French press is a simple way to brew multiple cups of coffee, depending on the size of your brewer, this recipe makes about 2 10oz cups. French Press doesn’t use a paper filter, so the resulting brew is rich with coffee oils and small particles. This full immersion method is an easy way to brew strong coffee that you don’t have to watch while brewing. SImply keep an eye on your timer so you don’t over extract.
Recommended Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:15 (nice strong cup)
What you'll need
- French Press
- Fresh coffee, coarse grind (25-45g)
- Scale
- Timer (if scale does not have built in)
- Kettle / hot water (375-675g) just off boil at 205°
Prep
- Preheat your French Press by pouring hot water inside the pitcher. Let sit for 30 seconds or while you grind your coffee. Discard the water.
- Grind coffee of your choice on a coarse setting. This is the second to coarsest setting on most grinders. Use the 1:15 coffee to water ratio and determine appropriate amounts for the size of your French Press. For example, a small French Press may use 25g of coffee to 375g water or a large may use 45g coffee to 675 water.
Brew
- Pour the grounds into the French Press. Pour hot water into your French Press, filling almost to the top (it's ok if you don't add all the water in at first). Start your timer.
- Insert the plunger so the metal filter is touching the coffee grounds but the plunger remains raised at the top of the brewer.
- At 1 min, remove the plunger and stir the top layer of the grounds. Add more water if needed (if you aren't using a scale, fill brewer to just below the pour spout). Place the filter back on top of your brewer with the plunger still raised.
- At 4 min, depress the plunger and serve.
- Clean the coffee grounds from the bottom of your brewer by loosening the grounds with a small amount of water. Dump directly into your compost bin.
Pro Tips:
- Make sure to pour out all of the brewed coffee from the French Press immediately after brewing to prevent over-extracted, bitter coffee.
- Single-walled French Presses lose heat while brewing, which can result in under-extracted coffee that tastes sour. Invest in a metal or double-walled version for great coffee. We recommend the Fellow Clara French Press for the best French Press brewing results with our coffees.
- While we encourage you to explore your French Press with a variety of coffees, we tend to prefer single origin coffees from Central America, South America, and Indonesia for this brew method.
