Easy to brew and super consistent, the French press is very reliable. Its classic, well-engineered design hasn’t changed much since its invention in 1929 and is perfect for brewing several cups of heavy-bodied coffee in 4-6 minutes.
Heat your empty French press by rinsing it with very hot filtered water. This helps maintain temperature while preparing for better extraction.
Measure 56 g (about 8 tablespoons) of coffee and grind it like breadcrumbs.
Now that your French press has heated up, discard the hot filtered water and add coffee to the empty press. Start your count-up timer as soon as you add hot filtered water. Fill it halfway to the top saturating all the grounds, making sure no dry spots remain.
At 1:00, use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the top layer we call the crust. We prefer to use wood and not metal so you don’t accidentally break the glass. Give it a good stir.
Now, fill it to the top with filtered water. Place the lid and allow the coffee to brew without pressing it.
At minute 4:00, you are ready to press. Push the press firmly to the bottom.
Serve it up. Pour the coffee into a cup immediately to avoid excessive extraction. If the coffee sits too long on the grounds, it continues to extract and will become bitter. To clean the French press, we find it easier to add some filtered water to the grounds, give it a good swirl and empty it into the trash or compost garbage can.
