A press pot, commonly called a French Press, is one of the easiest, cheapest and most enjoyable coffee brewers. When done correctly, press pot coffee feels rich, heavy and syrupy on the palate, coating the tongue with subtleties and nuances that can be lost with paper filters used in other brewing methods. The following instructions are procedures guiding you to the optimal press-pot-brewed cup of coffee. They are by no means set in stone; we encourage you to experiment and find the settings and procedures that work for you.
Tools: Press Pot, Grinder, Spoon, Coffee, Hot Water, Timer1. Grinding
The key to a quality Press Pot grind is evenness in the grind itself. The best way to achieve this is to use a burr grinder. Alternatively, a blade grinder can be used, but close attention must be paid to the grind's consistency. Why is this important? The extraction process is contingent upon the size of the particles of the grind in relation to the time it takes to steep the grinds in hot water. In other words, the coarser the grind, the longer the grinds should steep in hot water. When grinds are uneven, the extraction is uneven and the result is a cup of coffee that is extracted too much, not enough, or sometimes both. Also, your results will vary from press pot to press pot because the grind won't be as consistent with a blade grinder.
As for the setting of the grind on your burr grinder, we recommend using a coarser grind than a paper filter, though not as coarse as a percolator. Find out what settings your grinder uses and experiment. It is important to note that the longer the coffee steeps in hot water, the coarser the grind should be.
2. Dosing
The "Golden Ratio" of coffee to hot water in a press pot is one tablespoon of ground coffee to 4oz. of hot water. Therefore in a sixteen-ounce press pot, it is good to use 4 tablespoons of ground coffee. Although this is the general rule, again, we encourage you to experiment according to your personal tastes. Also, make sure the press pot is dry and that the grounds don't touch water until you are ready to brew. The extraction process begins as soon as coffee comes in contact with water.
3. Water
The temperature of the water also affects the extraction process. We recommend bringing water just under a boil and letting it sit for a few seconds. Or, if you are feeling really technical, the temperature is best at 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you are ready to begin, set your timer to 4 minutes and start it as you pour the water liberally and democratically over the grounds in the bottom of the press pot, making sure that there are no dry clumps of ground coffee. Depending on the freshness of the coffee, you will notice a half-inch to an inch thick pocket of brown-colored foam developing as you pour over the grounds. This is the coffee letting off carbon dioxide. Do not fill the press pot to the top with water at this particular time, or the coffee will most likely spill.
4. 1 minute
You will most likely notice a crust of ground coffee forming at the top of the press pot after you are done pouring your water. This is good. At one minute into the brewing process, take a spoon and break that crust by slowly, ever so slowly, stirring the grounds in order to ensure that the extraction is uniform. Also, as you are breaking the crust, get your nose down in there and smell the scents coming off the coffee. This is the best time to smell the coffee as you introduce oxygen to the brew by stirring and these scents are released into the air. You will notice that after you are done stirring, some grounds will fall to the bottom and some will stay on the top, and that the crust has been replaced by a light-brown slick just on the surface. If you need to top off the press pot with water, do so now.
5. The Press
After you are done stirring, place the lid on top and wait until your timer reaches zero. At that time, push the press down. Depending on your grind and how many grinds settled at the bottom after you stirred, you should feel some resistance as you are pressing. If you need to, lift slightly on the press and continue to press down.
6. Serve it
It is best to serve your brewed coffee within minutes after you are done pressing. If you keep the coffee in the press pot, it will continue to extract, making it bitter over time. The quicker you get it out, the better it will taste.
What you are looking for in a cup of press-pot coffee:
Press Pot coffee is coffee brewed without paper filters. What results is a largely unfiltered cup of coffee: a cup whose syrupy coating, depth of body, and heavy feel on the tongue is second only to shots of espresso. You will notice the coffee in the cup will be opaque, murkier. Sediment will settle at the bottom of your cup. It is coffee at its simplest, finest, and purest.
