French Press: The Complete Guide to Making Perfect Coffee with Your Cafetière à Piston
TL;DR
The French Press extracts coffee by full immersion without a paper filter, resulting in a fuller-bodied and richer coffee with more oils than a drip brew, but also cloudier. The grind must be coarse to avoid over-extraction (4 minutes recommended). Freshly roasted coffee yields the best results.
The French Press is one of the most accessible and widespread brewing methods in the world. It requires no paper filter, minimal equipment, and delivers a rich, full-bodied coffee that is very different from a classic drip brew. However, many people end up with bitter or muddy results because they don't know a few simple rules. Here's the complete roaster's guide.
Why does the French Press produce such a different coffee?
The French Press is a full immersion method: the coffee is in constant contact with the water throughout the brewing process. Unlike a paper filter, the metal filter allows natural coffee oils and fine particles to pass through, resulting in a fuller body and an almost velvety texture.
This richness is the method's strength. It can also become a drawback if the coffee is of poor quality, over-extracted, or ground too finely. With good coffee, the French Press reveals background aromas (chocolate, nuts, spices) that paper-filtered methods tend to diminish.
The water-to-coffee ratio: a universal starting point
The recommended ratio for the French Press is 60 to 70g of coffee per liter of water, which is about 15 to 17g for 250ml. This is a starting point: adjust according to your taste. More coffee will give more body and intensity, less will result in a lighter cup.
Practical examples:
- 250 ml of water: 15 to 17 g of coffee
- 500 ml of water: 30 to 35 g of coffee
- 1 liter of water: 60 to 70 g of coffee
The grind: coarse is key
The grind must be coarse, similar to coarse sugar or sea salt. This is where most people go wrong. A grind that is too fine causes two problems: over-extraction (bitterness), and a clogged metal filter that is difficult to press.
If you don't have a grinder, ask your roaster to grind the coffee for a French Press. Our coffee beans can be ground on demand to the correct profile. Ideally, invest in a conical burr grinder: the difference in the final result is considerable.
Preparation steps: the step-by-step method
1. Preheat the coffee maker with a little hot water, then empty.
2. Pour the ground coffee into the empty coffee maker.
3. Add water at 93-95°C. Pour all at once over the coffee.
4. Stir briefly with a spoon to wet all the grounds.
5. Place the lid without pressing and let steep for exactly 4 minutes.
6. Slowly press the plunger over 20 to 30 seconds without forcing.
7. Serve immediately. The coffee continues to extract if left in the coffee maker: transfer to a thermos.
Which origin to choose for the French Press?
The French Press enhances coffees with a naturally full body: East African origins (Ethiopia, Rwanda) bring a fruity complexity, while Central American origins (Guatemala, Nicaragua) offer chocolatey profiles and pleasant nutty notes with this method. Discover our complete selection of coffee beans to choose your next French Press coffee.
The French press requires a coarse and consistent grind.