kaffee_french_press

French Press Coffee Tutorial

October 7, 2015 by Michael Allen Smith

If you are looking for purchase recommendations, check out our French Press Guide.

Of all the different coffee brewing methods, the one I’ve used the most has been the French Press. Also known as a press pot or Melior, the French Press is a simple way to make a rich delicious cup of coffee.

The French Press is a low tech portable coffee brewing method. Let hot water steep over coarsely ground coffee for 3-4 minutes before pressing down the filter and serving. It doesn’t get more simple than that. This tutorial will go into grind, water temperature, steep time and fixing common issues when the brew is less than perfect.

#1 Dosing The Coffee

By weight or by volume? Weighing will give you more repeatable results than using volume, as there can be more variance measuring when using tablespoons than a gram scale. However, the French Press is pretty forgiving so either method is fine. We will cover both methods.

Measure By Weight

There is no consensus on the ideal brewing ratio for the French Press. Before putting this tutorial together, I visited the recommendations of many roasters and discovered ratios between 10:1 and 18:1. When I threw out the outliers and averaged the rest, the ratio came out to 15.5:1. That means 15.5 grams of water for every 1 gram of coffee.

The fact the ranges were so different speaks to the fact that French Press coffee can taste great using different measurements and precision is less important than other brewing methods.

Measure By Volume

Going by volume, a good starting point is to use 1 tablespoon of coffee for every 4 fluid ounces of water. Some of the stronger recipes say 1 tablespoon of coffee for every 3 ounces. You may increase the amount of coffee to your desired taste. Below is a general range to get you started.

• Bodum 3 cup (12 oz) = 3-4 tablespoons
• Bodum 4 cup (17 oz) = 4-5 tablespoons
• Bodum 8 cup (34 oz) = 9-10 tablespoons
• Bodum 12 cup (51 oz) = 13-15 tablespoons

#2 Grind Coffee and Heat Water

Before you start grinding the coffee, heat up some water.

The French Press uses a coarse grind. See the photo below.

#3 Add Coffee and Water to French Press

Add the ground coffee into the French Press. Once the water reaches boil, wait about 30 seconds before pouring onto the coffee. This will lower the temperature from boiling to around 200° F, which is ideal for brewing.

Start a timer and pour water onto the coffee grounds.

When you pour the water into the French Press there may be a bloom at the top where the coffee is either clumped or not making contact with the water. You can minimize that by pouring slowly in a controlled manner.

#4 Stir (or not)

Even if you pour slowly, there might be coffee grounds clumped at the top that aren’t in contact with water. A gentle stir will solve that problem.

I used to stir the entire French Press. That is not necessary. Just stir the top inch. Use a chopstick or spoon. Some advise using a wooden spoon as there have been cases where a metal spoon has cracked the glass of the French Press. But if you are gentle, that shouldn’t be a concern. The goal here is to get all the coffee making contact with water.

After this, place the plunger on top of the coffee pot in the up position. This will minimize heat loss. Don’t press down yet.

#5 After 3-4 Minutes Press Down Slowly

The recommended brew time for the French Press ranges from 2.5 – 6 minutes, with the most commonly cited time being 4 minutes.

I have brewed thousands of French Press pots and prefer 3.5 minutes. Full extraction and rich without being too heavy. Fellow INeedCoffee contributor Chris Arnold likes 2.5 minutes. At the other end of the spectrum, Seattle Coffee Works advises a 6 minute steep for Indonesian coffees (4 minutes for other beans). This will come down to personal preference.

Beyond all the debates about optimal brewing times, is the reality that in the kitchen we can easily become distracted waiting for our coffee to finish brewing. The longer the brew time, the more opportunities for distraction. Aiming for a 3 to 3.5 minute brew time has worked much better for me than the 4 to 6 minute range.

When it does come time to press the plunger down, be gentle. Slow and even. It should have some resistance, but not too much. If there is no resistance, you might need to grind a little finer. If it is too hard to press down, use a coarser grind.

#6 Serve Coffee

Pour and enjoy. French Press coffee will have some sediment. To minimize getting that grit, I usually leave 1/2-1 inch of coffee in the press pot. I also don’t drink the last mouthful of each mug. The sediment doesn’t really bother me, but I’d like to end each mug of coffee where the first sip tastes as good as the last sip, so I avoid the last few drops.

Troubleshooting Bad Coffee

Beginners can make some mistakes early on that may result in less-than-optimal coffee. Below is a list of some common press pot problems and my solution.

Coffee Tastes Weak

Most likely the grind is too coarse. Grind the coffee a little finer. Also, make sure you are allowing the coffee to steep for 3-4 minutes.

