How to make French press coffee

The base recipe

For a 500 ml French press – two large cups – use 32 g of coffee: a ratio of roughly 1 : 15.5, or about 65 g per litre.

Step by step

From preheating to the cup.

1. 01
   Preheat

   Rinse the press and cups with hot water – cold glass takes several degrees off your brew water.

2. 02
   Grind

   Grind 32 g of coffee coarsely, ideally right before brewing. Whole beans keep their aroma much longer.

3. 03
   Pour

   Add the coffee to the press and pour 500 ml of water at about 95 °C so all the grounds are wet.

4. 04
   Stir

   After one minute, gently break the crust on top with a spoon and stir once.

5. 05
   Steep

   Put the lid on without pressing. Steep for 4 minutes in total.

6. 06
   Press and serve

   Press the plunger slowly and evenly, then decant straight away so the coffee stops extracting.

Which coffee works best?

With no paper filter, the coffee oils end up in the cup, so French press coffee tastes fuller and rounder than filter. Sweet, fruity coffees shine – such as a medium-roast Ethiopian arabica.

Very dark roasts quickly turn bitter and heavy. A medium roast balances body and flavour.

Ethera Single Origin Ethiopia is a medium roast available as whole beans – ideal for grinding coarse yourself. The pre-ground version suits filter better; it is too fine for a French press.

Getting the grind right

Grind size is the biggest lever. For a French press it should be coarse, like sea salt. Too fine and the coffee turns bitter and muddy, and the plunger is hard to push.

A burr grinder gives even particles. Blade grinders create lots of fines that slip through the metal mesh.

Common mistakes

Most problems are fixed with a single change.

• Bitter coffee: grind coarser or cut the steep to 3½ minutes.
• Thin or sour coffee: add 2–3 g or grind slightly finer.
• Lots of sediment: grind coarser and leave the last sip in the press.
• Coffee turns bitter over time: decant right after pressing.