The Correct Method for Making Coffee with a French Press | Comparison Between French Press and Pour-Over Coffee

Introduction to French Press Brewing

Many friends have complained to FrontStreet Coffee that "pour-over coffee is so hard to learn" and "I've been brewing for so long but still can't get it right." For those experiencing these difficulties, FrontStreet Coffee suggests trying the French press method for brewing coffee.

Compared to pour-over coffee, the biggest advantage of French press brewing is that it eliminates many manual operations, reducing numerous variables. Therefore, as long as we master the French press brewing parameters, we can handle almost any coffee bean with ease, making delicious coffee effortlessly.

Grind Size

When it comes to brewing coffee, grind size is the most important parameter. Just like with pour-over coffee, many brewing problems stem from incorrect grind size.

The grind size for French press is slightly coarser than for pour-over. Using a #20 sieve as a reference, it should have a 70% pass-through rate, which is what we commonly refer to as "coarse sugar" size.

Many friends ask whether, like in pour-over coffee where light roast beans are ground finer and dark roast beans ground coarser, the same should be done for French press. The answer is no, and this is where the French press shows its advantage. Many people get confused about how fine to grind this bean versus that bean, especially when dealing with multiple varieties. With French press, you can use a uniform grind size regardless of roast degree. Because French press is an immersion extraction method, you can freely control the immersion time (detailed below). In contrast, pour-over coffee is a drip method that relies on grind size to indirectly control extraction time. Therefore, French press is much more forgiving in terms of grind size.

Coffee-to-Water Ratio

FrontStreet Coffee generally recommends using a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio for brewing. For example, if using 15 grams of coffee, you should add 240ml of water. Coffee brewed with this ratio will have a concentration of approximately 1.1-1.2%, which is a very comfortable range. If you prefer a stronger coffee, you can also use a 1:15 ratio.

Water Temperature

Because the French press pouring method involves adding all the water at once at the beginning, the actual extraction temperature will gradually decrease over time. Therefore, the water temperature needed should be slightly higher than for pour-over. If brewing medium-light roast (acidic) coffee beans, you can use 93-94°C. For medium-dark roast (non-acidic) coffee beans, you can use 89-90°C.

Brewing Time

Time is a parameter that can be freely adjusted in French press brewing. Because French press coffee doesn't require deliberate stirring to accelerate extraction, you need a longer time than pour-over to allow the coffee grounds' compounds to slowly permeate out. FrontStreet Coffee recommends an immersion time of 3 minutes 30 seconds to 4 minutes for French press. Medium-light roast coffee can be brewed for 4 minutes, while medium-dark roast coffee should be brewed for 3 minutes 30 seconds. Brewing for too long can result in bitter and undesirable flavors.

Step-by-Step Instructions

For this demonstration, FrontStreet Coffee has selected FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon coffee beans, which are medium-dark roast. Prepare 15 grams of coffee beans, grind using the EK43s at setting 11, which produces a grind size with a 70% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve.

Then pour the ground FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Estate into the press, followed by 240ml of hot water (90°C). Pull up the plunger and place the lid on, waiting for 3 minutes 30 seconds. When the time is up, slowly press down the plunger to push the coffee grounds floating on the surface to the bottom. Finally, pour out all the coffee liquid at once, because if coffee remains in the press, the grounds will continue to release bitter compounds, making the coffee bitter.

Coffee made with a French press will have fine oils floating on the surface, along with some fine coffee grounds. This is normal because the metal filter of a French press has relatively large gaps, allowing fine coffee particles and oils to pass through easily. The oils enrich the coffee's mouthfeel, while the issue of fine grounds can be addressed by letting them settle briefly before drinking.

Making coffee with a French press is just that simple. Once you have the right parameters, the remaining operations are simply: "add grounds, add water, wait, press, pour coffee."

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