Coffee Tastes Bitter

The coffee may have been ground too fine. Next time use a coarser grind. If the coffee is dark roasted, make sure the coffee is fresh and lower the brewing temperature to 195 F.

Coffee Taste Too Strong

Use a 3 minute steep. Don’t let the brewed coffee sit inside the glass beaker brewing. Move it from the press pot to a thermal container or just brew what you need. Also note that if you’ve been accustomed to drinking drip coffee, press pot coffee will taste richer (stronger) at first.

Gritty/Thick Sediment

This could be a problem with the filter. If the filter doesn’t fit snug against the glass, coffee sediment will go into the upper chamber. Filters can become damaged. You can purchase replacement filters.

Sediment Woes

If everything tastes right, but the sediment is bothering you then consider purchasing the Espro Press, which has a tighter filter than traditional French Press coffee brewers. Another option is to cut up a paper filter as shown in this hack.

Water Takes Too Long to Boil

I feel your pain. Only boil the amount needed for your press pot. In other words, don’t completely fill your kettle. If heating the water still takes too long, consider getting an electric kettle. An electric kettle is one of the best investments you can make.

Inconsistent Grind

My guess is you have one of those $20 blade grinders. Some of the coffee is coarsely ground and some is ground fine. Getting an excellent grind from a blade grinder takes practice. Buying a burr grinder is ultimately a better solution.

The stainless steel french press is easy to disassemble and clean. Although it’s not necessary to disassemble before cleaning, every so often you would want to give your press pot a complete cleaning. For more instructions read Keeping Your French Press Clean. For day to day cleaning, I just give my brewer a quick rinse. Every so often, I will disassemble the parts and do a more thorough cleaning.

Final Thoughts

Once you’ve dialed in the grind and the dosage, the French Press is a very easy way to make great coffee. if you don’t have a French Press already, check out Buying a French Press – Picking the Right One. You can also use the French Press to make Cold Brew Coffee.

Espro Press French Press – High-end French Press with an excellent filter – (Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada)

Buying a French Press – Picking the Right One – INeedCoffee guide to figuring out which French Press is best for you.

eBay French Press Page – eBay has many affordable French Press coffee brewers.

Michael Allen Smith

Latest posts by Michael Allen Smith (see all)

• Stagg Pour-Over Coffee Dripper Review and Tutorial - November 30, 2017
• The Upside Down AeroPress Coffee Brewing Tutorial - November 27, 2017
• French Press Tabletop Coffee and Tea Maker with Bru Stop Technology Review - November 25, 2017

About Michael Allen Smith

Michael Allen Smith is both a coffee fanatic and a web developer. In April 1999, he combined these two interests and started the coffee website INeedCoffee.com.

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How To Make French Press Coffee

There are a million ways to geek out over coffee. But in the end, what we're after is a hot, delicious cup of coffee to see us through the morning. A simple pleasure.

French press is one of the easiest, least expensive ways to make great coffee. Learn the essentials: here's how to make a pot of great French press coffee.

The Pros and Cons of French Press Coffee

French press makes coffee by steeping the grounds in hot water, and then pressing the grounds out.

After the drip coffee maker, it's one of the easiest, least time-consuming ways to make a great cup of coffee. Also, unlike pour over and the Aeropress, it makes it easy to brew coffee for several people at once. But it is prone to bitterness and oiliness, since the coffee is sitting directly on the grounds for a period of time, and this can turn people off.

The Basics of Great French Press Coffee

It took me a while to warm up to French press. I have been brewing it since shortly after college, when a roommate and her boyfriend gifted me my first French press and a little blade grinder. But, while I brewed it almost every day, I found it bitter and murky for my taste. Eventually I switched to the speedy Aeropress, which gives a clean, robust cup of coffee quickly.

But then I married a man who has this eerily amazing habit of bringing me coffee in bed. His brewing method of choice is the French press, and he won me over. It's not just having coffee in bed that has turned me into a devotee of French press (although of course that helps). Turns out that my method had been missing one key element all those years: The right grinder.

Did you know that coffee and sleep go together? Watch the video!

Troubleshooting French Press Coffee

There are two things that really muck up French press coffee: water temperature — boiling water that scorches the grounds, or tepid water that doesn't extract fully — and badly ground coffee with too much fine grit that makes the pressed coffee muddy and bitter.

These are the two factors that, to me, are most commonly ignored and yet easiest to remedy. All you need is a sense of how hot your water is and a burr grinder.

→ Takeaway: Getting the temperature right is easy (just take the water off the boil and let it sit for a minute before brewing).

Why a Burr Grinder Is Important for Good French Press

And then there's the grinder. There aren't many processes in the kitchen that truly depend on one gadget or tool, but good French press coffee is one of them.

