To make a good French Press coffee at home you need high-quality coffee beans, water that tastes good, a 1:15 ratio of beans to water, a coarse grind, and water that is 200 degrees F.
Are you looking for a new way to brew your coffee? The French Press is an easy way to brew strong coffee that is full of flavor. Read this guide to learn how to make delicious French Press coffee at home!
What does French Press coffee taste like?
French Press coffee tastes strong, rich, and flavorful.
French Press coffee has no impurities because the coffee steeps instead of being filtered. The grounds get completely saturated, whereas pour over methods or coffee makers sometimes saturate the grounds unevenly.
How does a French Press work?
A French Press works by steeping coffee grounds and then filtering the coffee grounds out of the coffee.
You add your coffee and water and let it steep. Afterwards, you push down a plunger which filters all of the coffee grounds to the bottom of the French Press.
How do you pick out the right French Press?
Picking out the right French Press depends on what you will be using it for.
Some French Presses are meant for travel and double up as mugs. According to Indeed Coffee, a website dedicated to coffee, cheap travel mugs tend to let coffee grounds get into the coffee. Luckily, some brands offer high-quality travel mugs that have better seals.
If you’re going to use your French Press for camping or traveling, you want to focus on durability and portability. Look for BPA-free plastic and an insulating sleeve.
Lastly, there are glass and stainless steel French Presses. Stainless steel French Presses retain heat better than glass ones do, but you can have a satisfying front-row seat to your steeping coffee with a glass version.
How coarse should your grind be?
Your French Press coffee grind should be coarse, between .75 mm and 1 mm.
A grind that is too coarse will create weak coffee. On the other hand, a grind that is too fine will create coffee that is too strong or bitter.
Burr grinders create the most consistent and controllable grinds.
What should your water temperature be?
You should heat your water to around 200 degrees F when using a French Press. This is just barely below the boiling point of water which is 212 degrees.
Ideally, get an electric kettle so you can completely control the water temperature.
Otherwise, boil water and let it sit for a minute or two. For best results using this method, whip out a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature of your water as it cools from 212 degrees to 200 degrees.
What kind of water should you use?
Coffee is about 98% water. Because of this, it’s important to use the right water.
If you have high-quality tap water, feel free to use it. Your water hardness and chlorine levels will vary depending on where you live. If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, you won’t like it in your coffee either.
Distilled water has no calcium or magnesium. Using distilled water avoids mineral build-up or scaling on your coffee maker or kettle.
The best way to get high-quality water is by using an activated carbon filter. This is especially important if you live somewhere with hard water. Some of these filters mount right onto your tap and they remove the limescale that creates scaling on your appliances.
How much water should you use?
You should start out by using a 1:15 ratio of coffee to water. That means that you should use 15 grams of water for each gram of coffee. This converts to roughly 3 tablespoons of coffee per 1 cup of water.
However, you may like your coffee stronger or weaker than that ratio creates.
If you want stronger coffee, slowly increase how many grams of coffee you use until you like the taste.
If you want weaker coffee, experiment by using less coffee each time you make your morning cup of joe.
How do you pick out the right coffee?
The first step to finding high-quality coffee is by looking for a printed roast date. If you can’t find one, it’s likely because it’s information that the roaster doesn’t want you to know. “Best before” stickers are also a red flag.
Buy your coffee as freshly roasted as possible. It will have the best flavors between 7 and 14 days post-roast.
If you like drinking your coffee with milk, a blend will help create a rounded taste. If you like your coffee black, single origin coffee creates the most distinctive flavors.
Central and South American coffees are clean and sweet, African coffees are complex and fruity, and Asian coffees are earthy.
How long do you let the coffee steep?
First, pour a 1:2 ratio of coffee grounds to water. Let it bloom for 30 seconds.
Now add the rest of the water and let it steep for 4 minutes. Set a timer- don’t estimate.
What does it mean that my coffee is blooming?
When coffee beans are roasted they release carbon dioxide. They keep releasing carbon dioxide, known as “degassing”, for about 2 weeks.
Adding hot water speeds up this process. When hot water touches coffee grounds, the grounds release extra carbon dioxide that causes them to expand and bubble.
What are all of the steps to make good French Press coffee?
Putting it all together, here are the steps to make 32 delicious ounces of French Press coffee. These are the steps recommended by Faith Durand, editor-in-chief of the publication Kitchn.
- Measure ½ cup of coffee beans.
- Grind the beans to a coarse consistency.
- Heat 4 cups of water to 200 degrees.
- Add a 1:2 ratio of coffee grounds to water.
- Let your coffee bloom for 30 seconds.
- Add the rest of the water.
- Stir the water and coffee grounds.
- Steep for 4 minutes.
- Push down on the plunger and serve!
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.