how to make pressed coffee

How To Brand French Press Coffee

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At that place are a meg ways to geek out over coffee. Just in the stop, what nosotros're after is a hot, delicious cup of coffee to meet us through the morning. A simple pleasure.

French press is one of the easiest, least expensive means to make not bad coffee. Acquire the essentials: here'south how to make a pot of bang-up French press coffee.

The Pros and Cons of French Printing Coffee

French press makes coffee past steeping the grounds in hot water, and then pressing the grounds out.

(Prototype credit: Leela Cyd)

Subsequently the drip coffee maker, it'south one of the easiest, least time-consuming ways to make a neat cup of coffee. Also, dissimilar pour over and the Aeropress, it makes it easy to mash coffee for several people at once. Simply it is prone to bitterness and oiliness, since the java is sitting directly on the grounds for a period of time, and this can turn people off.

The Basics of Great French Printing Coffee

Information technology took me a while to warm up to French press. I have been brewing information technology since shortly after higher, when a roommate and her swain gifted me my first French press and a little blade grinder. But, while I brewed information technology most every day, I found it bitter and murky for my taste. Eventually I switched to the speedy Aeropress, which gives a make clean, robust cup of java apace.

Just then I married a man who has this eerily astonishing habit of bringing me coffee in bed. His brewing method of choice is the French press, and he won me over. It's not just having coffee in bed that has turned me into a devotee of French press (although of course that helps). Turns out that my method had been missing one key element all those years: The right grinder.

Did you know that coffee and sleep go together? Watch the video!

Troubleshooting French Press Coffee

There are two things that really muck up French printing java: h2o temperature — humid h2o that scorches the grounds, or tepid h2o that doesn't excerpt fully — and desperately ground java with too much fine grit that makes the pressed coffee dirty and biting.

These are the two factors that, to me, are most commonly ignored and all the same easiest to remedy. All you need is a sense of how hot your water is and a burr grinder.

→ Takeaway: Getting the temperature right is easy (just take the h2o off the boil and permit it sit for a minute before brewing).

Why a Burr Grinder Is Of import for Good French Press

And and so at that place's the grinder. In that location aren't many processes in the kitchen that truly depend on one gadget or tool, only good French press coffee is i of them.

Hither's why. A regular blade grinder like this one is perfectly skilful for grinding coffee beans for a drip machine and other methods, merely a French press relies on having very evenly-sized grains of coffee, and they demand to be relatively big. Smaller-sized grains volition get through the filter, creating a sediment in your cup, and also go over-extracted, making your java bitter. It's essential that all the java beans are basis to the same consistency and the burr grinder (what's a burr grinder?) is far superior at making this happen.

→ Takeaway: If your French press turns out too bitter for you, or with a lot of gunky sediment at the bottom, then consider irresolute your grinder to a burr grinder. Or have your local coffee shop grind the coffee beans for you; their commercial grinders will do a keen job as well.

If you don't have space for a burr grinder, then another brewing method might be better for you, similar the Chemex or another pour over, or the Aeropress. More on these methods soon!

More than on Burr Grinders

(Image credit: Leela Cyd)

Getting Geeky Over French Printing

Withal, you tin can get a lot more technical and geeky than that over French press. Merely take a await at the varying levels of instruction and minuscule attending paid to grams and brewing time at Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Bluish Bottle, and Serious Eats. Whew.

Personally, I don't feel that i needs to quibble over forty grams versus 36 grams of grounds to water, or whether you should weigh your beans and water rather than measuring them by volume.

I have a hunch that some of y'all will fence with me virtually that, but if you are Into Coffee, so there are a million things to twiddle all the time. That's part of the pleasure of coffee; similar other things in cooking, you tin can amend and tweak to your heart's content, and find a lot of satisfaction in it.

But if you're but getting into French printing, I think that this is the easiest method that includes the essentials but doesn't get too geeky. If you are more comfortable weighing your java and h2o than measuring past volume, go to it! If you lot are persnickety well-nigh how long to mash which roasts, have at it! I'grand right behind you.

