How to Work a French Press

A French press coffeemaker is a cylindrical jug made of glass or plastic with a plunger, lid and a mesh screen that fits snugly in the cylinder. The French press is known as a coffee plunger in New Zealand, a cafetiere a piston in France, and a Bodum or meliore in many countries. The advantage of the French press is that it is more portable and self-contained, doesn't require electricity to operate, and can be used camping or backpacking. Here some helpful steps for using this device.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pot or teakettle
• Coffee beans
• Coffee grinder
• French press
• Measuring spoon or scoop
• Chopstick or long-handled spoon
• Coffee cup or mug
• Coffee carafe or insulated French press jacket

1. 
    

   Bring water to a boil in a pot or teakettle. How much you use will depend on how much coffee you want and how much your French press will hold. Boil more water than you need, as some will evaporate during the boiling process.

2. 
    

   Grind your coffee beans. Allow for 1 tbs. of ground coffee for each 4 oz. of water. The grind should be coarser than for a drip type coffee maker--about as coarse as pepper ground on the coarsest pepper grinder setting.

3. 
    

   Scoop the required amount of ground coffee into the bottom of the French press cylinder. For example, at 1 tbs. per 4 oz. of water, you'll want 3 tbs. for a 12 oz. cylinder of coffee.

4. Pour the boiling water into the French press cylinder, saturating the ground coffee as you pour. Fill to within an inch of the top of cylinder--or less if you don't want a full pot.

5. Stir the coffee in the water using a chopstick or long-handled spoon. About six stirs is all you need. The coffee grounds will start to "bloom" or expand as they absorb water and release coffee.

6. 
    

   Fit the filter and lid assembly into the top of the cylinder, keeping the plunger stick up. Wait a few minutes for the coffee and water to mingle and steep.

7. 
    

   Holding the plunger stick, depress the plunger slowly and evenly. The filter will trap the ground coffee underneath and press it to the bottom of the cylinder. Keep the plunger stick straight or some of the coffee grounds may leak into the upper portion of the cylinder.

8. Hold the lid and pour. The ground coffee will stay pressed to the bottom under the filter, allowing the freshly brewed coffee to flow into your cup.

9. If you don't empty the French press, pour the rest of the coffee into an insulated carafe to keep it warm. Some French presses come with an insulated jacket or "coffee cozy" you can place around the cylinder to keep the coffee warm.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a good coffee grinder that will grind the beans uniformly. Smaller coffee grounds may slip through the filter, making the finished coffee gritty and muddy. If your coffee beans are too freshly roasted, they will release too much carbon dioxide during the bloom, forming a brown foam on top of the coffee. Choose beans that were roasted at least three days prior to grinding them.
• Always depress the plunger slowly and steadily. Pushing the plunger down suddenly can cause the scalding liquid to shoot out of the top of the French press.

Resources

• French press history and user tips
• Where to buy a Bodum French press
• Where to buy coffee supplies

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