With a few minutes of steeping to get a pot of aroma coffee, a French press or Coffee press seems easy. But not all of them could make it in the right way. Here to learn more skills to make a perfect coffee press.
What is a Coffee Press?
The time came in 1929 when Italian designer Attilio Calimani created and registered the patent for the French press pot. This is the original appearance of the French press we see now. But why not call it an Italian pot instead of a French press pot? Probably because the original prototype of the French press pot was invented by two Frenchmen, Mayer and Delforge, in 1852.
The French press pot consists of a cylindrical container and a lid with a strainer that can be pulled up and down in the middle of the lid. The container is generally made of glass but is now also derived from ceramic, stainless steel, and other materials. The strainer is generally made of metal, but now there are also silicone strainers.
The principle of the French press pot is the immersion type, by steeping the coffee powder in hot water and finally filtering the coffee powder residue, you can get a cup of richly layered coffee. Due to its small size and easy cleaning, it is perfect for travel and camping carry-on use.
With a long contact time between the water and the coffee powder, the French press pot coffee will truly restore the flavor, flaws, etc. of the coffee beans.
How a Coffee Press Works
The principle of all coffee making is to use water and coffee powder in contact for a certain length of time to complete the extraction.
For French press pots, the extraction process is completed by steeping and then pressing the screen to isolate the coffee grounds to a certain extent. There is a way to get the French press to completely filter the coffee grounds, but such a coffee liquid is not "authentic" French press coffee anymore.
How to brew?
- Powder Water Billy: 1:15
- Water temperature: 195-200ºF
- Brewing time: about 4 minutes
- Coffee powder grind degree: coarse salt granules
Brewing details:
1. Use an electronic scale to weigh the water and coffee powder
Do not just rely on your feelings to make a judgment. Have an accurate ratio to show the value of the coffee beans, but also to have the consistency of the coffee produced.
2. The bean grinder is important
A good grinder can significantly reduce the presence of fine powder. The evenly ground coffee powder can ensure a clean taste of the coffee liquid during the downward pressure filtration process. And buying a burr grinder can help you achieve it better. The flat-blade disc grinder is not the best choice.
3. Use a sufficient amount of coffee powder
Different ratios of powder to water can give you a completely different flavor of the coffee. Often, bad coffee is closely related to the wrong ratio.
Read more: What Is The Ratio For French Press Coffee?
4. Warm the pot before brewing
Whether it is pour-over coffee or French press coffee, most hand-brewed types of coffee pots require a good warming step. We all know that coffee beans are very sensitive to temperature, so warming the pot in advance will reduce the possibility of extraction deviations due to excessive temperature differences.
5. Steaming for 30 seconds
Using a French press pot also requires steaming. After pouring in the coffee powder, fill it with about 20% of water in a circular motion to completely wet the coffee powder and steam it for 30 seconds. Then pour the rest of the water into the pot for the extraction process.
6. After extraction, pour out all the coffee liquid
If the capacity of your French press pot is well suited to your drinking needs, then you won't have this trouble: over-extraction of the coffee liquid.
After we press the lever, if the rest of the coffee liquid stays in the pot, it will continue to keep extracting with the rest of the coffee liquid.
We all know that the longer the steeping, the stronger the flavor. If you don't want to have a second cup of coffee with a completely different flavor, please remember to pour out all the coffee liquid, which can be filled into a thermal mug to keep the coffee flavor for a short period and is a good option.
Can You Use Any Coffee In a Coffee Press?
The French press is a very inclusive brewing method. You can try different coffee beans, ground to the coarseness of sea salt so that the filter can smoothly filter the coffee grounds.
The most important requirement for coffee beans is "freshness". No matter how expensive your coffee beans are, if the beans are not fresh, or if they have been ground into coffee powder for a while and then taken to brew, the flavor will be greatly reduced. I think this is not the kind of coffee you want to drink.
If you want to suggest which coffee beans to try, try medium-roasted coffee beans and if you have suggestions for better coffee beans, feel free to leave us a comment.
How to Clean a Coffee Press?
1. After the French press pot has cooled, remove the coffee grounds from the pot. Coffee grounds can be air-dried in the oven for dehumidification and deodorization purposes.
2. Wash the pot with a mixture of water and dishwashing detergent, shaking it up and down until it is full of bubbles. Wash with a soft rag and filter clean.
3. Clean the filter. Take the filter apart, prepare a basin of water (warm water works better), add the right amount of baking soda, and soak for 5-10 minutes, the dirt will gradually fall off.
4. Finally pour in hot water and scald 1-2 times to remove residual odor, and dry in a ventilated place to dry before installing the French press pot.
