Wait Wait, are you still preparing your French press coffee wrong, leaving you disappointed and with an awful aftertaste? If you’re looking for a way to brew the best French coffee at home, you’ve got it. After reading this guide, you can now make coffee with ease, start your day with a satisfying cup, and feel refreshed.
What You Need To Start
- A French Press: You’ll need A French press is an ordinary coffee maker that has a metal mesh filter and plunger.
- Coffee Beans: Freshly and coarsely ground coffee beans for a better taste
- A Burr Grinder: It is like a burr grinder which will be used to grind the coffee beans.
- Hot Water: You’ll need hot water, but not boiling water; it should be between 90 and 96°C (195-205°F).
- A Timer: To accurately measure time
- A Spoon: Will be used to stir things up
- A Scale (Optional): will be used to measure coffee and water
Important Things to Consider Before Making Coffee
Coffee Type
When creating a French press coffee, choosing the right coffee type is one of the most important factors to take into account. Ground coffee beans, which are mainly used in espresso and regular coffee, are fine, much like powder. We can’t achieve the proper flavor in French press if we use a lot of ground coffee, like espresso. To improve the flavor, we soak coffee in water when using the French press method. Thus, it should be ground as coarsely as bread crumbs and salt. The large particles will be under-extracted (less flavor), and the small ones will be over-extracted (bitter) when we use them.
To make any necessary adjustments later, we also need to keep in mind the size we used. The next time, we can grind the coffee a bit smaller if it tastes too weak or watery. However, we can increase the size of the coffee pieces if it tastes bitter or unpleasant.
Additionally, you should grind your coffee just before brewing. This can affect the final taste of your coffee since after the coffee is ground, it starts to oxidize and change its flavor.
Water Temperature
Bring your water to a boil, but not too much. To maintain the water’s temperature, let it sit for 30 to 45 seconds after boiling. The coffee will burn and taste bitter if the water is too hot. Therefore, You have to heat the water to the proper temperature to extract all of the coffee’s flavors and achieve a pleasing taste.
To make the coffee, use mineral or filtered water. Coffee tastes can be effectively extracted by using mineral water. You should use hot water between 90 and 96°C (195-205°F) to begin.
Water to Coffee Ratio
There are various and numerous ways to calculate coffee ratios that are mentioned on numerous websites. However, my preferred combination is 1 gram of coffee and 15 grams of water. Based on how much coffee you wish to make, you can determine the necessary ratio. I’ve mentioned a few ratios here that you can use.
| Servings | Water | Coffee |
| 1 | 8 fluid ounces | 2 tablespoons coffee beans |
| 2 | 16 fluid ounces | 1/4 cup coffee beans |
| 4 | 32 fluid ounces | 1/2 cup coffee beans |
| 8 | 64 fluid ounces | 1 cup coffee beans |
Step-by-step Guide
1. Measure Your Coffee and Water
Measure out your water first. The ideal ratio is one gram of coffee for every 15–17 grams of water. Let’s start there. Use a ratio of roughly two tablespoons of coffee to every six ounces of water if you don’t have a scale.
2. Heat the Water
Bringing water to a boil and letting it settle for 30 seconds is your second step. Then ensure that the temperature is just right to bring out all of those delicious flavors without scorching the coffee.
3. Warm the Press
French press machines are primarily made of steel and glass. If your French press is made of glass or steel, you will need to preheat it to maintain a constant temperature during the brewing process. Simply add some hot water to the machine and then rinse it out when you feel the press warmth.
4. Grind the Beans
After that, grind your beans by using a burr grinder and go to the next step.
5. Add Coffee to the French Press
Let’s pour the coffee grounds into the French press. It already smells amazing, doesn’t it?
6. Pour and Bloom
To ensure that the coffee grounds are well saturated, pour half of the hot water upon them from a half-inch distance. Next, stir it, leave it for 30 seconds, add a mint, and then cover it with a lid. This process is known as “blooming.”
Why do we do it? Some natural gas, known as CO2, is trapped inside the coffee beans. If we don’t allow it to leave, it can affect how the water absorbs the coffee’s flavor. We let the gas escape by waiting a minute, which improves the coffee’s flavor.
Because CO2 is naturally bitter, if we don’t remove it, our coffee will taste bitter. Therefore, to create the best coffee flavors, we use blooming to remove the CO2.
7. Add More Water and Stir
After blooming, add the last of the hot water that was left over. Then, use a spoon to gently stir the coffee grounds until they are all wet.
8. Wait Wait Wait
After adding water, to maintain the water’s temperature, place the plunger on top, but don’t press it yet, and leave it there for three to four minutes.
9. Plunge
Now it’s the last step to move down the plunger slowly to filter the coffee from the grounds.
10. Pour and Enjoy
It’s time to fill your favorite mug with your best French press coffee and enjoy it. However, if we leave the coffee in the French press for too long, it will become bitter.
Pros & Cons of Making Coffee with French Press
- Always make use of premium, fresh beans. It will be a game changer for you in your French press coffee-making journey.
- After every use, make sure that your French press is carefully cleaned. The old coffee residue is disliked by everyone.
- Try different ratios and brewing times to see what suits you best.
Pros
- Easy Coffee Recipes
- Making a delicious and fresh cup of coffee won’t take much of your time.
Cons
- A French press cannot be made using espresso ground coffee. To get the best coffee flavor, you will need to grind the coffee coarsely.
- Since cleaning the French press takes a lot of time, you can get frustrated sometimes.
Final Words
It’s not difficult to make a delicious and fresh cup of French coffee. It’s quite easy. Making coffee is simple if you follow the correct procedures and requirements. Now don’t search for “How to Brew the Perfect French Press Coffee at Home easily.” Just follow the guide and make it yourself.
You can also check out our guide on “A Beginner’s Guide to Moka Pot Coffee“.
