French Press Brew Guide

Getting Started

French press (or ‘plunger’ as it has long been known in Australia) is a wonderful and very easy way of making coffee at home, particularly for guests since the recipe is completely scalable from 1 cup right up to 8-10 cups depending on the size of your french press. The french press, due it being a full immersion brewing method with a long steeping time, produces a thick and full-bodied cup which many drinkers find more pleasant under milk than other pour-over style filter brewers.

Preparation

Boil fresh water in an electric or stove-top kettle. If using a Bonavita Electric kettle, set the temperature at 99ºC.

Seriously hot water is one of the most important elements of a great french press coffee, you want the water to be at a rolling boil before adding it immediately to the coffee.

Grind

Prepare and grind 12g of coffee to a coarse setting. The texture should be similar to flakes of rock salt. Add the ground coffee to your empty french press.

Brewing

Quickly but carefully add 270g of boiling water to the french press (it will be almost completely full).

Stir the surface slurry gently so all grounds are completely saturated.

Put the lid on top of the french press, but don’t plunge, and let it brew for three minutes.

After three minutes have passed, remove the plunger, give your brew a gentle stir to break the crust and allow the grounds to settle on the bottom.

Replace the lid, but do not press.

After three more minutes decant gently, using the plunger mesh as a filter, into your favourite drinking or serving vessel.

Notes & Cautions

If you cannot plunge the french press gently with two fingers, stop immediately. Some glass vessels can crack and break under high pressure. This is normally a sign that your grind is too fine and needs to be coarser.