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What Kind of Coffee Beans Are Suitable for French Press?

The French press is a full-immersion brewer with a metal filter mesh. Because the water and grounds steep together, the resulting coffee has richer oils and a heavier, fuller body - but if you dislike sediment or fine particles in the cup, it may not be for you.

Because it is an immersion method, the grounds stay in contact with hot water for a long time. Light roasts will extract relatively high acidity that can mask the delicate florals and light layers, so the French press theoretically suits medium or dark roasts better, which express sweetness and caramel-like flavors well.

For dark roast coffee beans, brew for approximately 2-2.5 minutes at a water temperature of 90 degrees Celsius. If you want it more bitter, grind finer, use more coffee, or use less water! Note that the particles should be slightly larger than the French press filter mesh, otherwise they will escape into your cup!

For light roast coffee beans, brew for approximately 3-3.5 minutes at a water temperature of about 95 degrees Celsius. To taste the fruity acidity, consider grinding coarser; if you want it stronger, use more coffee or less water.

When buying beans, remind the grinder that they are for "French press" use - otherwise, if they are ground too fine, things will get quite interesting!

French Press Coffee Maker

The French press is one of the simplest brewing devices - making coffee with it is as easy as steeping tea: add grounds, pour in hot water, stir, and press down to filter. Yet the simplest tools are the easiest to ruin by overlooking details, so mastering a few techniques matters. Used well, a French press truly extracts the original flavor of a cup of coffee, preserving the precious natural oils of the beans without paper filtration, perfectly presenting the flavor with consistent richness and deliciousness.

Steps

Grinding and Measuring

Grind the coffee beans to a particle size like coarse granulated sugar - like small gravel rather than fine sand - and place them in the French press. The recommended extraction ratio is 15g of coffee to 225ml of water (1:15), which yields a strength of roughly 1.1-1.2%.

Tips: Maintaining bean freshness is very important. Grind only the amount needed to ensure freshness and flavor. If the grind is too fine, water will over-extract quickly, and fine particles may penetrate the metal mesh, leaving heavy sediment in the cup. If you want more layered flavors you can grind finer, but remember to shorten the steeping time accordingly to avoid over-extraction.

Adding Hot Water

Add hot water and ensure all the grounds are soaked, gently stirring a few times.

Tips: To present the most complete coffee flavor, use filtered or bottled water. Without a thermometer, let boiled water sit for 2-3 minutes so it cools to about 90 degrees Celsius. Because the French press pour happens all at once with no stirring during steeping to raise extraction, it helps to use water 1-2 degrees Celsius warmer than for regular pour-over; a temperature-controlled kettle or thermometer is recommended.

Extraction

Place the filter plunger lightly on top of the pot body, do not push it down yet, and let the coffee steep. Steeping time generally falls between 3 and 5 minutes: for darker roasts, 5 minutes may be too long and turn bitter and astringent; for lighter roasts, 3 minutes may be too short to release the flavors. Starting at 4 minutes is a safe bet.

Pressing and Pouring

After 4 minutes, slowly press the plunger to the bottom of the French press, then pour the coffee out carefully, avoiding disturbance of the grounds at the bottom, and enjoy.

French Press Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted single-origin coffee beans carry full guarantees in both brand and quality, and suit French press brewing as well as other equipment. Because immersion brewing favors medium and dark roasts, beans with chocolate, nut, caramel, or cocoa descriptors are the safest choices.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a low-acid black coffee with a full, oily body in the French press, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is the first choice. One of Asia's most famous specialty coffees, it is triple hand-sorted plus machine sorted, giving uniform, bright beans; after a medium-dark roast, the large beans carry rich spice, caramel, cedar, and dark chocolate aromas, and French press brewing draws out a mellow body with pleasing oils.

If you prefer a fragrant, floral cup instead, try FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy - a Geisha blend custom-made from Costa Rican honey-processed coffee and Panamanian washed Geisha, combining the finest flavor characteristics of Central American coffee. Steeped in a French press, it releases rose, citrus, grape, and dried blueberry aromas, and with milk it takes on the scent of strawberry gummy candy.

As for technique, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a coarse-granulated-sugar grind (equivalent to a 10.5 setting on an EK43s electric grinder, or 26 clicks on a hand grinder), a 1:15 ratio, water around 90 degrees Celsius, and a 4-minute steep before pressing. Once you know your preferences, adjust the dose, water, or time in small steps until you find the balance you love.