French Press Brewing Guide. You will need:
- Coffee
- French press
- Grinder
- Kettle
- Scale
- Timer
- Wooden spoon
Step 1. Bring enough water to fill the French press to a boil. For a 3 cup press, you’ll need about 600ml.
Step 2. While the water is heating, grind your coffee. French press coffee calls for a coarse, even grind. We recommend starting with a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio. If you’re using 600ml of water, you’ll want 60 grams of coffee
Step 3. To start, gently pour twice the amount of water than you have coffee onto your grounds. For example, if you have 60 grams of coffee, you’ll want to start with 120ml of water.
Step 4. Give the grounds a gentle stir with a wooden spoon (do not use a metal one!). Allow the coffee to bloom for 30 seconds.
Step 5. Add the rest of your water and position the lid gently on top of the grounds. Don’t plunge just yet. Let the coffee steep for four minutes. Four. Don’t guess!
Step 6. Gently remove your French press from the scale and place it on your counter. Press the filter down. If it’s hard to press, that means your grind is too fine; if the plunger “thunks” immediately down to the bottom, it means your grind is too coarse. The sweet spot, pressure-wise, is 15–20 pounds. Not sure what this feels like? Try it out on your bathroom scale.
When you’ve finished pressing, serve the coffee immediately. Don’t let it sit, as this will cause it to continue brewing and over-extract.