The French press, cafetiere or coffee plunger is one of the most underrated ways to brew coffee. Most people have probably got one of these hid in the back of their cupboard, well now’s the time to go and dig it out. You can produce a pure and cheap cup of coffee again and again.
Brew Ratio
We would recommend starting with a 1: 16 coffee to water ratio. This means for every 1g of coffee you add you need to add 16g of water. This will make a medium strength drink so you can experiment and adjust the ratio to your personal preference.
Brewing Stages
- Decide which size press you are going to use and work out the correct amount of coffee.
- Start heating your water. Make sure to heat some extra water as you will need this to warm up the French press.
- Grind your desired amount of coffee. When grinding for a French press it is important to use a coarse grind. The grind size should roughly resemble breadcrumbs.
- Rinse your French press with heated water and plunge the filter. Leave the water in the press for 1 minute to allow it to get up to temperature, and then discard.
- Add the ground coffee to your French press.
- Pour in just enough water in order to wet all the coffee, (usually about 30% full) and then leave for 30 seconds. During the 30 seconds gently stir the coffee.
- Add the rest of the water until you reach your desired amount for the brew ratio. Add the filter, though DON’T PLUNGE and then leave to brew for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes’ press down the filter to plunge the coffee. Ensure to pour your coffee immediately so it doesn’t carry on brewing inside the press.
- Serve and enjoy.