- French press
- Beginner
- 6 min
Full-bodied coffee with a French press
A French press makes rich, full-bodied coffee with almost no skill: 30g coarse coffee to 500g water, steep four minutes, break the crust, then plunge slowly. Decant fully so it never turns bitter.
Scale the recipe
30 g coffee · 500 g water
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Add coffee
PrepAdd 30g of coarse coffee to the press.
Pour & steep
Pour→ 500 g96°CPour 500g of water just off the boil, start the timer, and steep for 4 minutes.
4:00Break the crust
Prep→ 500 gStir the crust gently and skim off the foam and floating grounds.
Plunge
Press→ 500 gPress the plunger down slowly and evenly.
0:30Decant
Prep→ 500 gPour all the coffee out immediately so it stops extracting. Don’t let it sit on the grounds.
Shop the gear
What you’ll need for this brew. Already kitted out? Skip ahead. This is just the checklist.
- French press
- Kettle
- Scale
- Spoon
- Timer
Dial it in
Start at a coarse grind. Then let the cup tell you: if it runs too fast and tastes weak or sour, grind finer. If it stalls and turns harsh or bitter, grind coarser. Change one thing at a time and re-taste.
Common questions
Why is my French press coffee bitter?+
Usually because it sat on the grounds after plunging. Decant all of it right away, and use a coarse grind with a 4-minute steep.
What grind for a French press?+
Coarse, like sea salt. Too fine and it’ll be muddy, over-extracted and harder to plunge.
Brew along with live timers
The full interactive runner lives behind the door: timers that nag you at the right second, saved brews, and streaks. Sign in to save your progress.