How to Make the Best Coffee .... with a French Press

Many coffee experts and enthusiasts alike believe that the best way to make coffee is using a French Press, or press-pot, coffeemaker. In fact, the new coffee maker we think is absolutely the best automates and perfects the French Press process. 

French Press coffeemakers consist simply of a carafe with a handle, and a plunger with a screen on the end that goes into the carafe. They are relatively inexpensive, starting at only $10 or $12, or 19.99 like this one from Bodom.  The procedure is simple, easy, and takes only a few minutes.

What You'll Need:

• Any Rogers Gourmet Coffee brand
• Coffee grinder
• A tea kettle of other source of boiling water
• French Press
• Tablespoon
• Stirring spoon

Directions:

1. Put fresh, cold water on to boil. You will need about 6 oz. for each cup you want to make. If your drinking water is questionable, use bottled drinking water  --  but not distilled water.
2. Grind the coffee, if necessary. The best coffee is made when the beans are ground just prior to brewing. For a French press, coffee grounds should be coarser then a drip grind – they should look like coarse sand.
3. Remove French Press plunger, and preheat the carafe with hot tap water.
4. Remove boiling water from heat, and allow to cool slightly, 10 seconds or so. Best brewing temperature is 200-205 degrees F.
5. Empty the tap water from the carafe, and add the ground coffee. Use about 1 rounded tablespoon per 6 oz.  cup; adjust to your taste.
6. Add enough of the water to wet all of the grounds. Wait a few seconds for the grounds to pre-brew.
7. Add remaining water, and briskly stir with the coffee grounds for several seconds.
8. Wait 2 minutes.
9. Stir briskly again.
10. Put plunger into carafe to keep the coffee hot, but do not press the plunger down yet.
11. Wait 2 more minutes.
12. Very slowly, press the plunger down as far as it will go. Do not force it, or go too fast, or you will make a mess. You will “feel” the right speed.
13. DO NOT remove the plunger; leave it pushed down. Pour and enjoy!  Try your coffee black before adding sugar or cream.  Coffee connoisseurs know the best coffee tastes delicious black.
14. Consider saving the grounds for your compost.

 

Notes:

There will be more “solids” in French Press coffee. That is normal.

If you have a lot of difficulty getting the plunger down, the coffee was ground too fine.

A little experimentation may be necessary to get the coffee just the way you like it.

If the coffee tastes too strong, either back off on the amount, or reduce the brewing time. Alternatively, try a slightly coarser grind.

If the coffee tastes too weak, try a little more, or increase brewing time slightly. If that doesn’t work, try a finer grind. But watch for plunger difficulties, as mentioned above.

 

Comments

[Dan Snelling]

Another tip to make perfect coffee is to grind it with a mortar and pestle. It will extract more oils out of your grounds. The metal blades on a grinder react with the acid in the grounds and oxidize. This doesnt happen with a mortor and pestle