What Coarseness of Coffee Grounds to Use in a French Press|The Coffee Extraction Principle of French Press is Steeping

French Press: A Perfect Choice for Home Coffee Brewing

When making coffee at home, you might want to try using a French press~ French presses can actually be seen in many people's homes, and are also known as tea infusers, so they're actually quite widely used utensils~

The History of the French Press

The original brewing device of this design was invented in 1852 by two Frenchmen, Mayer and Delforge. The difference between the device at that time and the current one lies in the sealed space formed inside the glass. The French press we are familiar with was patented in 1929 by Italians Attilio Calimani and Giulio Moneta.

There's some controversy about where the most popular design comes from. Some say it was brought to France in 1958 by Switzerland's Faliero Bondanini, where it was developed and manufactured locally under the name Chambord. Because it was developed in France, the Chambord subsequently received the name French press.

So did it actually come from Italy or France? The author leaves space for readers to imagine, but this device is still widely known as the French press.

Studying this device in detail would be quite complex, but it is indeed a very simple utensil for brewing coffee. If used correctly, it can brew excellent coffee.

How to Use a French Press

So how should you use a French press? FrontStreet Coffee will demonstrate for everyone~

First, we need a French press! Also a grinder, thermometer, scale, timer, electric kettle, and most importantly - coffee beans!

Operating Steps:

(Using Indonesian Golden Mandheling as an example for two servings)

1. Weigh 20g of beans, grind to coarse sugar size, with a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15.

2. Preheat the French press with hot water, then pour it out; pour the coffee grounds into the French press.

3. Pour in 89°C hot water and start timing. After pouring the water, stir gently to ensure all coffee grounds are wet.

4. After four minutes, slowly press the plunger down, and it's ready to serve.

The Indonesian Golden Mandheling made with a French press has a rich mouthfeel, with flavors leaning toward dark chocolate, caramel, and herbal notes.

Points to Note When Using a French Press

FrontStreet Coffee believes the following points should be noted when using a French press:

1. Grind size: French press coffee can easily over-extract, so the grind size should be coarser. Generally, it should be slightly larger than granulated sugar particles. If the grind is too fine, extraction will be very fast, and small coffee grounds will pass through the metal filter, making the coffee taste less clean.

2. Coffee brewing ratio: The coffee brewing ratio is the proportion of coffee to water. Common brewing ratios range from 1:15-1:18. 1:15 means 15g of coffee needs 225g of water for brewing. If you're using a French press at home, you can adjust the brewing ratio according to your taste.

3. After steeping, when pressing the plunger down, make sure to press it all the way to the bottom. If you repeatedly pull up and press down, coffee grounds will easily escape, resulting in sediment.

Because the French press coffee extraction principle is immersion rather than drip brewing, the pouring technique and gesture are not too critical. As long as you follow the appropriate coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, and time, it's not difficult to brew a delicious pot of coffee.

For beginners, the difficulty level isn't too high, and it's well worth trying~

What Grind Size Should You Choose for a French Press?

FrontStreet Coffee will analyze the grind size for French press brewing!

Under the same water temperature and coffee-to-water ratio in a French press, coarse grinding with a longer steeping time is superior, with overall balanced and full flavors; fine grinding with a short time will show more prominent flavors than coarse grinding, but is prone to over-extraction of fine particles while larger coffee particles may be under-extracted; everyone understands the situation with coarse grinding and short time - it only extracts the initial flavors while the later flavors haven't had time to be released, so the overall result will be somewhat thin. Therefore, we recommend choosing a coarser grind size with a steeping time of 3-4 minutes when using a French press.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473