coffee gets wet. I'll then let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes so it blooms. In other words, the coffee will expand and just kind of grow a little bit. Then, I'll break that crust with a spoon and stir it up. Next, I'll add the rest of the water. Finally, I'll place that lid on top so that it sits right on top of those coffee grinds, and I'll let it sit and steep. My biggest piece of advice for making delicious coffee with a French press is to not be hasty. Let it steep long enough. For me, this process is not like a Chemex or something where there's a scientific measurement of this or that. I do a lot of it just by taste, and I like my coffee strong, so I'll let it steep for a while. I'll use more coffee than it calls for sometimes. It's science, but it's more of an art, like I would say making coffee is comparable to cooking, as opposed to baking. It's really about your preferences and how strong you want it.
If you want to make iced coffee with a French press, here's what I'd recommend: let the container cool, press with ice, and then pour the coffee over ice. However, I personally prefer using cold brew for iced coffee drinks.
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Follow these steps to make an amazing cup of coffee with your French press:
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- Use 1 cup of water (8 fluid ounces) per 2 tablespoons (10 grams) of ground coffee beans. This equals 1 serving.
- Adjust the water and ground coffee beans ratio depending on how many cups you want.
- Remove the plunger and add your ground coffee beans to the bottom of the glass.
- Boil the water and pour it into the glass over the coffee grounds.
- Place the lid/plunger over the glass but don’t press it down yet.
- Let the coffee steep for 4 minutes.
- Press down the plunger, then enjoy your coffee!
Congrats on the French press - it's a great way to make coffee! A good starting ratio is 1:15 (1g coffee to 15g water) - so about 30g of coffee for 450g (ml) of water. Use coarsely ground coffee, pour in hot water (~200°F/93°C), stir, let it steep for 4 minutes, then press slowly. Experiment with ratios and steep time to find what you like best. Enjoy!
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What is the difference between french press coffee and other coffee? I'm curious about the process of making it and the taste
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I'd also add that I always start by pouring just a tiny bit of hot (~200 degrees F) water on the grounds and stir them to make sure they're all saturated, wait a minute or so and let the grounds start to swell, and then I add the rest of the water. I give it another stir and let it sit for 5-7 minutes, stir again, and then press. Don't underestimate the importance of stirring! ;)
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The most important thing for using a French press is the ratio of coffee to water. I get the most flavorful cup when I use about 30 grams of coarsely ground coffee beans with around 350 grams of boiling water. I let the coffee and water sit for 5-6 minutes before pouring myself a mug, and it always tastes amazing.
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Reader Tips from How to Make Coffee With a Coffee Press
Use a digital kitchen scale or leveled tablespoons to measure coffee. A 1:18 coffee to water ratio works well for a basic cup, but try a 1:16 ratio for stronger coffee.
Use a little more ground coffee beans and then only fill your coffee cup 3/4-full. Top up your mug with hot milk to make a delicious latte.
Reader Tips from How to Use a French Press or Cafetiere
Make cold brew coffee by loading the grounds and water into your French press and keeping it in your refrigerator overnight.
Normal coffee grounds are normally too fine to use in a French press, so make sure to grind your beans to a coarse texture.
Reader Tips from How to Make Simple Iced Coffee
Grind fresh coffee beans to use for your iced coffee so you have the most flavorful cup.
Brew fresh coffee at double the strength because the ice will melt and dilute it.
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