French Press
Chic and practical. The simplest way to brew rich and flavourful coffee for 1 - 4 person.
French Press for a hearty brew
Brew your French Press coffee
Ingredients
- Brew Time: 9 mins
- Serving: 2 cups
- Hot water: 500ml
Toys you need
- French Press (0.5 - 1 litre)
- Your favourite coffee cups
- Tablespoon x2
French Press coffee tips
- Adjust serving as desired, at coffee to water ratio of 60g per litre of water or 1 : 16. If you prefer a thicker body, you can use a ratio of 1 : 15 or even 1 : 14.
Here’s the coffee-to-water ratio (1 : 16) table for your quick reference.
French Press Coffee Ratio (1 : 16)
| Coffee | Water |
|---|---|
| 20g | 320g |
| 30g | 480g or 500g |
| 40g | 640g |
| 50g | 800g |
- The French Press is a very forgiving and infallible coffee maker. As such, coffee beans of all roast profile — whether filter roast or espresso roast, light roast or dark roast, work well with the French Press brewing method. So the most important thing is to pick the coffee with the flavours that you enjoy! And we love Romance for its fruity and floral flavours!
- Use medium grind size. We recommend the following grind sizes:
- 4 to 5 notches for Hario Skerton +
- 12 to 14 for Baratza Encore
- Brew with hot water just off the boil.
- The ideal steeping duration is 9 to 12 minutes. To minimise astringency, we recommend to steep up to a maximum of 12 minutes (a timer is going to be very useful!). Any longer than that, your French Press coffee may taste bitter and astringent.
How to play
Step 1
Boil enough water to fill the French Press. While the water is heating, grind 30g of coffee.
Step 2
Remove plunger from the French Press. Place the cylinder pot on the coffee scale. Tare the scale. Add 30g of coffee grounds into the cylinder pot. Then, tare the scale again
Step 3
Start timer. Pour 500g of hot water into the cylinder pot. Enjoy the aroma while your coffee is brewing.
Step 4
At the 4-minute mark, gently stir the top of the coffee with a tablespoon to break the crust. Then, using 2 tablespoons (it’s easier than using 1 tablespoon), remove the foam and floating crust.
Step 5
At the 9-minute mark, gently remove the cylinder pot from the scale and place it on the table. Insert the plunger and press it down until it touches the surface of the coffee.
Pour and serve.
*Note: Avoid pressing all the way down to touch the coffee grounds in the French Press. This is because pressing and squeezing will stir up the already settled grounds, which in turn gives you a muddy sludge in your cup.
Smell, slurp, enjoy!
French Press coffee FAQ
Can I pour hot water a second time after the first brew?
We have tried doing this!
Unfortunately, coffee isn’t like tea where we can refill water repeatedly. Pouring hot water onto the grounds for a second brew didn’t give a pleasant taste — it’s literally coffee water with only astringency and bitterness. That’s because all the awesomeness has been extracted in the first brew.
As such, we wouldn’t recommend brewing two times with the same grounds for your French Press Coffee.
How can I save time with brewing more coffee from a small French Press?
Sometimes we just want to drink more coffee than usual, but having a small French Press (e.g. 0.5 litres) seems to make things a little inconvenient.
In this case, we suggest trying out the following steps:
- Brew one round of French Press Coffee.
- After pouring out at 9 min, dispose the grounds and rinse lightly.
- Repeat the brew a second time with fresh grounds. Then you can let time do the work while you enjoy the first brew. Your second brew should be ready before you finish enjoying your coffee.
The suggestion above is suitable if you mostly brew a small volume for individual consumption but occasionally craves for more.
On the other hand, if you are frequently brewing more than 0.5 litres of coffee, it would be more enjoyable to get a larger French Press so that u can brew it in one go
I brew too much French Press coffee and couldn’t finish it in one go. What can I do?
If you can’t finish the coffee in a go, pour the remaining coffee into a mug, cover and put it into the fridge.
Now you can enjoy a cooling cup of French Press coffee anytime later in the day. And we strongly recommend finishing the coffee within the day.
[IMPORTANT!] Don’t forget to pour it into a separate pitcher (not to over-steep!) before placing the coffee in your fridge.
Can I pre-brew French Press Coffee before my guests arrive?
Absolutely! You can pre-brew your French Press coffee before your guests arrive for your party. That’s the best arrangement and a time-saving strategy.
Just a little note: The acidic taste is more prominent when coffee cools to room temperature. As such, we suggest serving it cold to minimise that.
Simply pour your freshly brewed French Press coffee into a separate pitcher (don’t over-steep!) before placing the coffee in your fridge. Serve only when your guests arrive.
Life’s a breeze with French Press!
Brew better with fresh coffee.
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