French Press Brewing Method

 

 

 

 

• Posted by Tom
• Wed, 07/21/2010 - 20:41

In my opinion the best coffee comes from a method using a full immersion technique.   There are a few options out there, but today I'm going to talk about the French Press also known as a Press Pot.

So what is full immersion?  It's basically a method in which your freshly ground coffee is in direct contact with the heated water for a given time to perfectly extract the brew.

The French Press provides a method of blending your coffee and water with a "press" mesh filter to plunge the grounds to the bottom and stop the extraction.   It's a pretty simple process that produces an amazing cup of coffee.   After my first burr grinder, my French Press was the second serious piece of coffee equipment I purchased and I've never looked back. 

Brewing with a French Press is pretty easy.  Using these steps and tips will result in a rich and robust cup of coffee like you have never had before.

1.     Use freshly roasted whole bean coffee
2.     Grind the beans to a medium to course grind
3.     Use 2 tablespoons per 6oz. cup of coffee you are making
4.     Use water just off the boil about 195°-205°
5.     After adding your water to the coffee give it a quick stir with ac hopstick to ensure there are no dry air pockets of coffee and to start the coffee blooming process more efficiency
6.     Normal brew time could be anywhere from 3-5 minutes depending on the coffee and your taste preferences.  Test out a few methods and note your taste results and make needed changes on yournext brew.

All in all the French Press is winner for making great coffee with pretty basic equipment.  It's great at home or even while camping since you just need to add coffee and boiled water. You may notice some coffee "sludge" at the bottom of your cup when finishing.   I enjoy this last sip!   If you don't, just know to skip it. You can also try grinding coarser the next time but a small bit of this is to be expected with this brewing method.