How To Use A French Press
August 04, 2022
1. Warm up your press
The first thing you need to do is to preheat your French press. This is an important step in all coffee brewing methods.
All you need to do is add some hot water to the press, shake it around until it's warm to the touch, and then dump the water responsibly. As an added bonus, preheating your French press can also help you keep your coffee hotter and longer.
2. Measure/Weigh Coffee Grounds
What you measure depends largely on the size of your coffee press and the amount of coffee you want. I hope you use a good grinder to freshly grind your coffee beans. For the basic method, you'll need a medium coarse grind, but if you follow the advanced bonus steps, you'll need a medium grind.
3. Measure/weigh the water and check the temperature
Heat the water in whatever way works for you. I recommend
using a stovetop or gooseneck kettle: If you have a thermometer or a kettle
with temperature control, the recommended coffee press water temperature is 195-205 degrees F.
4. Add Coffee Grounds And Hot Water
Add the your coffee grounds to the preheated french press and then add the correct ratio of hot water afterward, all in one pour. Then you need to take your spoon and give your coffee a quick stir to ensure that all your coffee grounds are properly immersed in your water.
5. Put The Lid On And Start Timing
Placing the lid on will help insulate the press, keeping the heat inside as your coffee brews. Set your timer, and then play the waiting game! The standard coffee press steep time is 4 minutes, but you can later adjust this to suit your preferences.
6. Slowly press the plunger
After sufficient time has elapsed, slowly press down on the plunger. Make sure to press it all the way down or your coffee will continue to be over-brewed.
7. Decanter coffee
We recommend pouring your coffee out before serving, as the longer your coffee sits in a container with coffee grounds, the more flavor it will extract.
You don't want an overextracted bitter coffee!
8. Service and Enjoyment
you did it! Rejoice because the coffee is ready.
final thoughts
Get it right and you'll brew amazing coffee. Here are more ways to do it: A complete list of coffee brewing methods.