French Press

French Press coffee is an introduction for many into what great coffee can be.

The French Press is an extremely simple tool that uses a brewing technique called ‘immersion’. The coffee and hot water are constantly in contact with one another during the length of the brew. This generally creates evenly extracted, full bodied coffee. Due to the lack of paper filtering, coffee from a French Press is generally silty or gritty. For some, this is desirable. For others, the silty texture muddies up the flavors. Is French Press coffee just okay or is it amazing? Well that’s up to you! If you’re looking for a tool as simple to use as a French Press, but without the silt, check out the Clever Dripper or the Hario Switch.

This is how I brew French Press to remove some silt while maintaining the heavy body the French Press is famous for:

Brew temp: 205F

Brew time: 4 minutes

Grind setting: Course medium

Grind coffee and heat up water

Pour in coffee ground and water and gently stir

Put your lid on and allow slurry to brew for 4 minutes

Break the crust of coffee grounds formed on the top. Allow the particles to fall to the bottom. Scrape off any foam/scum remaining on top.

Wait 4 minutes to allow the coffee to cool, then push the plunger just below the surface of the coffee, then pour and enjoy!