6 Steps to great French Press Coffee. Anywhere!
I've been using a french press for over 25 years. And if you can boil water you can use a french press.
It's quick, easy, and gives you the best taste of any method I could find. Its also made in a bombproof device, that won't break, and that you can take anywhere.
You simply grind your beans. Dump them into the cannister. Pour boiling water over them. Let it brew. Then press the grounds into the bottom of the cannister. And you've got the best tasting coffee ever.
Couldn't be simpler.
And if you buy an all metal french press, rather than glass, you've got a bulletproof way of making coffee in any environment. Bug out, bug in, car trip, camping or hiking.
If you prefer a lighter coffee, like what comes out of an automatic coffee maker. Or you prefer dark rich coffee. The french press is a master of both.
Here are some tips.
1) Start with a good press. Don't buy glass with the metal frame. They are a flimsy press. And even though I've never broken one. They are glass and can break.
Not so with this one below. You can probably find an exact copy for cheaper. (I've seen a few.) This is just the one I've been using for many years.
It's stainless steel. Beautifully polished inside. Will never break. And looks like they run about $23. Scroll down below this one on Amazon. I saw several exactly like it. For cheaper.
It's also larger than the traditional glass ones. So you get a good pot of coffee that is large enough to serve several cups of coffee. Think three or four people at a time.
Scroll below this one for cheaper options. Just pay attention to size. And make sure its stainless steel.
Large French Press Coffee Maker - French Press Stainless Steel - Insulated French Coffee Press, Metal French Press Large - 50oz 1.5L (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2DYIUK/?tag=wranglerorg-20
2) If you like really dark, rich coffee like me. Grind the hell out of your beans. If you like lighter coffee, grind less. Also brew time will give you lighter or darker coffee. You can make light automatic drip type coffee. All the way to super, dark, rich coffee. Just depends on amount of coffee, grind and how long you let it brew.
3) If you just pour the hot water in from a normal height. Your going to have some coffee clumped up in the bottom. So either pour from a higher height. So that the hot water stirs up all the grounds. Or use a long spoon or ladle handle. Or just a stick. To stir it up. But pouring from a bit higher will do the trick.
4) After the hot water and coffee are mixed. Put the top on the french press. (Without pushing it down yet. This keeps it hotter.)
Then let the coffee brew to your desired taste. The longer it brews the stronger it will be. I usually give it 5 minutes. But you can press the grounds down right away. And you'll still get an excellent pot of coffee.
Just remember - amount of coffee, how much you grind it, and length of brew time all effect how light or dark your coffee will come out. It doesn't take long to get your "recipe" down for "your" perfect cup of coffee.
5) This is a little cowboy trick I recently learned. That makes pressing the grounds to the bottom a lot easier:
Once the coffee has brewed. And before you're ready to press the grounds to the bottom. Take the filter/lid off. Then take about a third of a glass of cold water and carefully pour it over all the grounds that have floated to the top.
This forces the grounds to the bottom or lower in the cannister. Its what cowboys do when they boil coffee and water in a pot to make cowboy coffee. To get the grounds to sink. So they aren't in their cups of coffee.
The reason we do this, with the french press though, is to ease the pressing of the grounds to the bottom of the cannister.
6) Pressing the grounds to the bottom:
*If you just dump the hot water into the coffee grounds. And immediately start pressing the filter down into the cannister. It will quickly clog, build up pressure, stop moving downward, and can possibly explode hot coffee out of the pour spout. If you just keep forcing it down.
To avoid this. At least let the coffee brew. The longer it brews the more the grounds separate and fall to the bottom. And use cold water on the top to force some of the grounds to sink down. Which causes less grounds to clog up the filter. And makes it way easier to press downward.
Just DO NOT keep pressing harder and harder if you meet resistance. The pressure will eventually bypass the filter, send hot coffee pushing to the top of the cannister, and out the pour spout.
But this rarely happens. It's just a word of caution. The press will push the grounds to the bottom of the cannister slowly. But it shouldn't take a herculean effort. If you're having to force it. Lift the filter out, pour some more cold water over it, or let it brew some more. Allowing the grounds to sink more to the bottom.
So to recap:
Grind your coffee and dump it in the bottom of the cannister.
Pour boiling water in, up to an inch or so from the top. Either mixing it with a high pour or some instrument.
Place the filter/lid on. And let it brew. 5 minutes is a sweet spot for me.
After its brewed. Take the filter/top off. And pour some cold water onto the floating grounds.
Replace the filter/lid. And slowly begin to push the plunger/filter down. Stop once it hits bottom. Usually when the plunger is about an inch from the lid. Just depends how much coffee you've put in.
And you've got the best tasting coffee you'll ever brew! In a break proof device. That you can take anywhere!
