Here’s why I wanted to learn how to make French Press coffee:
Coffee can be finicky.
And it shouldn’t be.
At-home coffee, especially, should not be a pain in the you know what.
French press coffee can be a little mind-boggling and intimidating to some home coffee brewers new to the technique. Learning how to make French Press coffee is not as complicated as you think, and it’s excellent coffee.
I’m going to share with you why you should be brewing your coffee in a French Press, how to make it, and you’ll never look back.
What Is French Press Coffee?
The phrase has 2 meanings:
The more popular meaning of French press refers to the brewing method. This method mixes coarser ground coffee with hot water and uses a plunger mechanism to extract the brewed coffee from the grounds.
The other meaning of French Press refers to the actual coffee maker known as a French press. This coffee style was patented in 1852 by 2 French inventors who created the rudimentary version of the French press we know today.
French press coffee is so versatile; it doesn’t require much more than hot water, beans (ground correctly of course), and a little patience.
You can learn how to make French press coffee in about 5 minutes — most of that time will be spent waiting for your coffee to be ready to drink. The wait time is worth it, and it’s less than you’ll find with a coffee shop line in the morning rush.
This kind of coffee is applauded for its smooth, rich taste and ease of use. Any good coffee shop will offer this as an option on their menu. My mom adores this coffee method so much she’s built quite the collection of French presses. She has 4 in varying sizes and styles. God bless her.
I first was introduced to it in college and fell in love, but I could never master how to make French Press coffee at home. I think this is a roadblock a lot of new French Press users run into. Mine always came out a bit muddy and not anything like I had with my mom or at a coffee shop.
So what is one to do?
Let’s talk about how to make French press coffee.
How to Make French Press Coffee at Home
The brewing method is straightforward, but some nuances need your attention. Measuring your grounds on a scale doesn’t make this (or any) coffee very inviting.
Coffee should be an everyman’s drink, not an elitist hobby. When we get too wrapped up in the details, we lose the enjoyment of things and make coffee off-putting for beginners. There’s a couple of things you need to understand before we get started. The most important is the water to coffee ratio (also known as the golden ratio)
The Coffee to Water Ratio
Where most mistakes happen when making French press coffee is the water to coffee ratio. I’ve talked about the importance of the grind of your coffee beans here, but these ratios are different for French press coffee.
Here’s an easy guide when measuring out your water and coffee for French press:
- 1 cup of finished coffee: 1 cup water (8 fluid oz) — 2 tablespoons ground coffee
- 2 cups finished coffee: 2 cups water (16 fluid oz) — 1/4 cup ground coffee
- 4 cups finished coffee: 4 cups water (32 fluid oz) — 1/2 cup ground coffee
- 8 cups of finished coffee: 8 cups water (64 fluid oz) — 1 cup ground coffee
Most French presses will hold 32 oz of water just like this one I love. You can buy varying sizes, but I suggest buying the 32 oz so you don’t end up with several French press makers.
One really will do the job for most people.
Step by Step Guide
I’m not going to get too bogged down in grams and fluid ounces for this recipe because coffee should be attainable and unfussy.
Here’s my go-to recipe.
The measurements I’m going to use are for 4 finished cups of coffee.
I also used the water to coffee ratios listed above.
Basic French Press Coffee Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of cool water
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Ground Coffee (French press grind)
- 32 oz. French Press Coffee Maker
- Kettle
- Wooden Spoon or Dowel
Directions:
- Heat 4 cups of water to boiling. Remove from heat. Cool for 1 minute
- Pour ground coffee into the French press
- Add water that has now cooled for 1 minute
- Stir the water coffee mixture with a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients
- Set a timer for 4 minutes and let your coffee brew. This gives the coffee grounds a chance to bloom and really bring their full flavor to your coffee.
- Let the coffee grounds steep in hot water undisturbed for 4 minutes to give the final coffee the robust flavor we all have come to know and love in a good pot of French press coffee. You may find you’ll want to fiddle with the brew time with different roasts as you become more comfortable with the process.
- When the timer goes off, then insert the plunger into the carafe. Press down until the plungers’ bottom is pressing the coffee grounds to the bottom of the carafe.
- Enjoy
You can adjust these measurements, times, and other details to fit your coffee needs. But there’s one important step left that baffles many, and that’s cleaning the coffee maker.
How to Clean Your French Press
Now that you know how to make French press coffee, you’re left with a mess — not a big mess, though — just a small one.
It’s a bad idea to rinse your used coffee grounds down the drain — unless you want an expensive plumber’s bill.
Let’s look at the best way to clean your French press.
This is going to require a little time and some equipment you already have in your kitchen.
1 – Keep the plunger tight with the used coffee grounds and drain all the residual coffee. Once drained, removed the plunger mechanism and set it on a paper towel for later use.
2 – Using a silicone spatula, scrape all the used coffee grounds into your compost heap or trash bin.
3 – Add warm water and a few drops of dish soap to the carafe. Insert the plunger again and move it up and down serval times, making the water foamy with soap.
4- Remove the plunger and rinse out the carafe. Using a sponge or bottle cleaner, gently scrub the inside of the carafe to clean and rinse. Set on a drying rack or towel to air dry.
5 – Disassemble the plunger to reveal the parts of the plunger. You’re going to want to use a delicate touch but thoroughly clean and rinse all parts to ensure all the coffee brewing residue is removed. Set plunger pieces on a towel to air dry.
6 – Once all of the pieces to your French press are air dried, reassemble, and store in a safe place.
Conclusion
Mystery solved.
You now know how to make French press coffee.
And you know how to clean up afterward.
I hope you’ll use this recipe and make your own edits to meet your coffee palate.
I would love to know what other things (if any) you add to your final pot. My Aunt loves to add cinnamon, but she also loves about a cup of sugar in her coffee so go figure.
Leave a note in the comments.