French Press

Brew Guide: The French Press

The French Press is a household staple for many coffee enthusiast and can be just a little bit intimidating for those who haven't used this before but I promise it can get pretty easy by following this article. Follow this step-by-step guide below to press your best brew yet.

Step 1

Boil just enough water to fill the French Press. As a rule of thumb, you will need about 350g (12oz) for a 17oz press For a 17-oz press.

Step 2

Grind your coffee beans while the water is heating. A coarse, even grind is optimal for the French Press. When starting off, we recommend a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio so for 350 grams of water, you will want to have 30 grams of coffee.

Step 3

To start the process, slowly and carefully pour double the amount of water than you have coffee onto your grounds. As an example, if you have 40 grams of coffee, you’ll want to start with 80 grams of water.

Step 4

Gently stir the grounds with a bamboo paddle or even a chopstick. Let the coffee to bloom for half a minute.

Step 5

Gently Pour the remainder of the water and place the lid on top of the grounds but don’t plunge the handle. Let the coffee steep for exactly four minutes, no more, no less.

Step 6

Slowly remove your French press from the scale and place it on the counter. Press the filter down. The pressure should be an equivalent to about 15 - 20 lbs for the best taste profile. If it is hard to press down, this could mean your grind is too fine and if its way too soft and easy, your grind might be little too coarse.

Now the key to the process is to serve the coffee immediately. Don’t let it sit, as this will cause it to continue brewing and over extract.