How to brew French press coffee

Why French press

If you're new to good coffee, start here. A French press steeps the grounds in water, like tea, then a metal mesh holds them back. There's no pouring technique to learn, and timing does most of the work. The metal filter lets the coffee's natural oils through, so the cup is heavier and rounder than pour-over. It's great with chocolatey, nutty coffees, and it takes milk well. Most people's complaints about French press, the grit and the bitterness, come from two habits that are easy to fix: grinding too fine and leaving the coffee sitting on the grounds. This recipe deals with both.

You'll need

• A French press (this recipe fills a standard 600 ml / "4-cup" press)
• A kettle
• A digital scale that reads in grams
• A spoon (a tablespoon is perfect)
• A timer
• A grinder, optional: if you don't have one, choose French press as your grind and we'll grind it coarse for you

No. 02 · Steps

Steps

1. 1

   Before you start

   Step 1: Heat the water.

   Boil fresh water and let it rest for 20–30 seconds, to about 93–96 °C. Pour a little into the empty press to warm it, then tip it out.

   Why: a warm press holds its temperature through the four-minute steep.

2. 2

   Step 2: Add the coffee.

   Put the press on the scale, add 30 g of coarse coffee, and tare to zero.

   Why: coarse grounds extract slowly and evenly over four minutes, and they're too big to squeeze through the mesh.

3. 3

   0:00

   Step 3: Pour all the water.

   Start the timer and pour 500 g of water over the grounds, quickly and evenly, so they all get wet.

   Why: in an immersion brewer, every ground starts steeping at the same moment, which keeps the flavour balanced.

4. 4

   0:00–4:00

   Step 4: Leave it alone.

   Set the lid on top, plunger up, to keep the heat in. Don't stir. A crust of grounds will form on the surface.

   Why: the crust keeps steeping gently. Stirring now kicks up fine particles that end up in your cup.

5. 5

   4:00

   Step 5: Break the crust.

   Take the lid off and stir the crust gently with the spoon, 3 or 4 times, front to back. Most of the grounds will sink.

   Why: breaking the crust drops the grounds to the bottom and releases a big burst of aroma, so lean in and smell it.

6. 6

   4:30

   Step 6: Skim the foam.

   Use two spoons to lift off the foam and floating bits from the surface, and discard them.

   Why: this foam carries the finest particles and the most bitter oils. Skimming it is the single biggest step toward a clean cup.

   the bitterness sits in the foam

7. 7

   Step 7: Plunge gently.

   Put the lid back on and press the plunger down slowly, just to below the surface of the coffee. Don't push it to the bottom.

   Why: pressing hard forces fine sediment through the mesh and squeezes bitterness out of the grounds. You only need the mesh to act as a strainer.

8. 8

   Step 8: Pour it all out now.

   Pour everything into mugs or a jug straight away. Leave the last few millilitres in the press.

   Why: coffee left on the grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter within minutes. The dregs at the bottom are mostly silt.

No. 03 · Fixes

If it doesn't taste right

Two ways to change it up

1. French press cold brew.

   Add 60 g of extra-coarse coffee and 500 ml of cold water to the press. Stir, put the lid on with the plunger up, and leave it in the fridge for 16–18 hours. Plunge, pour into a bottle, and dilute 1:1 with water or milk over ice. It keeps for about a week.

2. A strong cup for milk.

   Use 34 g of coffee to 450 g of water and steep the same 4 minutes. Pour half a cup of coffee over half a cup of hot, frothed milk. A medium-dark or dark roast holds up best.

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