Brewing French Press

French Press method:

The French Press strips brewing back to the basics: just good coffee, hot water and time. Simple, affordable and versatile, this is one of our favourite ways to brew a great cup of coffee at home. Here’s our guide to nailing the French Press for yourself.

You will need:

  • A 12oz (350ml) French press 
  • 20g filter ground (medium-coarse) coffee, or 3 flat scoops of the spoon provided with your french press.
  • A kettle that finished boiling around 2 minutes before brewing. This will be about 95°C.
  • A spoon, timer and scale (optional)

Let’s get brewing!

Step One:

Preheat your French Press with boiling water and discard it just before you brew.

Step Two:

Add your coffee, shaking or tapping the french press so it sits evenly on the bottom.

Step Three:

Place french press on the scale and tare. Add 300g of hot water. If you don’t have a scale, this will be when the coffee sits just above the metal band.

Step Four:

Affix the plunger, but don’t push it yet! Start your timer.

Step Five:

After 4 minutes, stir the coffee. This will break the crust and allow the grinds to settle. Use your spoon to skim off the foam.

Step Six: 

Affix plunger again and press down slowly. The key here is patience, too fast and you’ll risk reintroducing the grinds into your brew!

Step Seven:

Plunge until you are just at the top of the coffee bed, so as not to agitate the grinds.

Step Eight:

Pour into your favourite mug and enjoy!