Is French Press Coffee Good and Easy to Make? How to Make Hand-Ground Black Coffee at Home Using a French Press?

When you have a bag of freshly roasted coffee beans but don't know how to brew them, the French press becomes incredibly convenient! No complex equipment needed, no specific pouring techniques required, and certainly no need for precise parameters! You can easily make delicious single-origin coffee with simplicity!

All brewing methods ultimately aim to create a delicious cup of coffee!

I once heard someone share: "How do you make pour-over coffee! I think using a French press lacks ceremonial feeling, and it doesn't look very sophisticated!" How could that be!! Isn't the purpose of making coffee simply to create delicious coffee?! Whether it's pressure extraction, drip extraction, or immersion extraction, the ultimate goal is for coffee grounds to fully contact water and release appropriate soluble substances, ultimately presenting a cup of coffee that can heal people and fill the air with aromatic fragrance~

Compared to drip coffee (pour-over coffee), coffee brewed with a French press has a fuller body and more pronounced sweetness~ When waking up in the morning or feeling tired from work, being able to conveniently and quickly brew a cup of coffee to awaken/heal yourself is truly a wonderful thing!

The Origin and Popularization of the French Press

The French press first appeared in France in 1850. Its predecessor was a tea brewing container with a plunger and a filter screen of the same diameter as the container, designed to better block tea leaves from flowing into the cup along with the tea after steeping. Later, coffee lovers discovered that the same device could also brew coffee, and the taste was cleaner than directly boiled coffee~

Subsequently, a craftsman and merchant established the "Smith" company, made detailed modifications to the French press, and applied for a patent for the "piston filter coffee device" in 1852, naming it the "French Press." However, initial sales were not good because after pressing down, the filter screen couldn't maintain balance. When pouring coffee without holding the plunger, coffee particles would still flow into the cup through gaps caused by imbalance.

Later, in the late 1920s, a Milanese company registered a patent for a modified version of the French press, installing springs on the original piston's bottom disc and filter screen. This ensured that after pressing the plunger, it would align flush with the container bottom, leaving no opportunity for coffee particles to escape. At the same time, the company perfected the overall design of the French press over several years and began commercial sales. People gradually recognized the convenience of using the French press for brewing coffee~

How to Brew Coffee with a French Press?

The entire French press consists of a heat-resistant glass container and a metal filter screen with a plunger. To make coffee, simply place coarsely ground coffee powder in the preheated French press, pour in 88-92°C hot water, steep for 3-4 minutes, finally press the plunger and pour out the coffee liquid to enjoy!

Brewing Steps:

1. First, pour hot water into the pot to preheat both the container and the metal filter screen with the plunger, then pour out all the hot water for later use.

2. Grind coffee beans into coarse particles and pour them into the pot~ Coffee should be ground to the size of coarse sugar! The ground particles should look like this~

(If you want more precise grinding data, it's a 70%-75% pass rate through China's No. 20 standard sieve)

3. For French press brewing, it's recommended to use at least 15g of coffee grounds, with a brewing ratio of 1:13-1:16 (if using 15g of grounds, add 195-240g of water). Use 1:13 for stronger flavor, 1:15 for just right, and 1:16 for lighter taste. Of course, you can also adjust according to your personal preference.

4. Different roast levels of coffee should be brewed with different temperatures of hot water. FrontStreet Coffee suggests using hot water around 92°C for light to medium roast (light brown to brown) coffee, and hot water around 88°C for dark roast (dark brown) coffee. After adding hot water, pull the plunger to the top of the lid and cover. (Don't press the plunger at this point!!)

5. Steeping time also varies by roast level. FrontStreet Coffee suggests steeping light to medium roast coffee for about 4 minutes, and dark roast coffee for about 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Don't steep for too long! Because the French press uses direct immersion of coffee grounds with water, the pleasant flavors can be fully extracted during this time period. If steeped too long, undesirable coffee flavors may appear, such as woody or burnt bitter tastes.

6. Finally, after steeping is complete, press the plunger and pour out all the coffee liquid at once. (If you don't pour out all the coffee liquid at once, coffee particles in the pot will continue to release undesirable flavors, and the coffee in the pot will become increasingly unpleasant~)

7. Coffee beans produce oils after roasting, and the French press will have a layer of coffee oil after brewing coffee. When cleaning the French press, disassemble all metal parts. Both the container and parts need to be cleaned with detergent and completely wiped dry before being stored.

The Soul of French Press Coffee!

- The slight sediment in the coffee is what makes French press coffee authentic! -

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Important Notice :

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