HOW TO: THE PERFECT FRENCH PRESS

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Is there anything better than a cup of coffee in the morning? I doubt it. BUT there is a way to make your morning cup of coffee even better – through making it with a French Press! It’s truly one of my favorite ways to consume the morning sacred nectar in its most robust and flavorful form!

French press coffee is unique in that it doesn’t contain any filter, meaning you get a bold, robust taste from the grinds soaking in water and you’re not losing any taste from filtering. Many of you have either tried to make or have made coffee from a French press; but I’ll bet you didn’t know there are some serious do’s and don’ts when it comes to the coffee plunger. Here I’ll lay out the proper way to make the perfect French press coffee.

To begin you will need to determine what size French press you have. They are categorized based on cup size. A "traditional coffee pour" is 4oz, so make sure you note that. Do not be alarmed if you have an 8-cup French press, it just pours 8-4oz cups when the coffee is done. We usually drink out of coffee mugs much bigger than 4oz anyways.

After you have the French press size you most desire, use the golden ratio of 1:12 coffee grounds to water to determine how much coffee and water to add. For an 8-cup French press, you will want about 54 grams of coffee and 860ml water. Note that while having a scale at home to measure out your coffee is great, but the lines wrapping around the French press beaker will tell you everything you need to know if you don’t want to invest in a scale!

The next step is to start heating your water to just about boiling. Once you remove it from the burner the water will settle to an ideal temperature. While the water heats, select the coffee beans you want to drink and grind those on a coarse setting, not fully coarse, but just about as coarse as your grinder can go (this will vary upon the grinder so consult the owner's manual for their recommendation). Keep them to the side for the time being.

When you’ve got all this ready, swish some of the hot water around inside the French press beaker – before you put the coffee grounds in - so that it heats up. Rinse thoroughly and dump the water when the beaker feels hot. 

Next take the coarsely ground coffee and sprinkle it into the bottom of the press. Then begin to shower the initial grounds with a little bit of hot water, being sure to coat all the grounds at the bottom, but do not fill the water past the second line of your holder – this is known as letting the beans bloom.

Give the grounds and hot water mixture 3 twirls with a bamboo or wooden flat stirrer. Try not to use metal as it affects the taste of the coffee. This initial process from the first pour of water over the beans to the 3 stirs should take about 30 seconds.

After this you will want to pour the rest of the water directly over the beans to the topmost line on your holder, essentially filling the beaker. Give the coffee another 3 swirls with your wooden stirrer.

Most important step here: DO NOT PLUNGE THE COFFEE!!! Get the top filter screen of your French press and lightly set it on top of the water and push the grounds to the second highest rim of your holder. Continue to let it sit for 3.5 to 4 minutes. Then fully plunge the screen to press all the grounds to the bottom.

The entire process takes around 5 minutes so be patient, the coffee is worth it! You get a more full-bodied flavor of the beans, and it may be a little gritty, but that is just from the old school process without using a paper filter.

To finish, pour yourself a cup and dress it up with cream and sugar to taste (or just enjoy the coffee in its simplistic and rich un-doctored form (yes, we mean black). And if you’re looking for a recommendation on a good French press to buy, check out my top three recommendations below. Cheers and happy caffeinating!

Top French Press Recommendations:

1.    Bodum’s Chambord 8 cup French Press Coffee Maker - $24.99