Slow Pour brew guide
How to make French press coffee
Use 30 g of coarsely ground coffee and 500 g of water at 95°C (1:16.7). Pour it all in, steep for four minutes, stir the crust, press slowly and pour it all out at once.
What you need
- A French press
- A kettle, a scale and a timer
- A burr grinder set coarse
- A spoon
The recipe
The coffee steeps in the water and a metal mesh holds the grounds back. The mesh lets the oils through, which gives the French press its rich, heavy body. These numbers make two mugs.
- Coffee: 30 g
- Water: 500 g
- Ratio: 1:16.7
- Grind: coarse (about 1000 to 1200 microns, like sea salt)
- Water temperature: 95°C (203°F)
- Total time: about 4:30
- Makes: about 440 ml
Step by step
Zero the scale with the coffee in, then follow along. The times are from your first pour.
- Heat the water to 95°C
- Grind 30 g, coarse
- Put the coffee in the press and zero the scale
- 0:00 Pour to 500 grams. Pour quickly so all the coffee starts together.
- 0:20 Steep. Put the lid on, plunger up. A crust forms on top. Leave it be.
- 4:00 Stir the crust. Break the crust and give it a gentle stir: most of the grounds sink.
- 4:15 Press slowly. Gently, all the way down. If it fights you, grind coarser next time.
- 4:35 Pour it all out now. Left on the grounds it keeps brewing and turns bitter.
Why it goes bitter
The coffee keeps brewing as long as it sits on the grounds, even after you press. Pour it all out as soon as it’s pressed, into cups or a flask. Too fine a grind also makes it bitter and muddy, and hard to press. For a cleaner cup, skim the foam off after you stir the crust and wait a few more minutes before pressing, so the fine bits settle.
If it doesn’t taste right
Sour or thin means the water didn’t take enough from the coffee: grind a step finer next time. Bitter or harsh means it took too much: grind a step coarser. Weak means you need a little more coffee for the same water; too strong, a little more water. Change one thing at a time so you learn what each one does.
Questions
How long should French press steep?
About four minutes, then stir the crust and press. Longer gets stronger and more bitter.
Why is my French press coffee muddy?
Fine particles get through the mesh. Grind coarser, press gently, and leave the last bit in the press.
What grind for French press?
Coarse, about like sea salt. Fine coffee clogs the mesh and over-extracts.