A Simple Guide To Using A French Press

Brewing French press coffee is a lot easier than you may imagine, but if you’re not careful, you can end up with wildly bitter or silty coffee. So, how do you use a French press to produce that perfect cup of coffee?

To use a French press, add your freshly ground coffee into the beaker, then gradually pour in hot water as you stir. Cover the carafe and let the coffee brew for 3-4 minutes. Once you’re satisfied with the steeping, slowly push down the plunger. Serve and enjoy.

Even if you’re a newbie to the French press method, making a delicious cup of coffee to start your day off doesn’t have to be a huge pain. Let’s go through the steps so that you can get it right every time.

What Is a French Press?

Photo of a woman who is using a French coffee maker

At its core, a French Press (on Amazon) is a manual coffee maker with a beaker (carafe), a plunger, and a built-in strainer to filter your coffee. 

You place your coffee grounds and hot water in the beaker, which is the device’s main part. The base and handle come in handy to ensure you don’t burn yourself or the surface where you place the French press. You also have the lid with the attached plunger and strainers.

You don’t need to be a expert to figure out how to assemble these parts, as the setup is fairly simple to figure out. Think of it like a plunger that meets a strainer, and it allows you to make superior-tasting coffee by brewing, pressing, and straining — all in one device.

How Does a French Press Work?

Making French press coffee is a form of immersion brewing, since you submerge the coffee grounds in hot water for a couple of minutes — not just seconds, as with most drip methods. 

Once you’ve steeped the coarse grounds with just-boiled water, you push the plunger to press them to the bottom of the beaker with a fine mesh strainer. This leaves you with a strong, bold coffee whose original taste and flavor are unrivaled.

The water should be hot enough at about 200℉ to ensure maximum flavor extraction. Anything hotter than that will likely give your coffee a burnt taste. Making it cooler also leads to under-extracted coffee with a yucky, watered-down taste.

Here’s how to safely use a French press to make your perfectly brewed coffee:

1. Remove the Lid and Strainer

Get started by taking out the lid and strainer. If your French press is made of glass, pour some hot water into it and swirl it around carefully until the beaker is warm when you touch it. 

Pre-heating the glass beaker ensures it doesn’t crack or shatter when you add more hot water. Next, discard the water before you add your coffee grounds.

2. Measure and Grind Your Coffee

The amount of coffee you measure depends entirely on the size of your French press and how much coffee you want. However, you can’t go wrong with two tablespoons of coffee grounds for every 6 ounces of water.

If you’re using whole bean coffee, you might want to grind it to an evenly coarse texture, something like Kosher salt. This texture ensures optimal extraction of the coffee without getting in the way of the filter.

But if your coffee is too finely ground, the flavor may be extracted too much, leaving you with a bitter brew. It could also give you a hard time pushing down the filter, leading to overly silty coffee.

3. Measure Water and Bring It to a Boil

When measuring your water, aim for a 1:15 ratio, meaning you use 1 part coffee for every 15 parts water. Next, heat the water in a stovetop or gooseneck kettle, whichever works for you.

For best results, you want the water to reach just below its boiling point, something like 195-205℉. To do this, you can boil the water normally and then let it sit for less than a minute. Check its temperature with a thermometer before you pour it into the French press.

You can also heat the water up to boiling and just let it cool off a few minutes before using it, if you don’t need to be that precise about the temperature.

4. Carefully Add Your Coffee Grounds and Hot Water

Add your coffee grounds to the pre-heated French press, then pour in a small amount of water in a circle over the grounds. Leave it for a few seconds, allowing the coffee to bloom and release delicious oils and sweet aromas.

Carefully pour the rest of the hot water over the grounds, then give the coffee a quick stir to ensure it’s properly immersed. 

5. Leave the Coffee to Brew and Start Timing

Gently rest the lid and strainer on top of the brewing coffee. This insulates the press, maintaining the heat inside as your coffee brews. Set your timer to 4 minutes and wait as the coffee steeps.

6. Gently Press Down the Plunger

Once you’re satisfied that the coffee has steeped long enough, gently press the plunger all the way down. Too much resistance as you plunge means the grounds are too fine. But if you don’t feel enough resistance, your coffee grounds are too coarse.

7. Decant the Coffee, Serve, and Enjoy

As soon as your coffee finishes brewing, pour it into your mug or carafe. It’s better not to let it sit in the French press, or it will end up tasting bitter due to over-extraction.

If you’re not comfortable with the thicker texture of French press coffee, you can pour it through a cloth filter. The trade-off here is that this will likely mess up the distinctive flavor by pulling out the natural oils and altering the mouthfeel.

What’s the Right Grind Size for a French Press?

The right grind size for your French press coffee lies between a coarse grind and a medium-coarse setting. Remember, fine grounds lead to a strong brew. Just don’t go overboard with the fineness, or you’ll end up with a muddy, bitter brew. 

And if you prefer a weaker brew, you can stick with a relatively coarse grind. A good burr coffee grinder (on Amazon) comes in handy if you want to achieve just the perfect grind size. 

If you have a pre-programmed grinder, use the medium grind setting. But if you have a manual electric grinder or hand grinder, be sure to grind the coffee into a uniform, sand-like texture.

How Much Coffee Will a French Press Make?

