Best French Press Recipe (Full Tutorial with Video)

If you’re in need of the best French Press recipe, you’ve come to the right place to level up your morning ritual. While using automatic drip machines may seem more accessible, I’m here to convince you otherwise, and you may never look back.

If you appreciate good coffee, you should also check out my recipe for an Iced Caramel Latte and my guide on Iced Coffee vs. Iced Lattes. If you like a little kick in your cup of joe, you can try my Snickers Irish Latte made with Baileys and Skrewball. 

Why You’ll Love This Brewing Method

• Rich Flavor Profile: A French press brews coffee by immersing grounds in hot water and pressing them down, creating a cup of java that has a rich, full-bodied, and robust flavor.

• No Paper Filters Needed: This brewing method doesn’t require paper filters, which not only reduces waste but also ensures that more coffee oil (which carries flavor) ends up in the cup rather than absorbed by the filter.

• No Electricity Required: This French press recipe is perfect for traveling, places without electricity, or outdoor activities like camping. 

• Affordable and Accessible: Compared to high-end machines, French presses are more affordable and widely available, making them accessible to a broader range of java enthusiasts.

What Makes the French Press Special?

What makes this process so unique is the way that the grounds and hot water interact. In an automatic drip machine, hot water passes through ground beans. The contact the hot water has with the grounds is brief, only extracting some flavors and oils from the grounds. 

In a French press, sometimes called a coffee press, grounds are in direct contact with the hot water, around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact, for anywhere between 2 to 10 minutes. 

This direct contact, paired with the brewing time, means that you are in control of the boldness and strength without anything lost. That alone makes this brewing device very special!

Unlike an automatic machine, which uses a paper filter to keep the grounds out of your beverage, the press uses a mesh filter. This screen retains the rich and flavorful oils to pass through into the brew instead of being caught by the paper filter.

An added bonus is its simplicity and portability, allowing you to bring it camping or traveling for your ideal cup no matter where you are. 

Choosing the Right Coffee Roast

Many coffee enthusiasts recommend a medium or dark roast for French press. These roasts tend to have a richer, fuller body that works well with this type of full immersion method.

But really, the best roast mostly depends on your taste preference, so ultimately you should go with your favorite type of coffee. The French press brew method extracts more caffeine from the coffee grinds because of the longer brew time and contact with hot water than an automatic drip.

However, keep in mind that dark roasts are generally slightly less caffeinated than light or medium roast coffee. The dark roasts lose some of their mass during the roasting process, making the caffeine content a touch lower.

Choosing the Right Grind Size

For a French press, medium-coarse grinds are ideal. The perfect grind size is larger than what you’d use for drip coffee but smaller than what you’d use for cold brew coffee. (If you enjoy cold brew, make sure to check out my Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.)

The coarser grind prevents the grounds from seeping through the press filter and becoming over-extracted, which can result in a bitter taste. Also, the fresher the grind, the better. 

• When grinding your own beans, aim for a consistency similar to kosher or chunky sea salt. Many home grinders have settings for different brewing methods, so you can select the coarse grind setting if available.

• If grinding coffee beans in a store, use their designated setting for French press coffee makers. To check the grind size, it should not be fine and powdery like fine table salt (which is too fine), nor should it be extremely chunky. 

A good way to know if you’ve got the right grind is by pressing it with a spoon or your fingers; it should feel distinctly gritty, not smooth. 

To troubleshoot the grind size:

• If you find your coffee is too weak or sour, the grind might be too coarse. 
• If it’s too bitter, it might be too fine. 
• Adjust accordingly for your next brew.

Perfect Coffee-to-Water Ratio

For this French press recipe, follow the golden ratio of 2 tablespoons of coffee to 8 ounces of water. 

• A 1:12 ratio of coffee to water or 12 grams of water to one gram of coffee makes an average-strength brew.
• Follow a 1:15 ratio of coffee to water or 15 grams of water to every one gram of coffee for a more robust cup.
• The best cup of coffee is two tablespoons to eight ounces of water.
• For a weaker cup of coffee, use less coffee with more water.
• Use more coffee with less water for a more robust flavor.

You may need to do some trial and error to determine your sweet spot, but the golden ratio is a good rule of thumb. Since this French press recipe will produce a more flavor-packed cup of joe, you may not need to use as many grounds for a more full-bodied cup as you thought. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Now that you know a little more about how this brewing process works, let’s learn how to make the most delicious coffee!

Step 1: Grind your own beans for a coarse, even grind that is super fresh. A coarse grind will ensure that the grounds don’t slip through the filter into your morning coffee.

Step 2: Scoop your fresh ground coffee into your press carafe. Boil water, turn it off, and let it sit for two minutes before pouring it over your grounds.

You don’t want to use super hot boiling water; the ideal temperature is around 200 degrees F, and boiling is 212 degrees F. 

Step 3: Pour ⅓ of the water over the grounds.

Step 4: Give it a gentle stir. By doing this the grounds are able to distribute evenly and allow them to “bloom”, releasing oils and flavor.

Step 5: Pour the rest of the water into the beaker. For a 12-ounce press, let the grounds steep for no less than 4 minutes, waiting up to 10 minutes for a more potent cup. 

Step 6: Place the filter-plunger onto the top of the carafe and avoid touching the brewing coffee if possible. This will prevent the heat from escaping as the coffee grounds steep in hot water. 

After the steep time is up, slowly and evenly press plunger down. If you do this step too quickly, you may end up with spilled coffee or lots of grounds escaping into your fresh coffee. Once the filter has almost reached the bottom of the carafe, stop pushing it.

Step 7: Pour yourself a hot, fresh cup and enjoy!

Expert Tips

• If possible, avoid using a metal spoon if you have a press with a glass carafe, as it can lead to tiny cracks in the glass. You can use a wooden spoon instead. 

• Make sure to pour all of the coffee out of your press once it’s done brewing. The longer you leave the grounds in contact with hot water, the extraction will continue, resulting in a bitter flavor or unpleasant taste. 

• If you don’t have your own burr grinder, purchase your beans at a grocery store that has a grinder available. Stores will often have the grinder available right in the coffee aisle or at the front of the store. Whole Foods and Costco are two national grocery chains that provide a grinder.

Equipment Recommendations

French presses are available in many different styles and materials but tend to have the same cylindrical carafe with a filtering nylon or silicone filter mesh plunger inside. The design and materials used to make French presses may seem only aesthetic but functionality definitely plays a big part. 

For example, a single-walled glass press will lose heat faster than a thicker-walled ceramic or double-walled glass version. 

A longer brew at a hot temperature equals a more balanced extraction of flavors and oils since the water temperature affects the solubility of the grounds. Below are a few equipment recommendations to ensure you get the most out of this French press recipe.

Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker

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Electric Kettle with Temperature Control Presets

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Cuisinart Electric Burr Coffee Grinder with Grind Selector

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