Brew Your Coffee Using a French Press

Hey everyone today's post is going to be a "how to" or "DIY" for making coffee using a French Press. This is my personal favorite way of making a hot cup of coffee in the morning/early afternoon. I included a link below that could be used as a reference or to supplement this post. Lets get to it...
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-perfectly-robust-french-press-coffee-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-113601

Using a French Press has some advantages over using a traditional "drip" coffee machine. It is easier to make a smaller batch if you only want one cup, you do NOT need coffee filters (less waste and money saved), you can easily add flavoring or additions to your coffee grind (I like a pinch of cinnamon or powdered cacao), you avoid brewing hot water and plastic like you would with a "drip," and the flavor is fantastic.

When grinding your coffee beans for a French Press, you are going to want to use a "Coarse" grind. This is slightly different than a "drip" in which you would use a "Medium" grind, and different than espresso in which you would do a "Fine" grind. I personally use a hand crank grinder set to a "coarse" grind that I use specifically for my French Press. If you like to grind your beans at the coffee shop, then tell the barista that you want a "Coarse" grind or a grind for a French Press. They should easily be able to help you out. If you use too fine of a grind, you notice that your cup of coffee is "muddy" due to the grind getting past the French Press mesh filter.

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

Tip: You do NOT want to use boiling water on your grinds. That temperature is too hot and will leave you with a "bitter" cup of coffee. Too many of tannins will be released from the coffee beans. You are better off using a temperature no higher than 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a thermometer, then bring your water to a boil and let it sit for at least one minute to cool before adding to your ground coffee beans. Next, just add the water and let the French Press steep for 4 minutes. You can give it a quick stir if you like or add a pinch of cinnamon/cacao. After 4 minutes of steeping, you press down on the lid to filter all of the coffee grounds to the bottom of the French Press. The brewing process is now complete.

Your coffee is now ready to be served. I suggest adding your coffee to a carafe after it has finished brewing. If you leave it in the French Press, it will continue brewing, leaving a very strong flavor. If you remove your coffee to a carafe, your coffee will remain hot and will not brew anymore since you are separating the liquid from the grinds. Discard the grinds from the bottom of your French Press...No paper filters needed.

Tip: Be sure to add some hot water to the carafe before adding the coffee, to prep the carafe. This will allow your coffee to remain hotter for a longer period of time. Many carafes now can keep your beverages hot for a few hours. You can also do the same for your French Press...give it some hot water before you brew in order to "prep" your French Press. Now go and enjoy your freshly brewed hot coffee from your very own French Press...

Well that is all for now. I hope you enjoyed and thanks for stopping by. Do you have any additional tips for brewing using a French Press?...Please share and comment. See you again soon.