Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee with a French Press

Before coffee culture exploded in society, serious coffee connoisseurs were identifiable by either having a French Drip machine or a French Press in their kitchen. This was before the age of pour overs and home espresso machines, when most people who considered themselves coffee connoisseurs were in reality, addicted to chicory. 

Despite changing times and fashions, the French press has remained relevant, holding its own against ‘cooler’ and more sophisticated methods as they sprang up and gained popularity. I believe that this is not purely nostalgic but rather romantic. 

There is nothing that announces a laid back Sunday as much as breakfast accompanied by  a steaming French press working effortlessly on the table as you turn the pages of your oversized Sunday newspaper.

All of the coffee gadgets (burr grinders, kitchen timers, gooseneck kettles and digital scales) are as relevant to brewing the perfect cup of coffee with a French press as they are to other methods but the beauty of the French press is that they are not essential. This is the ideal method for people to begin their exploration and appreciation of coffee culture. 

Below is my guide on starting you on this journey towards a smooth and satisfying cup of coffee and tips on how to adjust the resulting cup to your individual taste.

Step 1: Preparation

The essentials required to brewing a great cup of coffee with a French press are:

• A French press (plunger) 

• Coffee (Beans are preferable, but pre-ground coffee beans will work just as well. Use what you have available)

• Water (Good quality water is essential)

• Kettle

• Cups and Tablespoons

As mentioned above a good digital scale and a burr grinder will improve the result but it is not as important as using good tasting water (Note: if it tastes bad when you drink it, it will make a bad cup of coffee!) and fresh coffee beans. 

When I brew coffee at home, I tend to start by boiling the water while I gather my tools. This is partly so that I don't just stare at the kettle while waiting for it to boil, but more importantly because it is not recommended that you use boiling water when brewing in a French press. I have found that water in the temperature range between 93 - 95 degrees celsius (199 - 203 Fahrenheit) is ideal but don't worry if you are not as far down the rabbit hole as I am with my digital thermometer. Just wait about a minute or two after the water has boiled.

Step 2: Adding the coffee

Whilst getting the coffee ready, I preheat the French press by pouring some boiling water into the empty French press. 

I am a fan of freshly ground, single origin, Arabica coffee beans. I find this typically results in a better cup of coffee for my taste. Select your coffee based on your taste and other preferences. 

Ensuring that the beans (or grounds) that you are using are fresh is, in my opinion,  rather important. As is ensuring that your coffee is stored in an airtight container after the bag is opened. 

If you have a grinder and you are using beans, I would recommend grinding them to a medium-coarse to coarse consistency. This can be tweaked on subsequent attempts to produce the desired result to your taste i.e. too bitter/ strong, grind coarser; too watery/ weak, grind finer.

The generally accepted coffee ratio when using the French press is 1:15. That means for every gram of coffee, use 15 grams of water or more specifically 20 grams of coffee for 300 grams of water for this recipe. If you don't have a scale or accurate measuring devices, you could assume 3 tablespoons of coffee for every cup of water. 

Note however that no two cups are the same so if this is the method you are using then try to use the same cup every time and vary the amount of coffee used to achieve your desired taste. This step can be simplified by using pre-ground coffee. 

Step 3: Adding the water

Pour approximately half the water into the French press (150 g if you are making a single cup), ensuring that all the grounds are covered in water. This can be achieved by using a gooseneck kettle and pouring in a circular motion or pouring from your electric kettle and giving it a quick stir.

Now allow the coffee to bloom for 30 seconds, before pouring the remaining water into the coffee pot. Put the cover on the French press, but don't plunge. Then comes the most crucial step to this entire process.

Step 4: Wait!

Set a timer for 4 to 5 minutes and leave the French press alone. Use this time as a productivity hack by getting your breakfast ready, opening the curtains at your home, catching up on some social media. Do whatever you want during the brew time except, and this is critical! Don’t stand in the kitchen and watch the French press as the timer counts down. There is no research to back this claim, but coffee that is watched while it is being brewed will not taste better.

Step 5: The plunge

When the time is up, remove the lid of the French press and gently stir the crust that may have developed at the top of the brew. I used the term gently because this stirring action should not disturb the bed of coffee grounds that would have, by now, settled at the bottom of the French press. 

Now use a spoon to scoop up any remaining sludge (for want of a better word) that is at the top of the brew. It is not critical that all of this sludge is removed or that you do it in the fancy way, recommended by most online videos, with two spoons. 

Once done, replace the plunger in the French press and push down gently, again so as not to disturb the coffee bed at the bottom. 

Any action in this step, if not done gently would result in the coffee bed being disturbed and this will increase the likelihood of you getting coffee grounds in your well earned cup. Stop the plunger, above the bed of coffee at the bottom.

Step 6: The pour

The final step before enjoying your cup of coffee is almost here. I suspect that by now, you expect what I am going to stress about the pour. You’re right! 

GENTLY pour the coffee into your cup ensuring that the grounds remain in the French press. And that's it! A great cup of coffee awaits you.

Now of course, there are countless unique variations on the recipe above. Some would recommend stirring your coffee, midway through the waiting period, some would suggest waiting for 10 minutes. They are not wrong. But remember that the end goal is a cup of coffee that you enjoy and also remember that tips and tricks out of context may take you further away from that goal.

So if you need a place to start, or a new approach, I recommend using my recipe and once you have the hang of it start tweaking the method based on your unique taste preferences. You may like a stronger tasting cup of coffee, in which case, you would want to extract more from your coffee grounds by either additional agitation or longer brewing time.

I want to share my top tips for ensuring a smoother product whilst using this method.

1. Use good coffee. Brewing methods can attempt to mask bad coffee beans but would never compensate for it. 

2. Try to grind fresh. If you have not ventured down that path of grinding at home as yet, it is critical that the coffee grounds that you buy have been recently roasted and that you store your coffee in an airtight container, once opened.

3. Clean your French press properly after each use. Accumulated coffee grinds left in the filter from your last cup, will add an unexpected bitterness to your cup which you may mistake for over-extraction. Read our short explainer on how to clean the French press for more info.

4. Finally, ensure that your water is of good quality. Remember that coffee is mainly water. Also, it is nice to experiment with different water sometimes i.e. how does the coffee taste profile change when using spring water as opposed to mineral water.

I trust that you have enjoyed this basic tutorial on how to get started using the French press. The real fun begins when you take these basic steps and start varying them slightly to get to your perfect cup.