How Do You Make French Press Coffee Taste Better? (Explained!)

French Press coffee can be improved with simple techniques used by baristas around the world, such as: 

• Using a scale.

• Buying a good grinder.

• Be aware of the quality of water you have.

• Using enough coffee beans.

• Using a medium-to-coarse grind.

• Warming up the pot before brewing.

• Use hot water, but not freshly boiled water.

• Perfecting the technique of ‘blooming.’

• Not stirring until the time is right.

• Pour all the coffee out when you’re done extracting.

• Clean your French Press after every use.

• Fine-tune your recipe if needed.

This article will look at each of these steps and how to incorporate them into your coffee time, plus a few bonus ‘advanced’ techniques to bring your coffee up to the next level.

How do I Use a Scale to Make Better French Press Coffee?

Scales are useful as they can help you properly measure your coffee and water amounts. This ensures the ratio is consistent and that you’re not eyeballing your measurements, as an inconsistent ratio can be easily improved with a scale.

To use a scale, simply set it to zero and add the amount of coffee you want to use, ensuring the milligrams are correct. Then, set the coffee aside while you measure your water.

Next, find any container, put it on the scale, and set it to zero, so you’re only measuring the water weight, not the water and the container. Then, add your water and ensure the weight is good.

How Does a Good Grinder Help You Get Better French Press Coffee?

A good grinder allows you to decrease the chance of finding too many tiny ground pieces of coffee slipping past the filter during extraction and causing your coffee to be over-extracted. A burr grinder gives that consistent grind size necessary for good coffee.

How Does Focusing on Medium-course to Course Coffee Grind Help with French Press Coffee?

It is better to not grind French Press Coffee too fine, as a fine coffee grind may make the coffee ‘muddy,’ as finely ground coffee will be able to slip through the extraction more easily and clog the screen and filter, making coffee preparation more difficult than it has to be.

How Does Water Quality Affect French Press Coffee?

Water quality is a key to the brewing process, along with the water-to-coffee ratio. To ensure your water quality is the best, you can consider using bottled or distilled water for coffee preparation or using filtered water that’s from the tap. Any commercial filtration system will be able to remove hard metals that may change the flavor of your coffee.

How Does Using Enough Coffee Help You Have a Good French Press Coffee?

Tying into the first tip, using a scale to ensure you have correct proportions is helpful for your coffee, especially the coffee grounds themselves. If you have a disproportionate coffee, you may have poorly made coffee.

How Does a Hot Pot Help with Brewing French Press Coffee?

This is a tip not many people know about, but it does help when you ensure the French Press pot is warmed with boiled water before making coffee, as it helps with the overall taste, heat, and extraction.

How Does Almost Boiling Water Help in Making Better French Press Coffee?

The water temperature of your coffee is key when it comes to good coffee. Using a thermometer, make sure your coffee grounds aren’t hit with boiling water, only water that’s below at least 200 Fahrenheit. This will ensure the taste isn’t burnt or scalded when you make coffee.

How Does ‘Blooming’ Help Make Better French Press Coffee?

‘Blooming’ is all about pouring an even amount of water over the coffee grounds to make them ‘bloom’ with water. It’s essentially pre-wetting the grounds that put your brew on the fast-track to completion and is a handy technique for excellent coffee. Try to avoid filling up the press all the way, and let it ‘bloom’ for at least 30 seconds.

How Does Less Stirring and More Rest Time Help Make Better French Press Coffee?

While stirring, coffee grinds are knocked out of suspension, which slows down the extraction process by a considerable amount. Therefore, unstirred brews with grinds that are allowed to sit in suspension for more extended periods are extracted better and have more flavor.

The best way to tackle this is to pour all the water into your press and then let it rest for at least 30 seconds.

How Does Pouring All of the Coffee Out of the Carafe Help with Better-Tasting French Press Coffee?

Coffee will continue to extract if some are left in the pot, so when you’re pouring your coffee, it is best to pour all of it out at the same time. If that means you need to grab a second cup, then it is recommended so there is not an uneven extraction between your coffees.

How Does Ensuring Your French Press is Clean Lead to Better Coffee?

Cleanliness, or a lack of cleanliness, greatly affects the quality level of coffee. Your French Press and your coffee’s taste will greatly benefit if you are able to use coffee-specific cleaner to soak the metal filter and press at least once a week.

At the minimum, your French Press will benefit from a quick wash and rinse with soapy water after every use, allowing it to air dry or wipe it down with a towel afterward.

How Does Fine-Tuning Your Recipe Help Make Better French Press Coffee?

If you are able to get a standard amount of ratio, grind, and brew time, you will have a consistent recipe you will be able to tweak on a fine level if you notice the flavor is off. If you notice a prominent sour taste, consider making the grind finer or stir the grounds for a few seconds before and at the end of brewing time.

If the coffee is too bitter, make the grounds coarser and refrain from stirring the coffee.

What Are Some Advanced Techniques to Try on My French Press?

Consider trying these advanced techniques next time you go to make French Press coffee:

• Use a larger or coarse grind with a longer brew time.

• Use a finer coffee grind with a short brew time.