How-to Brew French Press Coffee at home
Background of the french press
Invented in 1929, the French Press is a consistent, easy, and pretty affordable brewing method of coffee. French Press coffee produces a dense and heavy-bodied, yet attractive cup of coffee that is perfect for a relaxing morning and a hearty breakfast or shared with family & friends.
French Press Coffee to water ratio
For the ideal coffee to water ratio to make a french press, we recommend starting with a ratio of 1:12. This gives you that nice robust cup of coffee that you think of when you think of a French Press coffee.
Here’s What You Need
French Press
Grinder
Kettle
scale
timer
spoon
water
Warm up the french press Brewer
Warm up the french press by rinsing it with boiling water. This will help maintain the temperature of the French Press brewer while brewing the coffee & will help with an even extraction which will lead to a cleaner tasting cup of coffee in the end.
Measure & grind your coffee Coarse
We recommend starting with a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio for your French Press. When you are grinding your coffee, you want to grind it coarse, like sea salt or breadcrumbs. For more information on grinding your coffee, reference our blog posts: Grind Size: Explained
3-cup French Press
275ml Water
22g Coarse Ground Coffee
8-Cup French Press
800ml water
66g Coarse Ground Coffee
Tip: We recommend grinding your coffee with a burr grinder or a quality hand grinder to get an even grind size. This will help you have less sediment in your coffee and will leave you drinking a cleaner cup of coffee.
Gently Add Water, Stir & let Bloom
Pour 2x the amount of coffee that you used. If you have a 3-cup french press, use 44ml of water for the bloom phase. If you have an 8-cup French Press, use 132ml of water for the bloom phase.
The temperature of your water should be roughly 200F. Once poured, stir the grounds making sure to saturate all of the coffee grounds. Let sit for 30 seconds.
Tip: if the grounds are not stirred or agitated, the coffee sitting at the top of the coffee bed will be less extracted than the coffee that is sitting underneath which is saturated with water.
Add the rest of the water to your french press
Add the rest of the water into the French Press and press down just enough to fully submerge the coffee grounds. Then, set a timer for 3-5 minutes.
Press Down
Once your timer is up press down all the way ensuring that all of the grounds stay at the bottom. Then dispose of the coffee grounds in the trash, or put your used coffee grounds in your compost to help provide nutrients to your soil.
Sip & Enjoy
That’s it! You did it! Sit back, sip slowly, and enjoy that mighty fine cup of coffee.
Want to make your French Press coffee even better? Make some coffee for friends or family to share!
Tip: For fewer fines & a cleaner cup of coffee, remove the grounds that are still floating at the top with a spoon before pressing down all the way.