If you buy an 8-cup French press (on Amazon), it can hold up to 4 cups of water, meaning it will make 8 servings of 4 ounces each. While the cup thing seems confusing, a good rule of thumb is that you need a 1/2 cup of whole coffee beans to make 4 servings of coffee.

Since you may not have a scale on the fly, you can use the following general measurements:

  • 2 servings take 1/4  cup coffee beans and 2 cups of water
  • 4 servings take 1/2  cup coffee beans and 4 cups water

For different sizes of French presses, this would mean an 8-cup French press takes 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup (1.8 oz) of whole beans; a 4-cup French press needs 2 cups of water and 1/4 cup (0.9 oz) whole beans; and a 2-cup French press takes 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons (0.5 oz) of whole beans.

How Long Should French Press Coffee Steep?

Coffee gurus say 4-5 minutes is the optimal window for getting an average strength French press coffee. Anything more than that, and you’ll end up with an over-extracted, bitter brew. And if you let it steep for less than 3 minutes, the flavor won’t simply be there.

What’s more, you need to stir the brew during this period to have the perfect texture and flavor. Once you’re done brewing, pour the rich blend into your favorite mug and enjoy. If you have plans of finishing it later, remember to decant.

What Are the Benefits of a French Press Over Other Brewing Methods?

Senior man making coffee using french press during breakfast in kitchen

Here’s why most people prefer French press coffee over other brewing methods:

French Presses Are Affordable Coffee Makers

You can buy a French press anywhere from $20 to $150, although more expensive options are available. The availability of cheap French presses makes them a desirable option for those on a budget and others who aren’t looking to spend an arm and a leg on making coffee.

French Press Coffee Has a Superior Taste

Many coffee experts find that French press coffee has a rich, delicious taste compared to coffee brewed using other methods. Much of the coffee flavor resides in the oils, which are retained using this method. Plus, the steeping process is more effective at beefing up the mouthfeel.

You Can Make the Coffee Anywhere

You can always pack a French press in any luggage and carry it anywhere — within reason, obviously. For example, you can bring one to a hotel room and make your own coffee with freshly ground beans.

You Have Control Over How the Coffee Tastes

Since you can control the water temperature and steeping time, you can always experiment to figure out the perfect coffee taste you want.

There’s No Need for Paper Filters

It’s not always fun to keep buying and using paper filters, something you have to deal with if you own a drip coffee maker. And as frustrating as it sounds, they can easily run out or get water-damaged right when you’re desperate for a morning cup of coffee before dashing to work.

But with a French press, all you need is some coarsely ground coffee and hot water — no paper filters required!

What Are the Best French Press Brands?

Most people tend to overlook French press brands and end up settling on cheap pots that need replacement every 6 months or so. 

While these things generally have a simple design, the materials, construction, and filter can make a huge difference between a great French press and an average one. 

Here are 5 reliable French press options you can trust:

1. Frieling Stainless Steel French Press

The Frieling Stainless Steel Press (on Amazon) has a stylish design, with a double-walled interior to retain heat more effectively. Moreover, it holds 36 oz. and has a two-stage filter that fits more snugly into the chamber.

With its two Italian fine mesh screens, it lets in those flavorsome coffee oils while keeping out sediment. All components of the Frieling coffee maker are machine washable, and you don’t need to disassemble the filter components.

2. Bodum 1928-16US4 Chambord French Press

The Bodum 1928-US4 Chambord (on Amazon) is a classic, well-designed 34 oz. French press coffee maker, so no wonder it’s a common sight on Starbucks shelves. It uses borosilicate glass, making it heat resistant and durable, not to mention it’s easy to use and clean. 

However, it leaves a bit of fine sediment in your coffee since the plunger doesn’t press all the way down.

3. Francois et Mimi Vintage-Style Double Wall French Press

The Francois et Mimi (on Amazon) is a 34 oz. stainless steel French press that retains heat better than the single-walled glass carafes out there. You can also get a 12 oz. version, which is just about the perfect choice for a solo brew.

Even though the Francois et Mimi comes a bit higher on the price spectrum, not everyone is impressed with its mesh filter. It’s not necessarily bad; it’s just not as effective as those that come with some presses on this list.

4. Bodum Brazil French Press

The Bodum Brazil French press (on Amazon) has an attractive price, and it’s a coffee geek’s favorite option for good reasons.

The carafe material is borosilicate glass, but the lid, handle, and base are BPA-free plastic. This gives it an elegant design — and the plastic doubles as a shock absorber.

On top of the basic black, you can find the plastic components in brilliant apple-green and cheerful red color options.

Bodum was careful to include their three-part filtration system here, with a stainless steel mesh secured by a spiral plate on top and a cross plate below. All these parts come out easily and are easy to clean, even in a dishwasher.

5. Le Creuset Stoneware French Press

While it’s probably not for those on a tight budget, the Le Creuset French press (on Amazon) undeniably makes an excellent addition to your kitchen. It has a unique look and construction, making it stand out amongst its rivals. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, you’ll instantly be taken by its brilliantly enameled exterior, which covers the stoneware beaker.

Stoneware usually retains heat better than glass, making the Le Creuset French press better for steeping than its glass counterparts. What’s more, it has good durability and longevity (provided you don’t drop it on the floor).

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