Here's why. A regular blade grinder like this one is perfectly good for grinding coffee beans for a drip machine and other methods, but a French press relies on having very evenly-sized grains of coffee, and they need to be relatively big. Smaller-sized grains will get through the filter, creating a sediment in your cup, and also get over-extracted, making your coffee bitter. It's essential that all the coffee beans are ground to the same consistency and the burr grinder (what's a burr grinder?) is far superior at making this happen.

→ Takeaway: If your French press turns out too bitter for you, or with a lot of gunky sediment at the bottom, then consider changing your grinder to a burr grinder. Or have your local coffee shop grind the coffee beans for you; their commercial grinders will do a great job as well.

If you don't have space for a burr grinder, then another brewing method might be better for you, like the Chemex or another pour over, or the Aeropress. More on these methods soon!

More on Burr Grinders

Getting Geeky Over French Press

However, you can get a lot more technical and geeky than that over French press. Just take a look at the varying levels of instruction and minuscule attention paid to grams and brewing time at Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, and Serious Eats. Whew.

Personally, I don't feel that one needs to quibble over 40 grams versus 36 grams of grounds to water, or whether you should weigh your beans and water rather than measuring them by volume.

I have a hunch that some of you will argue with me about that, but if you are Into Coffee, then there are a million things to twiddle all the time. That's part of the pleasure of coffee; like other things in cooking, you can improve and tweak to your heart's content, and find a lot of satisfaction in it.

But if you're just getting into French press, I think that this is the easiest method that includes the essentials but doesn't get too geeky. If you are more comfortable weighing your coffee and water than measuring by volume, go to it! If you are persnickety about how long to brew which roasts, have at it! I'm right behind you.

But for now, let's just talk basics. Because in the end, it's just a cup of coffee, and I do hope that more of you will find your morning sustenance in a cup of French press, as it is really so delicious when done (mostly) right.

Ratio of Water & Coffee for French Press

The instructions below make 32 ounces, a common size of French press that makes about four servings. But what if you want to make more or less? Here's a general guide to proportions by volume. Note that coffee beans are measured before grinding.

• 1 serving — 1 cup water (8 fluid ounces) — 2 tablespoons coffee beans
• 2 servings — 2 cups water (16 fluid ounces) — 1/4 cup coffee beans
• 4 servings — 4 cups water (32 fluid ounces) — 1/2 cup coffee beans
• 8 servings — 8 cups water (64 fluid ounces) — 1 cup coffee beans

How To Make Coffee with a French Press

Makes 32 ounces ; serves 3 to 4

What You Need

Ingredients

freshly-roasted coffee beans

French press, should hold at least 32 ounces

Electric kettle OR a stovetop kettle

Instructions

Measure the coffee beans: Measure out 1/2 cup coffee beans. (Or, if you're making less than 32 ounces, refer to our coffee proportions chart above.)

Grind the coffee beans: Grind the beans on the coarsest setting in a burr grinder. If you don't have a burr grinder, grind in brief, sharp pulses in a blade grinder, stopping every couple seconds to invert the grinder and give it a sharp shake while holding the lid on. Your coffee grounds should be rough and coarse, but still evenly-sized, without a lot of fine grit. Stumptown describes the ideal size and shape as "breadcrumbs." Pour the grounds into the French press.

Heat the water to boiling, then cool for 1 minute. Measure 4 cups water. (Or, if you're making less than 32 ounces, refer to our coffee proportions chart above.) Water for French press coffee should be heated to 195°F. This is below boiling, which is 212°F at sea level. Heat the water in a stovetop or electric kettle to boiling, then take off the heat for about 1 full minute before making the coffee. If you want to make extra-sure it's the right temperature, use a thermometer to check. (Or, if you have a fancy newer kettle with custom temperature settings, choose "coffee.")

Add the water: Add the full 4 cups of hot water to the French press.

Stir the brew: Stir vigorously, using an up and down motion.

Steep for 4 minutes: Four minutes will produce a robust brew. If you want to tweak your French press as you learn its nuances, you may find that different roasts of coffee do better with slightly longer or shorter steeping times.

Plunge the press: When the timer goes off, immediately press the plunger all the way to the bottom. Drink the coffee immediately.

Recipe Notes

• Warm the French Press First: One step we didn't include here, for the sake of simplicity, is warming the French press. If you have time (and presence of mind) in the morning, heat the water to boiling and rinse out the French press with hot water to warm it.
• Use a Carafe: If you are not going to drink the coffee immediately, don't leave it in the French press, where it will continue to sit on the grounds and get bitter. Pour into a thermal carafe to keep it hot.

• Calories 1
• Fat 0 g (0%)
• Saturated 0 g (0%)
• Protein 0.1 g (0.1%)
• Sodium 20.1 mg (0.8%)

More Tips on Making Great Coffee

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Updated from post originally published April 2010.

