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How To Use A French Press Correctly- Follow This Guide Carefully
Many people that use the french press in their house use it incorrectly. Learning how to use a french press is important to make the most amazing coffee. Considering the fact that the french press is one of the world’s most used coffee machines, you should definitely see this guide that enables you to learn all the details.
Making coffee using the french press is not that difficult and hectic as you think it is, just a few simple steps and guides and you will learn how to use a french press easily. Just follow simple rules and you are good to go. Black coffee before a workout works magic for weight loss for many people, it has a lot of benefits. You can also use this guide to prepare the best black coffee.
Once you learn how to use a french press through this informative article, we are sure you will be able to make the most delicious coffee for your loved ones. Let’s get started.
Before knowing how to use a french press, you may know some important parts of it and how they function.
French Press Parts
A typical french press comprises a plunger, lid, filter, beaker, a good handle, and the base. The main part of our french press is its beaker, this is the part on which you place the hot water and the coffee grounds.
Handle and base are also attached to the beaker to ensure that while using it, you will not end up hurting yourself or burning yourself after touching its hot surface. You also have the lid on which different filters are attached along with plungers. Assembling all the parts together is fairy intuitive but setting up the whole set up altogether is quite simple as we see. The best part while using a french press is that there is absolutely no need for paper filters.
On using the french press the grounds are already soaked in hot water directly discarding the need for paper towel usage. This clearly states that the french press uses immersion brewing. The coffee grounds are submerged inside of the hot water for few minutes rather than soaking them for few seconds or using the drip method to prepare the coffee.
In order to get the most delicious and amazing coffee every time you use a french press, it is important to learn how to disassemble the french press and clean it every time you prepare your cup. However, you cannot perform the cleaning after a single use, it is recommended that you at least clean the french press once a month. This is really useful as there are more things than simply rinsing it using normal water or putting it under the tap water.
You know the different parts of the french press and the cleaning process length, now let’s proceed to choose the right french press for your convenience as there are a lot of varieties and brands available in the stores. Do not worry, we will help you choose the best one.
How To Get The Right French Press
If you have gone for a cheap or crappy press previously, you already know how hard it was using it. If you do not want to have a hard time while preparing your favorite coffee, you need to invest in the right french press. We understand that going for a cheap option for your first purchase of french press is quite common and seems tempting, but is it worth investing in a french press that needs to be replaced every now and then? It is simply a waste of money, taste, and effort.
I am sure you will buy the best one after making your mind this time, isn’t it?
The standard size of press pot used is anywhere between 4 to 8 cups, You have to remember that these cups are much smaller than the regular cups you often use for coffee. Many companies and brands releasing french press brewing machines count this size as meager 4 oz.
Generally, you have four options in cups including electric, metal, small and large cups. Let’s look closely at each of these cups one by one.
Small French Press- If you only wish to make coffee for you and your close one on regular basis, you can use this one. The typical size includes 3 to 4 cup presses. The coffee won’t get scale inside it and it has a larger ratio of coffee grounds to water. The glass beaker of a small french press is fragile compared to others.
Large French Press- If there is a crowd of coffee lovers then you might need many cups of coffee at the same time. This has 8 to 12 cup basemoths that are sufficient for a crowd of coffee seekers. You can have many cups in a single batch. The ratio of coffee grounds to water is generally smaller and the coffee can sit over steep.
Metal French Press- These are highly durable when we talk about sustainability. They seem to retain all the heat better than using glasses. If you live in a cold area and love making coffee, you should go for metal french press.
Electric French Press- These french press brewing machines are for my lazy readers. We get you! The electric french press usually heats the water, brews the coffee, and also helps in keeping the coffee warm even after it is ready to be consumed. It can be kept inside for later but it is still recommended that you decant the coffee when you are done.
It is time to jump directly to the tutorial you need on how to use a french press correctly to make the most amazing coffee. Let get started.
How To Use A French Press
To make your favorite coffee using the french press brewing machine, you need some ingredients and tools first, have a closer look at them and before starting the process of how to use a french press, make sure you have all the ingredients needed. These include:
- A french press
- Measuring cups
- Coffee grounds
- Stirring spoon
- The stovetop kettle is optional
- A water thermometer is optional
- Measuring tablespoons.
The brewing time will be only 5 minutes and this procedure on how to use a french press is for yielding 2 cups of coffee, you can add more of all the ingredients to get more cups as per the people you have in your house.
Is everything ready? Okay, let’s see the steps directly to know more.
Step By Step Guide On How To Use A French Press
There are two methods, one is the basic one for beginners and another method is an advanced one. This method mentioned below is the basic method and this is all you need to prepare your favorite cup of coffee. Let’s see the steps.
1. Preheating The Press
This is the first step to prepare your favorite coffee. You need to preheat the french press brewing machine first. This is an important step to start with in all coffee brew methods that you are about to learn.
Preheating the brewing equipment is important as it will stop the new temperature from fluctuating because the cold equipment and hot or warm water ven out each other.
For this step, all you need to do is add some hot water inside the brew machine and then swill it around till the time it is warm to be touched. After doing so, discard the water nicely. A bonus to this step is that preheating the french press will also help you in keeping the coffee hotter for a longer duration of time. When you get two good things with a single step, do it!
