How to make a French Press
french press brew guide
We consider the French Press king of the manual coffee world. Designed in the 20's by an Italian man and perfected over many years in France, this manual method offers a bold complexion to any roast. If you're using a traditional sized 34oz press, we recommend weighing out 53 grams of your favorite roast. With coarse grounds and a kettle of water right off the boil, the French Press treats coffee like a tea by fully submerging the grounds in water for about 4 minutes. This steeping process allows for the grounds to expand slightly and permeate the water resulting in a very bold taste. One of the many benefits of the metal screen is the lack of paper waste; consequently, the flavored-filled oils released from beans are able to pass through and impact the overall taste and mouthfeel of the coffee. Once the time is up and the plunger is slowly pushed down close to the base, the metal screen filters and separates the drinkable coffee from the grounds pressed to the bottom of the glass. When it cones time to clean up, simply dispose of the grounds or use them for compost and detach the three pieces of the filter from the plunger. Give all pieces a good wash with soap and water, or wash them disassembled in a dish washer. A 34oz press will offer about 4 mugs of coffee, so invite a friend to join in on the goodness of the French Press!
Equipment
French Press
Grinder
Scale
Timer
The French Press is one of the most popular at-home methods for manually brewing coffee. It produces strong, dense brew rich in flavor. The French Press is easy to master, with a little practice, and produce a brew you’ll look forward to every day. You can purchase a French Press in a few different sizes, which makes it easy to brew just the right amount of cups for yourself or to share with a friend.
Let’s talk about what you need to brew the perfect French Press!
Grinders
There are two types of home grinders: burr grinders and blade grinders. It’s easy to reach for a blade grinder because it’s the more affordable of the two, but there are other factors to consider when choosing a grinder. Blade grinders are affordable, easy to store, and can grind quickly, but they don’t always provide an even grind. This can leave you with various levels of coarseness, and uneven grounds will compromise the quality of your beans. Burr grinders provide a more consistent grind, better flavor, and give you more control over your grind. They’re also more durable than blade grinders! We love using a burr grinder to produce the perfect grind consistency for the best brew.
Grind Setting
Grind setting can determine the outcome of your brews flavor profile.For a perfect cup, you should use a coffee with a coarse, even grind. You don’t want any unnecessary grounds finding their way into your cup. The perfect grind will produce the best tasting cup without a sour, bitter or acidic taste.
Best roasts for a French Press
Unlike some manual methods, you can choose any roast for your French Press. You can choose a light, medium or dark roast based on your taste preferences. We prefer a darker roast like our 1873 for a bolder flavor profile! If you don’t care for a bolder, stronger flavor profile, choose a light to medium roast. These roasts are perfect if you plan to add cream or milk to your coffee.
Pros
The French Press is inexpensive compared to other manual methods.
Brew consistently good coffee with practice
The method is easy to learn
The French Press can be used for loose leaf tea
Cons
Water has to be boiled separately.
French Press’s are very easy to break
It’s easy to over-extract grounds
There will always be small amount of coffee grounds in the cup
Taste can vary
Step 1
Fill the French press with filtered water and bring to a boil.
Step 2
While the water is heating, choose your favorite roast of Martin’s Coffee & Bakery bagged beans and grind them. French press coffee calls for a coarse, even grind. At Martin’s, we use 53 grams of grounds in a 32 ounce press.
Step 3
Begin by pouring about 3 inches of boiled water into your press. Then add your grounds to the water.
Step 4
Give the grounds a gentle stir with a bamboo paddle or chopstick. Allow the coffee to bloom for 30 seconds.
Step 5
Add the rest of your water and gently position the lid on top of the grounds. Pause and set a timer for exactly 4 minutes before pressing down the plunger.
Step 6
Once 4 minutes are up, place one hand on the lid and use the other to gently push down the plunger. If it is difficult to press, that means your grind is too fine; if the plunger goes down to the base of the press without any resistance, it means your grind is too coarse.
Brew Measurements
20 oz press : 35 grams of ground coffee
32 oz press : 63 grams ground coffee