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Background

French press coffee is dense and heavy, yet it has its own sort of elegance. As with any method, the devil is in the details: To achieve a full expression of the coffee, decant it immediately after brewing so it doesn’t become bitter or chalky. Then, sink into this rich and heady cup. It only takes four minutes to brew.

Bring enough water to fill the French press to a boil. For a 17-oz press, you'll need about 350 grams (12 ounces).

While the water is heating, grind your coffee. French press coffee calls for a coarse, even grind. We recommend starting with a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio. If you're using 350 grams of water, you’ll want 30 grams of coffee.

To start, gently pour twice the amount of water than you have coffee onto your grounds. For example, if you have 35 grams of coffee, you’ll want to start with 70 grams of water.

Give the grounds a gentle stir with a bamboo paddle or chopstick. Allow the coffee to bloom for 30 seconds.

Add the rest of your water and position the lid gently on top of the grounds. Don’t plunge just yet. Let the coffee steep for four minutes. Four. Don’t guess.

Gently remove your French press from the scale and place it on your counter. Press the filter down. If it’s hard to press, that means your grind is too fine; if the plunger “thunks” immediately down to the floor, it means your grind is too coarse. The sweet spot, pressure-wise, is 15–20 pounds. Not sure what this feels like? Try it out on your bathroom scale.

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Blue Bottle at Home

We source great coffees, roast them to perfection, and get them to you fresh.

Recommended Items

Blue Bottle at Home

We source great coffees, roast them to perfection, and get them to you fresh.

What You'll Need

Have Questions?

Background

French press coffee is dense and heavy, yet it has its own sort of elegance. As with any method, the devil is in the details: To achieve a full expression of the coffee, decant it immediately after brewing so it doesn’t become bitter or chalky. Then, sink into this rich and heady cup. It only takes four minutes to brew.

Bring 1½ cups (350 g) of water to a boil.

Empty the contents of your Blue Bottle Perfectly Ground envelope into the French press.

Pour the hot water gently over the grounds.

Stir the coffee with a bamboo paddle or chopstick to ensure the grounds are evenly saturated.

Place the lid gently on top of the press. Don’t plunge just yet.

Pause and let the coffee steep for four minutes. Four. Don’t guess.

Plunge the filter down through the coffee. The sweet spot is 15–20 pounds of pressure. Not sure what this feels like? Try it out on your bathroom scale. We have.

Recommended Items

Blue Bottle at Home

We source great coffees, roast them to perfection, and get them to you fresh.

Recommended Items

Blue Bottle at Home

We source great coffees, roast them to perfection, and get them to you fresh.

Kaffee french press

Posted: November 10, 2003

The ubiquitous press pot. It's everywhere. It's seemingly easy to use, right? Well, yes, but a little understanding of the device, how it works, and maybe a bit about the history of the product will get you using yours better. If you want some of the richest coffee you can get, a press pot can deliver. What may surprise most is that you can also get a relatively clean brew from it as well, if you have the right tools and prep everything correctly.

The Press Pot History

First, a bit of my own history. I wrote an article on this site some time back that I called Why I like Bodum. You see, press pots were my initiation into the world of quality coffee, at least in North America. I have a lot of loyalty and fond memories of this brewing method and the coffee (and situations) it delivered me.

Factors that make a good pot of Press Pot Coffee

If there's one thing that you need to take away from this how to, it's this. Don't skimp on your grinder.

Enlarge this picture (click it) and look at the bottom of the pot. All the particles are even - no dust. This is a near-perfect press pot grind.

With a press pot, particle size of the grounds is as important as it is for espresso. The difference is, you want uniform large particles, instead of uniform tiny particles. Cheap grinders can't give you either - they will give you a mixed bag of big and small chunks. Dust and boulders. It's what leads to the thing people dislike most about press pot coffee - the sludge.

Enough talk, how about some pictures! Here's the visual how to.

I can't stress enough how important the grinder is.

We've got enough coffee to start - 1 rounded tablespoon per "cup" (about 4oz).

It's important to add your coffee quickly after grinding - if you're smelling aromas, it's going stale.

I add roughly 8.5 grams of coarse ground coffee per 4oz of water used. This is a 12oz press pot.

Your water should be boiled before you grind; by the time you add it, it should be near perfect temperatures to start.

Add the water steadily, saturating all the grounds by changing where the water falls.

We've covered most of the grounds, and already, a small bloom is starting.

Know how much water you need to pour in to fill the press pot, and still let the filter do its job.

Use a chopstick to quickly stir the slurry; this is optional, but aids in complete extraction.

It doesn't take much to mix things up and make the bloom really come out. This is the result of maybe 6 stirs.

