What Is French Press Coffee | Hario vs Bodum French Press | Which Is Better | Tan's French Press Method

How French Press Coffee Works

A French press brews by immersion: water fully surrounds and soaks the grounds, drawing out the essence of the coffee.

Choosing a French Press

How well a French press filters depends largely on the quality of the filter element. Choosing a press whose plunger uses a spring mechanism to filter the grounds is very important, because it directly affects the taste of the coffee.

Tan's French Press Method

Step 1: Grind the Beans

Grind the beans to a medium coarseness - neither too coarse nor too fine. There is no need to obsess over the exact setting.

Step 2: Add the Grounds

Add an appropriate amount of grounds to the press, roughly 9-10 grams per cup of coffee.

Step 3: Add Hot Water

Pour in hot water between 85-95 degrees C, using 150-200 milliliters per cup of coffee.

Step 4: Stir Thoroughly

Shake the press several times so the grounds mix fully with the hot water. Keep shaking as long as the grounds are concentrated and floating on the surface, until the surface is basically free of a floating layer of grounds. Do not worry too much about how long the grounds soak.

Step 5: Press and Serve

Set the lid on the press and push the filter down. Let it sit for a minute, then pour and enjoy.

Troubleshooting

If you feel strong resistance when pressing down, a lot of grounds are still floating on the surface and have not sunk - meaning many did not get fully soaked. Otherwise the press should go down easily, with almost no pressure.

Tan's method is not fussy about grind size. A coarser grind automatically lengthens the extraction time, achieving a proper, full soak; a finer grind automatically shortens it, stopping the brew promptly after full extraction. That flexibility is the strength of the method.

The Editor's Approach

1. Prepare the Grounds

The key to a French press is the size of the coffee particles. It is best to use a burr grinder to produce coarse particles. A blade grinder tends to grind too uniformly, which makes the best results hard to reach. And because the press works by immersion, even with a filter screen its filtration is not as fine as filter paper, so grinding too finely means drinking grounds.

2. Add an Appropriate Amount of Coffee

Add a suitable amount of coffee to the pot. One cup takes about one teaspoon (7 grams), though you can use 5-10 grams depending on preference. After adding the grounds, pour in an appropriate amount of hot water. Baristas with extensive French press experience all say the ratio can be adjusted to taste - whether 1:13 or 1:15, the number is only a reference, not a strict rule. One barista uses 21 grams each time and ends up with 300 milliliters of coffee. So adjust to your own preference.

3. Stir Thoroughly

Stir quickly with a wooden stick or plastic chopsticks so the coffee mixes completely with the water. Fresh coffee will release bubbles and blend in at this point. Metal sticks or chopsticks can scratch the glass walls.

4. Let the Coffee Steep

Once the coffee is fully mixed with the water, pull the filter screen up to the top and cover the pot, letting the coffee steep fully. A small pot needs about 3 minutes, a large one about 4 minutes.

5. Press the Filter Gently

To keep coffee from splashing out, turn the lid's spout to the back, staggered from the pouring spout, then gently press the plunger to the bottom. If you twist the plunger, grounds can slip out through the gaps at the pot wall. If the coffee is ground too finely, it will pass straight through the filter screen, and pressing will become difficult as pressure builds - and too much force will make the coffee overflow.

6. Serve the Coffee

After pressing to the bottom, wait for the grounds to settle again. Press the plunger firmly and pour the coffee out. Leave the very last of the liquid behind, since it holds a lot of residue.

French Press Coffee Bean Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted single-origin French press beans are dependable on brand and quality and suit a range of equipment. Better still, the value is excellent: a half-pound (227 grams) package costs only about 80-90 yuan. At 300 milliliters per cup and a 1:15 ratio, one package makes 11 cups of French press coffee, or only about 8-9 yuan a cup - outstanding value next to cafes that often charge dozens of yuan.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you like a lighter, aromatic cup, FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy is a lovely fit for the press. This Geisha blend pairs a Costa Rican honey-processed coffee with a washed Panama Geisha, and when steeped it releases rose, citrus, grape, and dried blueberry aromas; with milk, it turns into something like strawberry soft candy.

For a low-acid black coffee with a full, oily body, FrontStreet's PWN Golden Mandheling is the first choice. Roasted medium-dark after three rounds of hand sorting plus one of machine sorting, the beans are large, even, and glossy, with rich spice, caramel, cedar, and dark chocolate. Pressed, it delivers a thick, rounded cup with plenty of oils.