How To Brew The Best Cup of Coffee in a French Press

Written by: Maurice Carpede

How does one brew the best cup of coffee ever, specifically using what most households probably already have, a plunger, or as it is also known or called by those who would like to be a little fancier, a french press?

Let me just start by saying that, like with most things that require a method or a recipe, you make or consume it just the way you like it. I mean, I can explain to you what I think is the best method of making the perfect cup of coffee, but to you, it may end up tasting like stale dishwasher water that’s been in the sink for the whole weekend while you were away camping, or whatever you do on weekends, that’s so important that you forget to drain the water from the sink.

I guess what I am trying to say is that, if your brew method works for you, then stick to it. I mean if it ain’t broken why fix it. I remember as a kid, my great grandmother used to put one of those enamel coffee pots on the Welcome Dover coal stove, add one tablespoon of “moerkoffie” in a bag that was hanging into the pot, pour hot water over it, and that was it. Our own pour over coffee. Every time the coffee pot was empty, we just added more water. So one tablespoon of coffee had to last the whole day. By the time I came out of school to have a cup, that coffee tasted like it was freshly brewed with a long weekend old dishwasher sink water, but that was how we enjoyed it.

Having said that though, there is absolutely nothing wrong in just experimenting with different brewing methods. You might be pleasantly surprised at how different your favourite bean may taste. You may also discover flavours in your beans that you thought may have only been possible in high end and very pricey speciality beans.

Now the most basic brewing method that most of us make use of, is to put pre-ground coffee in a plunger, add boiling water and wait a few minutes before plunging and enjoying a cuppa. As I said, if that’s your cuppa tea, (yes I actually mean coffee but no-one uses that word in this context) then so be it. Enjoy it the way you like it. But you may also want to consider trying these methods that I will explain below.

Ditch the ground coffee

Coffee is always better when it is freshly ground. I’m not going to go into detail here as to why freshly ground coffee is better than pre-ground, because I am absolutely certain that you are not in the mood for reading a science paper right now, so just trust me on this one. You don’t even have to buy a different brand of coffee than what you normally buy, just opt for the beans next time you’re in the supermarket.

When it comes to grinding coffee beans at home, the key is to keep the grind size as consistent as possible. To explain why is going to require another science paper, but the bottom line is that it aids in ensuring an even extraction of the coffee. I personally invested in a hand grinder that I take with me wherever the road may lead me. Good electric grinders can be quite expensive, so I suggest looking at a hand grinder to start off. I used a spice grinder in the beginning of my coffee journey, but I found the grind size to be very inconsistent, resulting in an uneven extraction and because of that, not the best cup of coffee. So go ahead and use a spice grinder for your standard house blend of coffee to kickstart your own coffee journey, but I will not recommend it for single origin or speciality coffees.

It’s all about the brew bru

Okay, let’s get into brewing. Ideally you should measure the coffee beans by the gram and add hot water in ratio to the weight of the coffee, to get the best extraction. Yep, you are right. That’s another science paper. So for now, let’s just eyeball it and say that for every cup of yield, use one tablespoon of freshly ground coffee.

First, put the coffee in the plunger/ French press and level or even it out. Add a little amount of hot water, just enough to cover the coffee and let it bloom for around 40 to 45 seconds. The blooming phase is when the coffee bubbles and gets rid of gasses in the coffee. Once this phase is over, fill the plunger to the desired level based on the amount of coffee. Too much water may lead to “weak” coffee and that can’t be fixed after the fact. So rather add less water to ensure “stronger” coffee, which can always be diluted with more hot water or milk, whichever you prefer. The total brewing time for this method should be around 3 to 5 minutes. Anything less may result in under extracted coffee and anything more could result in over extraction. Once you’ve reached the ideal extraction time, plunge or press and enjoy.

Now, what I have described above is a brewing method that most coffee lovers are aware of and will make use of. This next method however I have learned from the one and only James Hoffman. He is an award winning barista and YouTuber whom I have learnt so much about coffee from. I truly enjoy his YouTube channel so much so that I received his book, “The World Atlas of Coffee” as a Christmas gift.

With his method of brewing french press coffee, there is no pressing or plunging. His take on this is that when you plunge or press down, the sediment, impurities or whatever it is called, will float back up into the coffee and will result in a “muddy texture”. Not his words, mine. So for that cleaner tasting coffee, he follows basically the exact same steps that I described earlier, except, the grind size is somewhat coarser because of the much longer extraction time of almost 10 minutes, he skips the blooming phase and he does not plunge or press down.

What else is different? When you get to the 4 minute brewing time, use a spoon to break the crust that will form on top of the coffee and scoop off all the impurities that end up floating on top. Allow the coffee to settle or continue brewing for another 5 minutes. During this time, all the coffee grounds and sediment should float down and settle at the bottom of the plunger. Keep the lid on top of the coffee without plunging or pressing down. It needs to remain just above the coffee. At around the 9 minute mark, simply pour and enjoy a good clean cup of coffee.

That’s it. Simple and easy. Very long brew time though. If you are going to try this in the morning, do it while brushing your teeth. Waiting 10 minutes to brew coffee just seems too long.

I hope you like and enjoy this method of brewing, and if you don’t, well there’s always the stale weekend old dishwasher water method to consider.