They say the perfect cup of coffee does not exist, but the French press has a few words for those doubters — “I beg to differ!”
In spite of its name, the French press is actually made by two Italian designers Attilio Calimani and Giulio Moneta.
The French Press has a number of other names such as the cafeteria, coffee press, coffee plunger, cafetière à piston, and cafetière. Not only is it easy to brew and super consistent, but it is also reliable.
It has remained unchanged ever since it came to the world in 1929 and is quite perfect for making numerous cups of heavy-bodied coffee in just four minutes.
The French press may take longer to prepare, but the results are definitely worth it and they will send your taste buds all the way to cloud nine. And if you want the recipe for that heavenly revitalising nectar, then this is the place for you.
So here is the proper way to prepare a French Press Coffee that ends all others:
Equipment Required:
- Baratza Virtuoso Grinder
- Jennings CJ4000 Scale
- Hario V60 Gooseneck Kettle
- Bodum 170z French Press
- OXO Digital Timer
Things You Need:
- 27g (5 Tbsp) coarsely ground coffee
- 4-cup French Press
- 400g (1.75 cups) off boil water
- Kitchen timer
- Spoon or chopstick for stirring
Optimal Coffee to Water Ratio:
A good rule of thumb would be to apply a 1:15 coffee to water ratio, no matter what size french press you use. Now for every gram of coffee, you should add 15 grams of water, which converts to three tablespoons of coffee for every one cup of water. Start experimenting to find the best taste that works for you.
Here are the steps you must follow to prepare a french press for coffee dorks everywhere:
1. Make Preparations
First, be sure to preheat your french press machine with hot water, including the plunger and then pour the hot water into your cup. Then take about five tablespoons or 27 grams of coffee before grinding right after that. Its consistency should be that of kosher salt.
2. Add Coffee
Tip your coffee into the french press machine and then give it a gentle shake to level the grounds.
3. Add Water
Initiate the timer, add water in a circular motion, wet all of the grounds, until your press is half full. You can just take your time to enjoy the bloom.
4. Gently Stir
After 30 seconds, gently stir the grounds with a spoon or a chopstick.
5. Add More Water
Pour water to the top of the press evenly and add the lid, while having the plunger to the grounds. If what you’re using is a kitchen knife, then it has to come in contact with 400g of water.
6. Plunge
Wait until your timer hits 4:00 and then push the plunger completely down but slowly.
7. Pour
Then decant the coffee to prevent over-extraction.
8. Enjoy Your Coffee
Finally, you can enjoy your fresh batch of coffee without being so miserable about it.
Tips for the Perfect French Press
The steps you have read and followed above are key to producing top-quality coffee. But you’re not done yet as only leaving it until here will make the coffee taste bitter.
Here are some of the steps that you can take to get past that bitterness:
- Bitterness is only due to over-extraction. If your coffee beans come in contact on the grounds, then decant the coffee right away.
- Buy good coffee from the supermarket or mall.
- Using the boiling hot water, you can scorch the coffee as well as the coffee bitterness. Always remember that the ideal temperature is 200 degrees, which you can do by allowing the water to boil and then letting it sit for one minute.
- Uneven grinding is what can also lead to coffee bitterness. This is when there are tiny pieces of ground coffee known as fines, faster than before. You should also consider using a burr grinder. If you have not done that already, then do so now and also remember to change the burrs on your grinder, if they are getting old.
- Old coffee that sticks in the filter will always taste bitter.