Simply for now, permit's but talk basics. Considering in the end, it's just a cup of java, and I exercise hope that more of you will notice your morning sustenance in a cup of French press, as it is really so delicious when done (generally) right.

Ratio of Water & Coffee for French Press

The instructions beneath brand 32 ounces, a mutual size of French press that makes nigh four servings. But what if you want to make more or less? Here's a general guide to proportions by book. Note that coffee beans are measured earlier grinding.

1 serving — 1 cup water (viii fluid ounces) — two tablespoons coffee beans
2 servings — 2 cups water (16 fluid ounces) — one/4 cup java beans
four servings — iv cups water (32 fluid ounces) — one/2 cup coffee beans
8 servings — 8 cups water (64 fluid ounces) — 1 cup coffee beans

alcohol-free
paleo
kidney-friendly
peanut-free
low-potassium
pork-free
pescatarian
gluten-complimentary
tree-nut-free
low-sodium
red-meat-free
wheat-free
dairy-gratuitous
fish-gratuitous
vegetarian
shellfish-complimentary
vegan
sugar-witting
no-oil-added
depression-sugar
soy-free
egg-gratuitous

Per serving, based on

servings. (% daily value)

Calories 0
Fat 0.0 k (0.0%)
Saturated 0.0 yard (0.0%)
Carbs
Fiber
Sugars
Protein 0.0 yard (0.1%)
Sodium 10.1 mg (0.4%)

Ingredients

i/2 cup
freshly roasted coffee beans
four cups
cold h2o

Equipment

Burr grinder
French press, should concur at least 32 ounces
Electric kettle OR a stovetop kettle
Instant-read thermometer (optional)
Long spoon

Instructions

Measure the coffee beans. Measure out out the 1/2 cup coffee beans. (Or, if yous're making less than 32 ounces, refer to our coffee proportions nautical chart above.)
Grind the coffee beans. Grind the beans on the coarsest setting in a burr grinder. If you don't have a burr grinder, grind in brief, precipitous pulses in a blade grinder, stopping every couple seconds to capsize the grinder and requite information technology a sharp shake while holding the lid on. Your coffee grounds should be crude and coarse, simply still evenly-sized, without a lot of fine grit. Stumptown describes the ideal size and shape as "breadcrumbs." Pour the grounds into a French press.
Heat the water to humid, then cool for 1 minute. Estrus four cups cold h2o in a stovetop or electric kettle to boiling, and so have off the heat for about i full minute before making the java. (Or, if you're making less than 32 ounces, refer to our coffee proportions chart above.) Water for French press coffee should be heated to 195°F. This is below boiling, which is 212°F at ocean level. If you want to make extra-sure it's the right temperature, use a thermometer to cheque. (Or, if you have a fancy newer kettle with custom temperature settings, choose "coffee.")
Add the water to the French press. Pour the h2o into French press.
Stir the brew. Stir vigorously, using an up and downwardly motion.
Steep for iv minutes. Let steep for iv minutes to produce a robust brew. If you want to tweak your French press as you learn its nuances, yous may discover that different roasts of coffee do ameliorate with slightly longer or shorter steeping times.
Plunge the press. When the timer goes off, immediately press the plunger all the way to the bottom. Drink the coffee immediately.

Recipe Notes

Warming the French press: One stride nosotros didn't include here, for the sake of simplicity, is warming the French press. If you accept time (and presence of heed) in the morning time, heat the water to boiling and rinse out the French printing with hot water to warm it.

Apply a carafe: If you are not going to drink the coffee immediately, don't go out information technology in the French press, where it will keep to sit on the grounds and go bitter. Pour into a thermal carafe to keep information technology hot.

More Tips on Making Smashing Java

Faith Durand

Editor-in-Chief

Faith is the Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn, and the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Honour-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her married man and two daughters.

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