Add the filter assembly, and start counting. For a small press pot like this one, a two or three minute steep time would suit. For a larger model, stick with the four minute steep.

After our steep time is done, it's time to plunge down the filter. Grasp the handle firmly, get a solid grip on the plunger stick.

And start pressing down in an even, controlled manner, always keeping the plunger rod absolutely straight. If it goes crooked, grounds will escape into the upper portion.

Ahh. Looks awesome don't it?

When pouring with a press pot, it's always a good idea to hold on to the lid so things don't slide around or accidently pop out.

Two awesome cups of coffee (Kona was used), ready to go. 3 cup press pots are great for afternoon kaffee klatsches.

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French Press Cold Brew Coffee

Introduction: French Press Cold Brew Coffee

I love coffee - but my addition gets pricey when I've got to shell out $4 for a small carton of cold brew coffee from my favorite local coffee shop. I also love iced coffee, but cringe when a barista pours hot coffee over ice: it's bitter & now it's just diluted.

Solution: make my own cold brew coffee using a french press!

The key to cold brew coffee is that it uses time - versus heat - to make a perfect cup of joe.

Grab your french press and let's get started :)

Step 1: Materials

- Filtered water (you can use just tap water, but coffee is 99% water, so ya might as well use the best tasting water you can get your hands on)

- coffee: coarsely ground!!

- coffee creamer (optional)

- recycled glass bottle to put all of your delicious coffee concentrate into once you're done

Step 2: Let's Get Brewing!

- Add 2 cups of coarsely ground coffee to your french press

- Add 4 cups of (filtered) water on top

- Place plastic wrap over the top, seal off with a rubber band

Step 3: Wait. Patiently. Then Press It!

The recommended time for cold brew is between 12 - 18 hours. I brewed mine for 18 hours, and it turned out perfectly!

Once you've waited oh-so-patiently for the perfect cup of coffee, press it!

Step 4: Prep Your Perfect Cup of Cold Brew Coffee!

With this recipe, I recommend diluting it 1:1 (coffee concentrate to water ratio).

For those who get the jitters from strong coffee, I'd kick the water portion up a notch, as this is quite strong.

Grab some water, ice, a cup, and creamer and/or sugar, and kick start your morning with this coffee! Store your coffee concentrate in the glass bottle you're re-using, and now you'll have coffee concentrate for your work week.

You can even use your coffee grounds in your garden as compost if you want!

Thanks for reading my Instructable, and if you try this, let me know!

I love my French Press. I started using it when I lived in the Netherlands and now use it, along with my other cold brew appliance, for my coffee. It makes delicious coffee and I buy my coffee, ground coarse, at the local grocery store.

I will be trying this tonight!

Do you need to refrigerate it overnight?

Just made this last night/am drinking it this morning. PERFECT ratio of coffee to water. Most cold-pressed coffee recipes have the ratio for unground beans to water, and I only have ground coffee. thanks! Excellent :)

Awesome! Thank you. I love coldbrew coffee and want something I can keep in my tiny fridge by my desk and not share with anyone! lol. Really though, this is great. =)

You can scale this up to a gallon easily using a plastic or glass jug; let the coffee mixture sit in the fridge for 24 hours then strain. Med and Dark roasts work best - really brings out the chocolate flavors. Doesn't need sweetener or ice or anything.

Just curious if you measure the coffee ground or whole? My 8 cup press was 3/4 full after adding 2 cups of ground beans.

While visiting Vietnam a few years ago I had just about everyday the most delicious coffee, including cold coffee. We now make it at home. French press coffee (coarse ground) and allowed to cool to room temperature. Add sweetened condensed milk and a few ice cubes to a cup. Slowly pour the coffee down the side of the cup so as not to disturb the milk. Try using a french roasted bean and Rooster brand milk. Doesn't get much better on a hot day.

If you dont have course ground coffee you can use regular - you can simply pour it from the pot into a jar (I use a wine bottle) through a coffee filter.

Using milk instead of water, helps with the strongness and makes taste even better!

Milk also keeps coffee from staining dentures! BONUS!

I love coffee milk, but I LOVE my iced coffee. Would this be diluted with water or more milk? Maybe the answer is obvious, but I can't figure it out. But then, I haven't had my coffee yet either.

absolutely! milk is a great substitute, almond milk or soy milk are great additions too :) Thanks for your comment!

I made this and it's so good! It's so smooth and delicious! Thanks for the instructable!

VERY ECOLOGICAL and ANTI Global Warming +++ TASTY. Congratulations.

For Coffee on the go a nice addition to our Bus

What size French press are you using. I want to be sure measurements will work in mine. Also do you dilute w water THEN add cream? Or would i dilute w cream?