2. Weight Or Measure Your Coffee Grounds
What you measure depends largely on the coffee press’s size you have and the amount of coffee you wish to make. You can use a coffee grinder first to ground your coffee beans nicely. To start with the basic method, all you need is a medium-coarse grind and you are ready.
Measuring your grinds using a scale is always better than using spoons.
3. Weigh the Water And Check Temperature
The core ratio of your coffee to the water should be nearly 1:15. This means the coffee should be 1 art for using 15 parts of water and so on. Just like you did with coffee, weigh the water rather than using a spoon for measuring it as it will enable you to have greater control of the ratio and enhance the taste. This is done to facilitates more consistent and perfect results.
You will have to heat the water in any object be it a stove or some kettle. Using a gooseneck kettle or a stovetop is amazing and best when it comes to heating a small portion of water. Also, if you already have a thermometer keep it inside to measure the temperature, the recommended temperature for a coffee press water is anywhere between 195 Fahrenheit to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Add Hot Water And Coffee Grounds
Once you have preheated the french press, you have to add coffee grounds and the hot water in the mentioned ratio in one pour itself. Now take a spoon and give your water and coffee a quick stir to ensure that the coffee grounds are immersed properly inside the water.
After taking a look and checking that they are closely immersed, proceed toward the next step.
5. Put The Lid On French Press And Record The Timing
Now place the lid on the press as it will help to insulate the press and keep the heat inside the coffee brews. Now set the timer and then wait for few minutes. It will take nearly 4 minutes for a standard coffee press. You can also adjust it as per your will.
6. Press The Plunger Down
Once enough time (4 minutes) has passed after setting the french press, slowly and gently press down the plunger. You have to make sure while pressing the plunger that you press it all the way down or the coffee will continue to brew and lead to over-extraction.
If the resistance is too high when you are plunging, this happens when the grounds are too fine. When the resistance is not enough, it is because they are too coarse.
6. It’s Time To Decant The Coffee
Decanting the coffee is very important. It is recommended that decant the coffee before serving it as the longer the coffee is placed inside the container with coffee grounds, the more flavor will be pulled out of it.
Also, you would not want to over-extract it as it will result in a bitter taste of the coffee which you do not want.
7. Serve And Enjoy
Your coffee is ready to be enjoyed. Just serve it and enjoy it with your loved ones.
Let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions so that your doubts get cleared properly. Keep reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Accurate Ratio Of Coffee To Water In French Press?
There is no ratio that fits all when it comes to finding the exact ratio to know how to use a french press. There is a lot of variety and spectrum of taste when it comes to drinking coffee. Also, there is variation in the type of coffee beans used and the roasting techniques required to roast them. There are plenty of factors behind getting the most amazing cup of coffee, so finding out the ratio that fits all the cops and taste is hard.
You can just start with a common ratio that we already mentioned above which is 1:15 having 1 part of coffee and 15 parts of water. Once you have gathered this ratio, you can change it as per your taste as some people like the coffee to be strong while some just prefer the mild coffee taste.
If you still find the coffee you have prepared weak, you can always add a little bit more coffee to make it better or taste as per your taste.
How Much Coffee Can My French Press Make?
You should get the following number of 9 oz cups of good coffee as per each press size. This is in general number that you may consider.
- Coffee for 3 cup press should be 1 cup.
- Coffee for 8 cup press should be 2.4 cups.
- coffee for 12 cups press should be 5.3 cups.
What I The Right Grind Size For French Press?
The correct size of the grind is somewhere between medium-coarse grind and coarse grind. Here also the basic rule applies. When the grounds are finer the brew will be stronger and when the grounds are coarse, the brew becomes weaker.
You want to stay in between, you cannot go far in either of the directions to get a good coffee. If the coffee is too coarse, you will end up having a weak coffee which no one likes, what is the point of drinking coffee if it is not at all strong, right? If the coffee becomes too fine, you will end up having a coffee that’s too bitter and strong to drink.
So you have to grind the beans immediately for making the coffee. Now that you know how to use a french press, it becomes easy for you to tell when to drink your coffee.
Should I Decant?
Even after you are done with the coffee and you have pushed down the plunger, you have to keep in mind that coffee grounds are still present there. If you are about to pour the coffee at that moment itself inside your cup, it is great. However, if you are about to wait or leave it inside that, you are going to receive a bitter coffee for sure.
You don’t want to leave the coffee inside the french press for hours before drinking. Instead, just decant the coffee. Pour the leftover coffee inside any other container before the coffee get’s too cold or butter. The most important feature of having a decanter is the ability to attain a hot coffee for a long.
What Is The Difference Between French Press And Other Brewing Styles?
The french press differs from other brew methods in many ways. A French press uses steeping as the brewing method while some other brew methods include dripping. It takes 4 to 8 minutes for the french press to prepare the coffee while other brew methods require anywhere between 3 minutes to 10 minutes.
After learning how to use a french press you know that the French press is medium on the difficulty level to be used while many other similar brew machines are easier to use.
French press is cheaper and it costly nearly 10 dollars to 70 dollars as per the brand you chose while other brew machines cost you even up to 300 dollars which is a very large amount to be invested in a coffee machine if you are buying one for your house.
Remember to always drink the coffee fresh, it becomes worse and bitter if you are leaving it for too long. Try to drink it as soon as you prepare it for the most delicious and amazing taste.
This was all you needed to know on how to use a french press.
