How To Use A French Press To Make Coffee

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Coffee brewed in a French press and a cup.

This brew method is perfect for people who are in a hurry, or like filter coffee with more of a full mouth-feel. It’s also an elegant and tidy way to brew coffee and only takes about four minutes to make, with little coffee knowledge or technique.

There are a few different styles of French presses available. The most commonly seen French press is probably the elegant glass-based beaker with metal top. You can also get ceramic or metal French presses: these are less fragile than glass models and retain heat well

What do you need to make a French press coffee?

A French press – try this stylish French press (£38, Royal Doulton) or BODUM double walled French press (£22, Amazon)
Coffee cup
Coarse ground coffee (texture of sea salt) – pick from my favorite coffee beans and grind with these tried-and-tested coffee grinders
Spoon

How to make French press coffee

Place the French press on a flat surface and remove the plunger. Boil your water.
Preheat the French press to get the best out of your cup. Pour in hot water, then discard after about 30 seconds.
Add 20g of medium to coarsely ground coffee (for 1 cup) or 24 grams of coffee if you like it extra strong.
Set your timer to 3.5 minutes and start. Add a small amount of off-the-boil water to the French press – about 150ml.
Use a spoon to stir the coffee grounds evenly. This makes sure all the coffee is saturated – this process is called blooming, where the ground coffee can release its CO2 gases (improving the flavour of the final drink). This step should take about 30 seconds.
Steadily add the rest of the water until it reaches approximately 300ml.
Put the lid on to retain the heat and push the mesh filter down until it touches the surface of the coffee.
When the 3.5 minutes is up, slowly and gently (so not to agitate the finer grinds too much) start to push the plunger down almost to the bottom.
Leave it for 30 seconds more to let the fine grinds settle a little.
Then slowly decant the coffee into your favourite cup!

Top tops for French press coffee

This method also gives room to use darker roasted coffees for a bolder taste. So do explore!
When pressing the coffee, the resistance should be smooth. If it’s too high, your coffee might be too fine (and vice versa).
Ideally you want your water to be just off the boil, around 93-96C. Using a thermometer or temperature-controlled kettle lets you set the temperature exactly, but if using a regular kettle, boil the water and open the lid for about 30 seconds to a minute to let it cool down before using.
As a general rule, a good coffee ratio to use for French press method is 1:15 (one part coffee to 15 parts water). So to calculate, divide the volume of the French press (or desired end volume) by 15 to give you the coffee dose. For example, if you are using a large 8 cup French press that holds about 1 litre:

1000ml /15 = 66.6 grams of ground coffee

450ml / 15 = 30 grams of ground coffee

300ml / 15 = 20 grams of ground coffee

Experiment with adjusting the ratio using more or less coffee to find the strength you like.