When I brew coffee, I weigh it. How much coffee in weight (oz or grams) did you use? I find that depending on the coffee beans you use, it can vary significantly!

Thanks! This also solves the problem of coffee grounds going stale on the counter or in the freezer. Once brewed, the concentrate keeps just fine! !!

Wow, looks like I am going to try this over the summer! Thanks for sharing!

This is my first time making a cold brew coffee and it was so easy! My husband has been drinking iced coffee lately at work. He doesn't use any cream or sugar, so hot coffee doesn't go "bad" if it sits out for a while, but it definitely doesn't taste as good when it is cold and If he doesn't get around to drinking it in the morning, he'll drink it throughout the day. This solved his problem of having watery iced coffee (yuck) when the ice melts.

Thanks for sharing!

Oh good! I'm glad you like it! It's nice too that it comes out sweeter and less bitter since it doesn't use heat. Another method (if you dont like watery iced coffee) is throw some of your extra coffee into your ice cube trays and use those for your iced coffee. Then you'll have the perfect ratio of coffee to water throughout all your sipping.

I'll have to try that! Thanks for the tip!

I like to pour a bit of kahlua and a shot of cream over coffee ice cubes. Would be tasty to have concentrate to add, instead. Lovely ible

Been experimenting with this all week, and your ratio nailed it. Drinking a batch of 1.5/4 coffee grinds to water and it still dilutes too much when I had the hot water. Delicious on its own, though. so smooth.

Ah, glad you've found the perfect ratio for your morning cup o' joe! :)

I use hot water with mine and then put it in the fridge, it's ready in a few hours or so and you don't get the diluted problem beacsue its already cold and the hot helps it brew quicker. That way I can start it in the morning and have a nice cold one on a hot afternoon.

Nice, that is a great method too. I've heard that coffee is less bitter when you brew it with cold water, so you'll have to do a side-by-side taste test and let us know!

I use hot water with mine and then put it in the fridge, it's ready in a few hours or so and you don't get the diluted problem beacsue its already cold and the hot helps it brew quicker. That way I can start it in the morning and have a nice cold one on a hot afternoon.

I am French and it is not a french coffee. It is a Italian Coffee.

The french is made with a 'Cafetière'. Type this word in Google. Have a good day :)

Sorry guy, i'm french too, and That is FRENCH. ( invented by Marcel Paquet in 1924). name is "French press" in US.

In Uk, it is called "cafetiere" cause french name of coffee machine.

If you looked in google as you said, you will find this .

Ok, ok, I will not know the name in USA

Thx 4 ur answers :)

I'm confused. I googled Cafetiere and it showed photos and described a carafe with a plunger - what we call French Press - where you put the coffee grounds in and pour boiling water into the carafe, wait a few minutes, and press the plunger to get the grounds out of your beverage. I've also used an Italian coffee pot. It is narrow in the middle, the water goes in the bottom and the coffee in the middle, and when you cook it on the stove the water goes up through the grounds and ends up in the top part of the pot. So why is the pot used in this cold brew instructable NOT a French press?

It's a french 'cafetiere'

yes in the us we call it a french press

I'm going to try this method for my first time cold brewing coffee. Just wondering if this should sit at room temp or in fridge for the brew time?

Oh, I hope you like it! Remember coarse grounds :) I have this sit at room temp. Another tip is throw some of your leftover cold brew coffee into ice trays, so then you have ice cube coffee for your iced coffee! Enjoy

This works great!! I ended up leaving it for about 24 hours and it came out perfect. I dilute it with milk about 3:1 and I don't even need sugar. My sister introduced me to the French press about 5 years ago and I've been hooked since, but this is definitely my new method. Thanks!

Wonderful :) Isn't it great that you don't need sugar? It comes out sweeter and not bitter. Glad you're enjoying it!!

Sounds like a great recipe! I quite love iced coffee myself. Thank you for mentioning that this makes highly concentrated coffee - I tried another recipe and it didn't mention how concentrated it would be, so I, being the silly illogical thing I am, just drank it. I felt absolutely wretched the rest of the day. :P I am glad that you included this warning - perhaps others can escape my jittery fate!!

Thanks for your nice comment - oh yes, coffee concentrate gives me the jitters so badly, dilution is key! Hope you enjoy your new coffee creation!

At my shop we put a teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter vanilla bean into a gallon of our concentrate(1coffee:5water). The cinnamon and vanilla flavored are really "quiet" but it's wonderful!

Wow, that recipe sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing! I love a hint of vanilla in my coffee, no sugar needed! Thanks for sharing :)

Thanks for the details, I will be giving this a try

Thanks @dimdiode (Great username by the way!) - I hope it goes well! Hopefully you won't even need sugar, it's so flavorful this way!

