Classic French Press Coffee

Name: Classic French Press Coffee
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ½ cup (60 g) whole coffee beans, ground coarse, like coarse sea salt or breadcrumbs, just before brewing; 3¾ cups (900 ml) filtered water, brought to a boil, then rested 30–60 seconds to about 200°F (93°C); ¾ cup (200 ml) hot water, from the same kettle, for warming the press (discarded)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A rich, full-bodied cup made with a simple 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, a short bloom, and a precise 4-minute steep. Once you get the grind and timing right, the result is smooth and sweet, with none of the sludge or bitterness.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 5 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 20 min
Makes: About 3¼ cups (800 ml) coffee, enough for 3 mugs of about 8 oz (250 ml)

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Steps

Before you start

Use a 34 oz (1 liter) French press. This recipe is sized for it, and a smaller press will overflow.
Use fresh, whole beans and grind them just before brewing if you can. Pre-ground coffee loses flavor quickly.
Use filtered water if your tap water tastes of chlorine or minerals. Coffee is more than 98% water, so it shows.
A kitchen scale and timer give the most repeatable results. Volume measures are included if you don't have a scale.

1
Heat the water
- Pour about 1,100 ml (4¾ cups) of water into a kettle or saucepan.
- This covers the 900 ml for brewing and 200 ml for warming the press.
- Bring it to a full boil over high heat, then remove it from the heat and let it rest 30–60 seconds so it drops to about 200°F (93°C).
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Ready when: Water has boiled hard, then stopped bubbling after resting. A thermometer reads about 200°F (93°C).
Tip: Water straight off the boil scorches the grounds and makes the coffee bitter.
2
Grind the coffee
- Weigh 60 g (about ½ cup) of beans and grind them coarse, so the pieces look like coarse sea salt or breadcrumbs, each about the size of a peppercorn flake.
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Ready when: Grounds are uniformly coarse, with little fine powder.
Tip: A fine grind passes through the mesh, clogs the filter, and makes muddy, bitter coffee.
3
Warm the press
- Pour the 200 ml of hot water into the empty French press and swirl it for 10 seconds.
- Discard the water down the sink.
- Do this while the carafe is still empty so the glass doesn't pull heat from the brew.
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Ready when: The carafe feels warm to the touch.
Tip: Warming also helps prevent cracks from sudden temperature changes.
4
Add the grounds
- Put the press on a scale if you have one and tare it to zero.
- Add the 60 g ground coffee and level it by gently shaking the press side to side.
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Ready when: Grounds form an even bed on the bottom.
5
Bloom the coffee
- Start the timer.
- Pour in about 120 ml (½ cup) of the 200°F (93°C) water, enough to wet all the grounds.
- Stir gently once or twice.
- Let it bloom for 30 seconds while the coffee releases gas.
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Ready when: The surface puffs up and bubbles, and no dry clumps remain.
Tip: Fresh coffee blooms more. Little or no bubbling suggests stale beans.
6
Fill and steep
- At 30 seconds, pour in the remaining 780 ml (about 3¼ cups) of water in a steady stream until the 900 ml total is in.
- Stir once gently.
- Set the lid on top with the plunger pulled all the way up, and do not press down.
- Steep until the timer reads 4:00 total.
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Ready when: The timer reads 4:00 and a thick crust of grounds floats on top.
Tip: For a stronger cup, use more coffee rather than a longer steep. Longer steeping adds bitterness.
7
Break the crust
- Remove the lid and stir the crust gently 3 times so the grounds sink.
- Use a spoon to skim off any foam and floating grounds.
- Replace the lid and let the coffee sit 1 more minute so fine particles settle.
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Ready when: Most grounds have sunk and the surface looks fairly clear.
Tip: Skimming gives a cleaner, less gritty cup.
8
Press slowly
- Press the plunger down slowly and evenly over about 20 seconds, keeping it straight.
- Stop when it reaches the bottom of the grounds.
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Ready when: The plunger moves down with light, steady pressure and rests on the compacted grounds.
Tip: If it's hard to press, the grind is too fine. Don't force it, since hot coffee could spray out. Lift slightly and press again.
9
Serve right away
- Pour all the coffee into mugs or a thermal carafe right away, leaving the last sip of sludge behind in the press.
- Serve hot.
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Ready when: Coffee is dark and aromatic, with a little fine sediment at most.
Tip: Don't leave coffee sitting on the grounds in the press. It keeps extracting and turns bitter.

Good to know

Tips

Use a 1:15 ratio (1 g coffee to 15 ml water) as a starting point, then adjust the coffee by 5–10 g to suit your taste.
If the coffee tastes sour or weak, grind slightly finer or use hotter water. If it tastes bitter or harsh, grind coarser or shorten the steep.
Rinse the press right after brewing. Never pour grounds down the sink drain. Put them in the compost or trash.
For a thicker, fuller cup, skip skimming and drink it with the fine particles. For a cleaner one, pour through a paper filter.

Storage & reheating

Best enjoyed within 20 minutes of brewing. Pour leftovers into a thermal carafe to keep hot for up to 1 hour. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days and drink it iced or reheat gently in a saucepan or microwave until steaming, never boiling. Store whole beans airtight at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Substitutions

whole coffee beans → Pre-ground coffee labeled coarse or French press grind. Use the same weight. Flavor will be a bit flatter than freshly ground.
whole coffee beans → Decaf whole beans. Use the same amount and method.
filtered water → Bottled spring water. Use if your tap water is hard or strongly flavored. Avoid distilled water, which makes flat coffee.
whole coffee beans → 50 g (about ⅓ cup plus 2 tbsp) coffee. Use for a milder cup (1:18 ratio). Keep the water and timing the same.