What Type of Coffee is Suitable for French Press? Is French Press Coffee Weak? How to Use Starbucks French Press?

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What Makes a Good Cup of Coffee?

In the past, influenced by Japanese and Taiwanese coffee culture, people believed that coffee had to be strong, mellow, and aromatic. They thought coffee wasn't really coffee without bitterness, and adding several spoons of sugar or creamer was necessary to make it complete.

The third wave of coffee culture, combined with food safety concerns, has made us more curious about where our food comes from. We've started to understand coffee varieties, countries of origin, specific estates, growing altitudes, processing methods, and more. It's similar to how Taiwan recently opened imports of Japanese beef, with premium wagyu being highly sought after. Coffee follows the same pattern – the Geisha variety, once grown in Panama, has seen prices soar year after year due to its floral notes and rich fruit characteristics.

As people pursue higher quality of life, their knowledge and appreciation of coffee flavors continue to grow. The definition of good coffee has shifted from the previously favored strong and bitter brews to balanced cups with pleasant acidity and bitterness, smooth mouthfeel, and preferably with distinctive origin characteristics. There are no absolutes in the world of coffee – too many variables affect flavor, and the ability to continuously explore possibilities is what makes coffee so captivating.

Water Quality and Temperature

A cup of coffee is actually 98-99% water, so water selection is crucial! Water that's too soft or too hard isn't ideal for brewing coffee. You can purchase a water TDS testing pen to measure your brewing water. TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) around 150 is suitable for coffee brewing. Water temperature that's too low won't extract all the flavor compounds from coffee, while water that's too hot can lead to over-extraction, creating unpleasant astringent notes. It's recommended to start experimenting with water temperature around 90°C.

The Importance of Fresh Grinding and Grind Size

Coffee beans begin to lose their flavor compounds gradually after grinding as they interact with air and time. Simply put, it's like eating sashimi – the chef only processes the fish after the customer places their order. The same principle applies to coffee beans – grinding right before brewing helps preserve the original flavors as much as possible. I always recommend that friends who want to brew coffee at home invest in a grinder. This allows them to buy whole coffee beans instead of pre-ground powder, grinding the beans right before brewing to retain more flavors.

Different brewing methods require appropriate grind sizes. For espresso, a finer grind is needed, while pour-over coffee can start with medium or medium-coarse grind sizes.

Choosing Brewing Equipment

Different coffee brewing equipment has a significant impact on the resulting coffee flavor. Currently, both pour-over drip methods and immersion methods like French press have their enthusiasts. Coffee brewed through paper filters tends to be cleaner and more refreshing, while coffee that's first immersed then filtered through metal mesh retains more oils. Different brewing methods also affect brewing time. Like photography, if the shutter speed is too short or there's insufficient exposure, or if it's too long leading to overexposure, the results won't be optimal. Similarly, proper brewing time is very important – you can start experimenting with flavors using brewing times around 2 to 2.5 minutes.

Of course, this time isn't absolute and needs to correspond to the coffee grind size.

Adjusting Coffee-to-Water Ratio

Everyone has different standards for coffee strength, but a noticeable trend is that people are no longer pursuing the extremely strong and bitter black coffee of the past. General black coffee ratios have evolved from 1:8-10 (1 gram of coffee to 8-10ml of water) to current ratios of 1:12-15, where drinkability and smoothness are more important. You can refer to the Coffee Golden Cup Extraction Theory for guidelines on coffee strength and extraction rates – ideal extraction rates are 18-22%, with coffee concentration between 1.15-1.35%.

How to Brew Delicious Coffee with a French Press

Recommended Grind Size: Medium/fine sugar consistency. Many people use very coarse grinds for French press, but I recommend starting with medium grind unless your grinder produces excessive fine powder that makes coffee bitter quickly.

Weigh fresh coffee beans and grind them right before brewing.

Use fresh, low-mineral drinking water suitable for coffee brewing and bring it to a boil.

Pour the ground coffee into the French press.

Pour the correct amount of hot water using a ratio of 75g/L, trying to wet all coffee grounds as quickly as possible.

Let the coffee grounds steep in hot water for 4 minutes. During this time, the coffee grounds will float as a layer on top of the water.

After 4 minutes, stir the coffee grounds with a large spoon, trying to make most of the grounds sink to the bottom.

Some coffee grounds will still float on top – simply scoop them out with the large spoon.

Wait another 5 minutes to let more coffee grounds settle at the bottom.

Insert the metal plunger, but be careful not to press down yet. Pressing creates turbulence that would stir up the settled grounds from the bottom.

Gently pour the coffee through the metal mesh filter into your coffee cup. When you're nearly done pouring, there will still be some fine coffee grounds in the liquid – remember not to pour the very last bit. This way, you can enjoy a fresh, delicious, and flavorful cup of coffee.

Which Coffee Beans Are Suitable for French Press?

Using FrontStreet Coffee's beans as examples, the most suitable for French press are Mandheling, Brazil Queen, and Honduras San Juan Cidra. Whether considering mouthfeel or flavor characteristics, these beans are exceptionally well-suited for French press brewing.

FrontStreet Coffee's French Press Brewing Parameters:

Fuji Royal grinder setting 4 / 88°C / 1:15 ratio / Steep for 4 minutes, then press the filter down at a steady speed.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473