Oh thanks! I'm gonna make an affogato! :)

Ohhh, I love affogatos! Sounds so tasty! That would make a great Instructable! I hope you enjoy this method, it definitely makes the coffee taste more sweet and less bitter :)

Before I read this I was having trouble with coffee grounds ending up in my drinks. Thanks for the instructable!

Heya, thanks so much! Yeah, I tend to use a store grinder (like at Trader Joes or Safeway) and not my personal one, the grounds get too fine. Hope you enjoy your newly perfected cup of joe!

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Making Cold Brew Coffee in a French Press

May 4, 2016 by Michael Allen Smith

Here on INeedCoffee, we have several coffee brewing tutorials for making cold brew coffee. You can buy a Primula, a Toddy or a cold brew filter pouch. Or maybe you don’t need a dedicated coffee brewer at all. That is what we decided to find out. We wanted to repurpose one of our existing brewers to make cold brew coffee. The perfect choice was the French Press.

For this article, we are using the 34-ounce Procizion French Press, which was donated to us by Procizion for this cold brew tutorial. They also sell a 20-ounce model.

The basics of cold brew coffee are explained in the article Cold Brew Coffee is Not Rocket Science. Let water steep over coffee grounds at room temperature for 12+ hours then filter and serve. Let’s get brewing.

#1 Measure Coffee

How much coffee should you use? The answer to this question will vary depending on whom you ask. The short answer is more than you would for regular brewed coffee. If you do not want to deal with math or scales, just double the amount of the coffee you normally use when making hot French Press coffee. If you want to jump into the math, read on, otherwise skip ahead to Step #2.

In our French Press tutorial, we use a 17 to 1 ratio. This means 17 parts water to 1 part coffee. For cold brew, the advice is to use between 3 to 1 and 7 to 1. We found a 7 to 1 ratio was ideal for the French Press due to volume limitations. If you find 7 to 1 is not strong enough, I would extend the brew time by a few hours instead of adding more coffee.

The sizes of French Press brewers is an interesting topic. There is the size listed on the box, how much liquid it holds filled to the very top, and then the estimated coffee yield when you brew the coffee. Seattle Coffee Gear did a comprehensive test of these numbers in the post Coffee Presses: Overall Volume vs. Actual Yield. What you notice when you scan this chart is that the actual yield of brewed coffee is always a few ounces less than the volume listed on the box. The difference is the coffee grounds and the amount of water lost.

The more coffee added to a French Press, the more space the coffee occupies and the more water is trapped in the grounds at the end of a brewing cycle. As it shows in the Seattle Coffee Gear article, when we use a regular hot French Press we can expect to lose a few ounces. For cold brew, we will lose more, so it is advised to use a large French Press for making cold brew coffee. Smaller French Presses might not be worth the hassle because they yield so little. And unlike hot French Press, we aren’t ready to brew again in 4 minutes. We are waiting another 12 hours.

We used the 34-ounce French Press from Procizion for these tests. For easy math, I’m going to round this to 1000 grams. I did three brew cycles each at a different strength ratio. My goal was to keep the brew weights close and not fill it to the very top.

1. Regular 17 to 1: 809 grams water + 48 grams ground coffee = 857 grams brew weight. Brew Yield = 733 grams (or 26 ounces)
2. Strong 12 to 1: 800 grams water + 67 grams ground coffee = 867 grams brew weight. Brew Yield = 686 grams (or 24 ounces)
3. Cold 7 to 1: 756 grams water + 107 grams ground coffee = 864 grams brew weight. brew Yield = 588 grams (or 21 ounces)

As you can see as we increase the strength of the brewing ratio, we see a decline in coffee yield. Using the same math, we would expect a 20 ounce French Press to yield 13.5 ounces of cold brew.

#2 Grind Coffee

You can use a medium to coarse ground when brewing cold brew coffee in a French Press. We used a more coarse grind, but either work. If you find the coarse ground cold brew is too weak, tighten up your grind. If the medium grind is too strong, you can either add more water or loosen up the grind.

See our Coffee Grind Chart to view the range between Medium Coarse and Extra Coarse.

#3 Add Ground Coffee and Water to French Press

Just like you would for a regular French Press, add the ground coffee to the bottom of the brewer. Only this time instead of hot water off boil, you will add room temperature or cold water. Filtered water is ideal.

For this brew we went Extra Coarse. Your grind does not need to be this coarse.

Add room temperature water.

#4 Gently and Slowly Stir

You want to make sure all the coffee grounds are making contact with water. Stir the coffee slowly. Try and cover as many grounds with water as you can.

Gently stir the coffee.

