PT's French Press Brew Guide

The French press is a full-immersion brewer that touts simplicity as its claim to fame. The press itself has two basic parts: a brewing chamber and a plunger with a filter screen attached to the bottom. A French press produces a full-bodied cup with a rich flavor profile. When using a full immersion brew method, it is extremely important to monitor the brew time. Although it's one of the easiest brew methods, it is possible to over-extract the coffee by brewing for too long.

The guide below provides a foundation from which to start, though we encourage experimentation as you develop your personal preferences.

• French press
• Burr grinder
• Digital scale that measures in grams
• Whole bean specialty coffee

• Brew time: 4 minutes
• Coffee: 60g
• Water: 900g
• Coffee to water ratio: 1:15
• Grind: Coarse
• Ideal water temperature: 195 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit

Preheat brewer with hot water.

Weigh out 60g of whole bean coffee. Using a coffee to water ratio of 1:15 is ideal for the French press. This ratio will help you scale up or down for different size presses.

Grind the coffee at the coarsest setting. Discard rinse water from the brewer and add ground coffee.

Place everything on your scale. Tare scale to zero.

Start timer and vigorously pour 900g of water.

When the timer reaches 1 minute, stir the coffee to help evenly saturate the grounds.

Carefully put the lid onto the press, allowing the plunger to rest just above the surface of the brewing coffee.

When the timer reaches 4 minutes, slowly press down the plunger.

Serve immediately, allowing the coffee to rest in a mug/cup for a few minutes. Enjoy!