Pour some hot water, wait, press the plunger down.
Have your tried coffee made in a French press? If so, you probably remember the unpleasant gritty texture on the tongue, as some of the coffee grounds make it to the cup. But it doesn't have to be that way.
Let's draw inspiration from the way we taste coffee in the roastery, a method called cupping. Here, ground coffee is placed in a cup with hot water poured on top. As the coffee brews and releases gases, grounds rise to the top and form what we call a "crust". After 4 minutes, we break the crust by stirring it with a spoon, then allow the coffee to rest for another 4 minutes. We then scoop up the coffee with a spoon, confident that all the coffee grounds have sunken to the bottom.
Let's apply this to the French press.
You probably don't want to slurp your coffee from a bowl using a spoon, but we can look at at a more practical method using the following:
- French press
- Gram scale
- Spoon
- Decanter (optional)
- 15g to 17g coffee per person (See which coffee to use below)
- 250g water per person
Turn on the kettle, weigh and grind the coffee. When using a light to medium roasted coffee, you can let the kettle reach 100℃. However, darker roasted coffee might over-extract and taste bitter with boiling water. We find that our coffees all taste great at 100℃.
Place the French press on the scale, add the ground coffee then tare the scale. Pour the hot water to the desired weight, set a 4 minutes timer. Keep the plunger aside for now.
After 4 minutes, stir vigorously with the spoon, until all ground coffee have sunken to the bottom. Place the plunger on the brewer but don't press it down. Wait another 4 minutes.
Now here is the difficult part.
Do not press the plunger down.
I know, that's what it is designed for. I know it is very tempting. But now that the coffee grounds have settled to the bottom, we must be very careful not to agitate the brew., and pressing the plunger down would do just that.
Instead, hold the French press with one hand and place your other hand on top of the plunger to stop it from falling. Now, slowly, carefully pour the coffee in the mug or decanter. Don't rush this part, as we still want to minimize agitation.
Decanting the coffee is optional, but very helpful when serving more than one person. Indeed, the repeated back in forth motion that goes with serving cup after cup can agitate the brew.
Which coffee to use
The French press is a very forgiving brewer which suits most types of coffee. However, we find that the two following coffees are particularly well-suited for this method:
- JAMBO - As a light roasted fruity coffee, JAMBO offers a balanced, juicy and rich coffee on the French press. It emboldens the aroma of the coffee while balancing out its acidity, making it a fool-proof way to brew this otherwise delicate coffee.
- DECAF - Decaffeinated coffee produces more fine particles than regular coffee, which makes it tricky to brew with a pour over or drip method. A French press is perfectly suited for the job, though, as it captures these fines along with the rest of the grounds at the bottom of the brewer. The result is a deep, rich, chocolatey coffee.
Don't let this list stop you from experimenting! The French press is a truly versatile and easy brewer, and you should definitely try it with other coffees.