#5 Cover and Set Aside for 12+ hours

You can cover the French Press however you like. A small plate or plastic wrap are two ideas. You could use the French Press filter, just make sure you only press down enough to hold it into place. You do not want to press the filter down until the brew is finished, which is still 12+ hours away.

There is a debate on if you should cold brew the coffee on the counter or in the refrigerator. Either is fine. I prefer the counter as I think it brews faster, which means that if I need to cut the brew cycle short by an hour I can. However, if I was going to be away for much longer than 12 hours, I’d brew it in the refrigerator.

Peeking at the cold brew prior to pressing the filter down.

#6 End Brew and Serve

This trick also works great for regular French Press. By SLOWLY pushing the plunger down, you get a cleaner tasting French Press. Strive for a 30-second plunge. At this point, you can transfer the coffee to a mason jar for storage or serve it up.

Not every grinder is awesome, so you might have some fine coffee particles that make it into your cup. If you experience this, you can filter the coffee again. Place a paper coffee filter over a jar and slowly pour the coffee. This will catch any loose grounds.

You can pour into your spare French Press as well.

#7 Clean Up

The clean up for cold brew French Press is the same as for regular brew French Press. Put the grounds in compost or save them for your garden.

Last Words

If you have limited space for your coffee gear, it is good to know that the French Press can do double duty as both a hot and a cold coffee brewer.

Coffee Brewing Guide – A collection of coffee brewing tutorials on INeedCoffee.

French Press Photos – Original photos used in this article.

Brewing photos by Joseph Robertson of Coffee Lovers Magazine, a digital coffee magazine published for iOS and Android.

Michael Allen Smith

Latest posts by Michael Allen Smith (see all)

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• French Press Tabletop Coffee and Tea Maker with Bru Stop Technology Review - November 25, 2017

About Michael Allen Smith

Michael Allen Smith is both a coffee fanatic and a web developer. In April 1999, he combined these two interests and started the coffee website INeedCoffee.com.

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Kaffee french press

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A better everyday one cup at a time

We drink coffee and tea to wake up in the mornings, to stay awake at night or simply because it’s good company. Malin Ljungström, who has been involved in developing the range, has more insights to why we enjoy these steaming drinks so much. “To many, the smell of coffee and tea means well-being and a homey feeling. Since we want to improve people’s everyday, we’re offering products that make it possible for more to experience more feelgood moments at home.”

Cold facts and hot products

Trends travel fast today. In the world of coffee and tea, we pick up interesting habits and quirky behaviors in the blink of an eye. We’re exploring and trying new things. And we want to be able to make as good coffee and tea at home as we’ve tasted in that cozy coffee shop on the corner. “Today it’s cool to be an expert and really skilled at something. I think it gives a sense of satisfaction when we notice that we’re able make things as good as the experts, without expensive and hard-to-find equipment,” says Malin.

Things that make a difference

Malin and her colleagues dug deep into traditional coffee and tea cultures to find out what tools people feel they can’t live without. They talked to specialists, investigated living, eating and drinking habits to get an idea of the most necessary products. “We wanted to develop items that make a difference. A kitchen full of gadgets doesn’t make it easier to make good coffee and tea, so we’ve focused on a few, but carefully selected products,” she states. To secure the right quality and functions, the team cooperated a lot with IKEA Test Lab in Älmhult, Sweden. It’s an IKEA version of a James Bond lab where prototypes are inspected and evaluated. “A couple of the things we checked were that the thermoses can keep fluids really warm for a long time. And that the glass mugs and glass pots are durable and comfortable, even though they look and feel light and airy,” tells Malin.

For all tastes and different wallets

The best way to prepare and drink coffee and tea can cause intense discussions. No matter which ‘team’ you side with, or how you enjoy your cup, you’ll be able to find the things that put an extra flavor to your hot drink in the range. Another good thing is that there’s something for all wallets. “It’s one of our contributions to a better life at home. A way to improve people’s everyday one cup at a time,” says Malin.

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Coffee Press

Brewing with a coffee press retains the precious natural oils that paper filters absorb, and extracts the coffee’s full flavor while giving it a consistency that’s thick and rich.

STEP-BY-STEP

Grind and measure

Use coarse ground coffee that resembles sea salt in your press, and measure 2 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water.

Remember, coffee is like produce. Buy it often in small quantities to enjoy it at the peak of freshness.

Add hot water

Fill the press with hot water that’s just off the boil. Make sure to saturate all the grounds.

To give your coffee the best possible flavor, use filtered or bottled water.

Place plunger and brew

Put the plunger back on the press without pushing it down, and let the coffee brew for 4 minutes.

Press and pour

Gently push down the plunger until it reaches the bottom of the press, and enjoy.

Shop a variety of coffee presses online.

Shop a wide variety of whole bean and ground coffees.

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