What is so special about French press coffee?
French press coffee tastes richer than the coffee made by using a paper filter because the oils inside the ground coffee infuse to water during brewing. Oils in coffee beans not only give coffee its taste but also bold texture.
How does French press coffee taste?
French press coffee has an oily and bold taste. It is stronger than regular drip coffee because the coffee grains in the French press stay in the water for the entire brewing process, thus having more time to release their flavor into the brew.
Can I make iced coffee using a French press?
Absolutely, you can make iced coffee using a French press. Once your French press coffee is ready, use it in your iced coffee recipe.
Can I make cold brew using a French press?
Yes. French press is suitable for making cold brew. To make cold brew with a French press, use the recipe above but add cold water instead of hot one, and put the French press in the fridge for 10-15 hours after you put the lid on. After that, you should remove it from the fridge and gently move down the plunger. Your cold brew is ready to serve. Enjoy it!
French Press Coffee Recipe
Tags: French press coffee
French press is a cylindrical coffee-making tool with a filter attached to a plunger. It has many names, such as cafetière, press pot, coffee press, or coffee plunger, but it is mostly known as French press. It is usually made of glass, even though metallic ones are also available in the market.
Coffee was made by heating water and ground coffee mixture over a stove until the 19th century. However, starting from the mid-1800s, some coffee brewing tools were invented to make coffee, and the French press is one of the forerunners of these new brewing tools.
Coffee is brewed by steeping in the French press, that is, letting ground coffee stay in hot water for a few minutes to release its flavor. Then, the coffee is drained by the help of the mesh filter attached to the plunger in the French press.
To make French press coffee, coffee beans should be coarsely ground. If they are ground finely, then the brew will have a mud-like texture and bitter taste. To make sure that the grind size is appropriate, just check the movement of the plunger. If it is difficult to move down the plunger, the grind size is too fine, and if it moves too easily, it is too coarse. The plunger should slip down with some resistance.
The most recommended water-to-coffee ratio to make French coffee is 15:1, that is, 15 grams or mL of water per gram of ground coffee. But, of course, you are free to change this ratio according to your preference.
On the other hand, the water temperature to make French press coffee should be between 195°F and 200°F. If you make it with boiling water, then ground coffee will release its bitter acids, making it taste bitter. If you wait one minute after boiling the water, you will get the exact temperature to make French press coffee.
With all this information in mind, let’s move on to the French press coffee recipe below!
Ingredients
300 mL good quality water, filtered or bottled if your tap water is low quality
20 g coffee beans
French press
Milk or sweetener of your choice
Directions
Fill the French press with hot water to warm it while you grind coffee and prepare the water.
Put the water into a kettle and bring it to a boil.
Grind the coffee beans.
Remove the boiled water from the stove and leave it to rest for 1 minute.
Pour the hot water from the French press and add ground coffee into it.
Pour the water you prepare to make coffee over ground coffee.
Put the lid with a plunger over the French press. The plunger should be in the upper position.
Wait for 5-7 minutes. You will find the exact timing by experience.
Gently slide down the plunger. The coffee grounds will stay under the mesh filter and go down the cylinder while the coffee brew stays above.
Pour the coffee brew into the cups.
Serve and enjoy your French press coffee!
Nutrition Facts
HOW TO SERVE FRENCH PRESS COFFEE:
You can serve French press coffee with some milk or sweetener. A coffee cake also goes great with it, especially when you prefer drinking coffee without any sweetener. You can reach our easy coffee cake recipe for bread machine by following this link.
