How to Make French Press Coffee • Recipe for Perfection (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of coffee grounds to water in a French Press? ›

As a general guideline, a French press that makes 2 cups (or 12 oz) of coffee will require about 14 to 16 grams of coffee grounds. This is equivalent to about 3 to 4 tablespoons of coffee. So the ratio of coffee to water is roughly 1:15.

With that in mind, the golden ratio for the perfect cup of french press coffee is a 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio. This means that you'll want to use 30 grams of coffee and 360 grams of water, or about 1 and a half cups.

4 cup French press = 2 cups of water = 1/4 cup (26 grams) whole beans. 2 cup French press = 1 cup of water = 2 tablespoons (13 grams) whole beans. 1 cup French press = 1/2 cup of water = 1 tablespoon (7 grams) whole beans.

Brew for 4 Minutes

French presses should be brewed for 4 minutes. This is the total time from when water hits the coffee. You can use your phone, a kitchen timer or a coffee scale that has a timer to time out 4 minutes.

As a general rule, a steeping time of four to five minutes is recommended for most French press brews. This allows the coffee grounds to fully extract and release their flavors into the water, while also avoiding over-extraction, which can lead to a bitter taste.

The French Press method calls for a coarse grind. The grind size should be between . 75 mm and 1 mm. If the grind is too coarse it will make the coffee taste weak.

You want to be right in the middle. And for the tastiest, most flavorful extraction, we use a golden coffee to water ratio of 1:16 parts coffee to water when we brew. (We prefer to measure this ratio in weight, like 22 grams of coffee to 352 grams of water, but if you don't have a scale, you can measure by volume.)

Wondering how hot water should be for a french press? The answer is somewhere between boiling and hot, or about 200° Fahrenheit. The easiest way to do this is to bring water to a boil, either on the stove or in an electric kettle, and then remove it from the heat for about a minute.

1 cup water (8 fluid ounces) — 2 tablespoons coffee beans (14 grams)

Whatever size of French Press you use, a good rule of thumb is to follow a 1:15 ratio of coffee to water. So for every 1 gram of coffee, add 15 grams of water, which converts to about 3 tablespoon of coffee for every 1 cup of water. Experiment from there to find the ratio that works for your taste.

What is the best coffee ratio for a French press? ›

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.

I suggest starting with a one to one ratio of coarsely ground beans to water. Ie four cups of water and four scoops. You can adjust to taste from there. For French press, you may use two tablespoons of medium or coarse ground coffee per cup (8 oz.)

Pre-ground coffee is almost always too fine for proper brewing in a french press. To grind your own coffee, I recommend a conical burr grinder. I use this Breville. What many people do not know is that there is a big difference between a plain burr grinder and a conical burr grinder.

Bring your water to a boil. However, don't pour it too soon. Ideally, water temperature for French Press coffee should be between 195 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer to measure the the temperature, and note the time it takes for the boiling water to drop to this preferred temperature.

French press method is made for bold, dark roasts. This method makes the best use of the coffee oils that come out of beans during a longer roasting period. French Press is truly full-bodied and is not only strong in taste but also in texture.

Coffee is brewed in a French press by saturating ground coffee in hot water, then applying manual pressure to force the hot water through coffee to the bottom of the pot, producing a concentrated and flavorful brew.