How Does A French Press Work?
Someone probably wondering: how is a french press working? A common French Press Maker consists of a beaker, base, handle, and plunger. The main part is the breaker which is you place your coffee grounds and hot water. Unlike other coffee makers, the French Press does not require filter paper. When brewed in a French press, the coffee powder is steeped directly in hot water.
This means that this is an immersion brewing method, where the coffee powder will be steeped in hot water for a few minutes, rather than just a few seconds.
A French press maker is usually made of glass and metal. It looks like a small glass pot with a metal filter and plunger inside. They come in a variety of sizes, with the more popular models currently making about 2 large cups of coffee.
If you taste French press coffee in a restaurant or a fancy coffee shop, you will find that it often costs a price, and that is because this method of brewing method of coffee is much better than regular drip coffee.
Why you’re going to love this way to make French Press Coffee?
- Simple. It's a very simple way to make coffee, just leave it for a few minutes and enjoy a great-tasting coffee with a portable tool. I'll show you why it's so "easy" below!
- Tasty. If you have never tried coffee made in a French press, you must try it. First of all, I want to tell you that this is not a coffee machine for making espresso. We all know that there are many portable camping espresso machines (to learn more, check out the store). It will give you a different flavor feeling, I promise.
- Anytime, Anywhere. The French press pot comes in 3 sizes, so whether you're enjoying it by yourself or with family, or friends, or, you're having an outdoor picnic, you can brew a professional pot of coffee anytime, anywhere!
The French Press Coffee powder to Water Ratio
Regarding the French Press Coffee ratio, usually, 1:12 is the strongest, and the way to 1:17 is the weakest. We can choose the right ratio according to our preferences.
And I recommend using a French Press Coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15. Of course, these ratios are based on weight and are measured in grams.
Most French Presses are 32oz, which means 12Tbsp of ground coffee at regular strength. Here is a table shared to visualize the proportional needs of different sizes and strengths. Then you could have a better idea of the grams of coffee ground.
|
French Press Brewed |
Ground Coffee Required |
||
|
Weak (1:17) |
Regular (1:15) |
Strong (1:12) |
|
|
1 cup (8oz) |
14 grams/2.5 Tbsp |
16 grams/3 Tbsp |
20 grams/4Tbsp |
|
2 cup (16oz) |
28 grams/5 Tbsp |
32 grams/6 Tbsp |
40 grams/8 Tbsp |
|
4 cup (32oz) |
56 grams/10 Tbsp |
64 grams/12 Tbsp |
80 grams/16 Tbsp |
The size of The French Press
The standard French Press pot size is between 4 and 8 cups. In regular, a standard cup is a meager 4oz.Therefore, you will have small, large, metal, and electric options:
- Small French Press: suitable for 1-2 people.
- Large French Press: these 8 to 12-cup behemoths are particularly suitable for coffee aficionados!
- Metal French Press: The metal body of the pot is more suitable for you who need to have the insulation effect, perhaps, in the wintertime, it is not a particularly good coffee machine.
- Electric French Press: Most of the electric powder portable coffee grinders will have a Type-C powder interface, which is more convenient for us to carry on the go, at the same time, there are low, medium, and high, three grinding options. In my opinion, also a very good choice!
Brewing French Press Coffee
Step 1: Grind coffeeAbout coffee grounds, as with all coffee brewing methods, you need to experiment and make some adjustments to the variables, especially, when you are not very familiar with this coffee grinder.
If you’re grinding coffee beans with a manual grinder or an electric grinder, grind them until they resemble coarse sand. If it looks more like a powder, start over, please! Because this is important as a fine grind will block the holes in the french press filter.
The good news is that the French press method is a little more forgiving than the quick brew method.
The easiest way to start is with a very coarse grind. The grains should appear between the coarse salt and the steel-cut oats. Make a note of your grind size so you can adjust it later: if you find the coffee flavor bland, next time grind finer so that the flavor tends to be more to your liking.
Step 2: Boil Water
The range of 195 to 205 degrees is the most suitable. If you use boiling water, please remember to let the hot water cool off for one minute, as it will over-extract coffee and leads to a bitter flavor.
Add the ground coffee to the French press, and let the coffee grounds sit for 30 seconds. This stage is the coffee bloom phase. The coffee releases carbon dioxide during the blooming process, which leads to better coffee extraction.
Gently stir the coffee so that all the ground coffee is soaked through with a wooden spoon. If you are using a French press pot made of glass as well, considering it is filled with hot water, it is a dangerous thing if you accidentally touch the glass body with a metal spoon, which can easily break under the high temperature, so remember to always stir with a wooden spoon!
Please remember, we only stir once!
Step 4: Bloom Coffee
Add more and pour in enough hot water to submerge the ground coffee. Use about twice the total weight of the coffee grounds. But please pay attention, don’t press down on the plunger yet!
Leave the coffee to brew for 4 minutes. Use a timer to be precise.
There is another way to try to jump the time to 6-8 minutes.
Some may say: how can it take so long?! The reasoning is simple, like making tea, the longer the steeping time, the stronger the flavor of the tea. So, if you like to get a little taste of coffee, you may want to try it.
The brew time can extend just depending on the temperature of your water, whereas cooler water will take longer.
Step 5: Plunge and Pour
When time is up, place the lid on the French Press and slowly push the plunger down to strain the grounds. Remember, here the keyword is SLOWLY. The French Press is a great, slow, gentle brew. Don't rush and take your time to feel the coffee change. Also, because the plunger will stir up the coffee grounds, they tend to get into your cup. And the grounds make the French Press Coffee bitter, especially at the end of the cup. 
Step 6: Decant Coffee
When a pot of coffee has been made, I recommend pouring out all the coffee if you can't share it all in a short time.
Because when the coffee and coffee grounds are in the same space for a long time, it will make the coffee more bitter, and of course, you don't want to have a cup of coffee that gets more and more bitter, right?
Step 7: Enjoy
Enjoy it, with your family, your friends, or with your lovely cats.
- One fabulous French Press Coffee is to warm up the press. Keeping the pot warm in advance will reduce the possibility of flavor deterioration due to temperature differences
- The perfect temperature for brewing coffee this way is 195°F/90°C. This is just slightly less than boiling. Rather than using a thermometer, I like to boil my water and then set a timer for 1 minute to let the temperature come down slightly.
- Using a long spoon, stir vigorously to break up the top layer.
- Sometimes we will make more coffee and store any leftover coffee in a thermos to keep it warm for a while longer. But please do not too long, as it will start to get bitter as it sits.
- If coffee grounds stay in the container for a long time, it will cause the filter to become increasingly difficult to clean and will have an unpleasant bitter taste. We recommend cleaning your French press thoroughly after each use.
