I had some unexpected issues on my quest to make better French press coffee at home. I followed all the French press instructions and French press tips I gathered in my research. I didn’t expect to run into these challenges.  

All the available videos and tutorials just scratched the surface of French press brewing. Peripheral issues were not really covered. 

I kept notes related to all my mistakes and issues while troubleshooting my French press coffee (see more about that here: How I Dialled in my French Press Coffee). I used my notes to get past the practical challenges of French press brewing that aren’t really covered.  

Here is my list of uncommon tips that no one talks about:

Tip 1: Coffee ground size is not always perfect for French press

The ideal grind setting for the French press method is a coarse grind. This is because the French press mesh filter is ideally suited to strain out large grounds.

In addition, most French press brewing recipes are based on “coarse” grind sizes. That means the timing and steps assume a slower extraction due to the size of the grounds.

If you’re grinding yourself at home, you might be in control of the grind size and can consistently and repeatedly get close to the coarse size.

If you’re buying pre-ground coffee you will be relying on the grind size indications on the bag. These indicators could be the grind size simply stated on the bag or more commonly a suggestion of the appropriate brewing methods for that bag of pre-ground coffee. 

Likely, the coffee grind size is not quite perfect enough for the French press. The grounds are likely smaller than recommended. This results in 2 possible issues:

1. The very small grounds might escape through the filter and end up in your brew and at the bottom of your cup. This also happens with fines (the fine ground dust) but fines occur with all grind sizes and more so with darker roasts. Small grind size and fines are often the reason for your French press brew feeling sludgy or heavy.

2. Smaller grinds (e.g. fine or medium-fine) can over-extract when exposed to water so the standard “4-minute” brew time for French press is not ideal in these cases. The final brew will have a bitter taste if over-extracted.

The solution to the first issue is covered in the last tip on the list. Another solution is to sift the grounds. I’ve never tried it, but here is an article on a sifting method to give you an idea: homegrounds.co

The solution to the second issues is to adjust your brew method and timing to fine-tune the extraction. You can follow the tips from our article: Troubleshooting your French Press Brew

Tip 2: Round-off measurements if your scale does not read to 0.1 grams

Standard kitchen scales don’t always read to 0.1 grams. But when calculating dosing from ratios, you often get results with decimals.

When I’d have dosing that would require 15.6 grams of coffee for 250 grams of water I would round the coffee dose up. 

The easiest option here is to keep the water the same because the change is likely imperceptible when tasting.

But if you want to be exact here’s the math to get correct dosing when rounding off your coffee dosing value:

Original:   

Water Dose / Dose Ratio = Coffee Dose -> e.g. 250/14 = 17.8 g

Round off 17.8  to 18 g

Corrected for decimal:

Rounded-off Coffee Dose x Dose Ratio = New Water Dose -> e.g. 18 x 14 = 252 g

Tip 3: Empty the beaker and zero the scale 

Empty the beaker -> Place on scale -> Zero scale -> Add coffee -> Zero scale 

If you are preheating the beaker (carafe) and you are ready to start brewing, make it a part of your workflow to empty the beaker and then place it on the scale and zero the scale.

Throwing your coffee grounds into the “preheat” water while you are half asleep at 4 am is conceivable, and it is also possible to do this before you get the hang of the brewing steps. And yes, I’ve done it.

So, once emptied, place the French press back onto the scale, switch on the scale and if it does not automatically zero out, then you must remember to do it.

And once the correct amount of coffee is in the beaker, zero (tare) the scale again before you start your pour. If you happen to forget this step, some mental math can help you figure out your water measurement so that you don’t count the coffee weight as water weight.

Tip 4: Be careful of steam when measuring the water temperature

If your brewing approach requires accurate water temperature and you are using a handheld thermometer, be aware of the steam coming off the boiled water.

I made the mistake of wanting to test the temperature of the water in my kitchen kettle immediately after it stopped boiling. I stuck the sensor end of my instant-read thermometer into the kettle water and the steam burned my hand. Lesson learnt! 

The sensible thing would have been to pour some water out into a cup since I did not need correct readings to understand my kettles capabilities. This is reasonable enough if you just have a passing interest in the brewing temperature of your water.

One way of getting accurate temperature readings would be to invest in a high-end kettle that has built-in temperature setting controls and a temperature display. It would be a worthwhile investment if accurate temperature readings are critical to your brewing process.

Tip 5: Don’t stress the timing

Treat the timing in your recipe as a guide and try to stick with it as close as you can. If you are off by a few seconds, or something goes wrong and you need 15 seconds to resolve it, it's fine. Your coffee won’t be ruined. 

If you are troubleshooting your brew, take notes as to where you can bring in efficiencies so that you can stick closer to the planned timings.

Tip 6: Align the spout and pouring hole in the lid

My old French press did not need the lid aligned to the pouring spout. My new French press does. I still forget to align them at the start of the brewing process when placing the lid on.

It’s an easy mistake to make.

Tip 7: Minimise sludgy coffee with a good plunge and pour technique

Most recipes call for you to plunge and pour immediately after plunging. As we covered, the finer grinds escape the mesh filter during the plunging process. Those grinds would be floating around in the brew immediately after plunging and will be poured out into your cup along with your coffee.

One approach to minimise grounds in the coffee is to break the crust, remove floating grind, and pour gently. These steps are covered in detail in our article: Brewing the perfect cup of coffee with a French Press

 

Mastering the small things can go a long way to a better cup of coffee. Not knowing what you need to master can hold you back longer than necessary. I learned these things the hard way. I hope these 7 tips make your journey to a perfect cup of coffee easier. 

Check out my previous 7 tips here.