How to Brew: French Press 101

How to Brew: French Press

The advantage of the French Press lies in its simplicity. The French Press is a full immersion coffee brewing method. This means that all the grounds are immersed in the water at the same time, making it simple to brew. This slower, more gradual brewing method, results in a more full-flavored brew with a deeper sweetness and syrupy body. As a bonus, your coffee will never burn. Some presses even come with thermal-insulated carafes to keep your coffee hot. This tends to be the least finicky of brew methods.

Here's what you'll need:


How to Brew It:


  1. Bring high-quality water below the boiling point, between 194 and 205 F (90o - 96o). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can bring the water to boil and then let it cool for 30-45 seconds.
  2. Weigh your beans according to the amount of coffee that you want to prepare. Most French press comes with a scoop that holds around 20 grams of ground coffee, which is a perfect amount for a regular mug.
  3. Preheat the press with hot water. Make sure you press the plunger all the way down and swirl, so everything is warm. Discard the water once the press is preheated.
  4. Pour the coffee grounds into the French press and gently pour all the water on top. Distribute the water evenly and saturate all of the coffee grounds. Place the plunger on top, but do not press it yet. This is just to preserve the heat.
  5. After a minute, stir the coffee gently. Stir for five seconds to break up the crust-like layer that formed during the blooming process. Let the coffee steep for another four and a half minutes.
  6. Press the plunger down slowly and carefully all the way to the bottom and serve immediately. The filter doesn’t stop the extraction: the longer the contact time, the more bitter your coffee will get.

Pro-tips:

  • The ground size for the French Press plays an important role in the final cup. You need to use a coarse grind size. If you use a fine ground size, you might get a lot of sediment in your coffee.
  • Make sure you clean the filter thoroughly. A dirty filter will affect the flavor of future preparations. Most of the filters can be disassembled for washing.

We recommend our Kenya or Colombia Huila for French Press.