French Press coffee brewing is a great way to add a new twist to your everyday brewed coffee. It uses very coarsely ground coffee that basically steeps in the brewing water for several minutes allowing all the flavours to fully extract from the coffee grinds. Because of the filtering system there is always some sediment which some people don’t like.
A French press coffee maker has two parts: a straight-sided container usually made of glass, and a filter-plunger that pushes through the water to filter out the coffee after it has steeped. This plunger also serves as the lid. Some French Press models come insulated, so you don’t need to worry about the coffee getting cold while it steeps.
To brew coffee with a French Press, you should pre-heat the carafe while you boil your water. You will then want to empty the carafe, then add both the coffee and the water for brewing. The coffee grinds then can be stirred so that all of them come in contact with the water. So that the coffee remains hot, place the combination plunger/lid on top of the pot. DO NOT, and we repeat, DO NOT PRESS THE LID DOWN YET – you’ll want to have the water steep for about four minutes depending on how coarsely the coffee is ground.
Once you feel the coffee has brewed enough, slowly depress the plunger trapping the grounds on the bottom. The plunger should not be forced. If this is the case, lift the plunger up a bit then retry. The filter can jam on grinds that are too fine. A little patience should lead to good results.
Don’t listen to what others say – the coffee must be decanted into an insulated serving pot. If you don’t transfer the coffee from the French Press it will stay in contact with the grinds, continuing the brewing process. You wouldn’t want your coffee to be ruined. Decanting the coffee is also a good idea so that it remains warm. Coffee can cool off quite quickly in non-insulated French Press pots.
There is no exact science to finding the best possible taste – it’s all up to your taste buds, and how you balance coarseness of grind and brewing time. Once you’ve done that you will have some of the tastiest coffee anywhere.
Author bio: Douglas Ross publishes plr content and plr ebook.
