How to Use a French Press Coffee Maker

In this article, we will explain how to make a delicious coffee using a french press. Making coffee isn’t an easy job. You will need to be extremely careful of certain things like temperature, amount of ground coffee, and more. If you want to make a perfect coffee using a french press, you will need to be very specific about all the variables used in the process.

How Does a French Press Work

In this method, coffee grounds and water are steeped for a certain amount of time in a beaker. Once the process is complete and coffee is made steeping, a metal mesh filter separates the liquid coffee from the coffee grounds. It’s done by pressing the bottom of the beaker with a metal mesh filter. Usually, the mesh allows the natural oil and fine particle to pass through so that a thick body of the coffee is made.

This process is called immersion brewing because water and ground coffee are mixed together and steeped for an extended time. It’s an easy way of brewing a coffee. Still, you need to be extra careful because too much extraction can ruin your coffee taste.

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What is a French Press

A French press is extremely simple made, as no complex methods and technology are involved. It’s entirely manually controlled. It has a few parts, which are described below.

1. The Lid: The lid is fixed on the top of the beaker to make sure no spills occur. It tightly packs the beaker.
2. The filter: French press uses a metal filter instead of using a paper filter. This filter allows natural oil and fine particle to pass through, which makes this method so special. A paper filter prevents those natural oil and fine particles, which is why coffee from a french press is more rich and delicious.
3. The Plunger: The filter of the french press is directly connected to a rod known as a plunger. This rod is also passed through the top(the lid) of the french press. Plunger allows you to firmly press the filter onto the bottom of the beaker and lets you brew a fresh cup of coffee.
4. The Beaker: Another important part of the French press is the beaker. All the process of brewing occurs inside the beaker.

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How to Use a French Press?

Heat Water

The first thing you will need to do is preheat the water. Also, it’s one of the most time-consuming parts of the process. As we all know that coffee is mostly water, so make sure that you use clean and filtered water for this process to get an optimal taste. The optimal temperature of water for brewing a delicious cup of coffee is around 195 to 205. If you don’t have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water, go ahead and let the water boil. Also, you can use the preheated water to wash the beaker before using it.

Measure Coffee Beans and Grind it

The second step you need to take is measuring the number of coffee beans you are going to use in the brewing. Now it depends on you if you want mild, medium, or strong coffee. The amount of coffee decides the strength of your coffee. So, do the math and grind the coffee beans. If you make a mild coffee, make sure you put 6g coffee per 100ml water that will give a great tasting coffee. To make a medium coffee, add 8g coffee grounds per 100ml water and for a strong one, add 10g. These measurements are not optimal. You can experiment with it and find your own perfect taste.

Pre-Heat the French Press

This step may seem unnecessary but it’s important. It adds to the taste of the coffee. It will wash out the dust and residue of the old coffee, if any. You will need to pour some hot water into the beaker, put the top of the beaker, and push the plunger all the way down. After that, swirl the water for some time. This will preheat the french press.

Pour Water and Coffee Grounds

It’s time to mix the water and coffee grounds. Add coffee ground into the beaker and put the beaker on the scale, and tare it out to zero scales. Then pour the water as per the reading listed. In case you don’t have a scale, use a cup or something to measure the amount of water

Brewing

In this process, you will need to keep stirring until they are mixed completely, and all the coffee grounds are wet. After that, put the top of the beaker with the plunger pulled up and let the coffee steeping. This will take some time. Make sure over-extraction doesn’t occur.

Remove the Crust

After the timer goes off, there will be a crust formed on the top of the coffee in the form of a layer. Gently break that crust and stir to let the coffee move to the bottom. Now it’s time to remove the light-bodied coffee grounds. Use a spoon to remove the crust of the final coffee. This is a very important process and impacts the taste of the coffee greatly. So, you need to make sure that all the crust is dealt with.

Press & Pour

After all the process, now it’s time to put the top back on the beaker. Press down the plunger slowly to the bottom of the beaker. After that, pour down the coffee into the mug and enjoy drinking.

Bottom Line

There are certain things that you will learn by yourself. For example, the process we explained doesn’t mean giving you the best taste possible. To get the best flavour, you will need to experiment around and make your own favourite. Furthermore, if you have any questions or confusion, you can ask in the comment section below.