Top 12 tips to make the best coffee from your French press

One of the effortless means for coffee-brewing is the French press. It is also excellent for extracting oils from a coffee, catching flavours and aromas from the beans. To get the most out of the brewing process here are a few tips and tricks, it doesn’t matter if you’re a French press lover or lately considering switching from a drip coffee maker to a press one.

Fresh Coffee Beans

You need to start with the fresh coffee beans to brew a fresh cup of coffee. If store-bought coffee beans just don't cut it for you, order delicious coffee beans from a nearby roaster. Check the expiration date of the coffee beans before taking your French Press out. Sealed coffee beans usually remain fresh for around six months in the pantry and will remain fresh in the freezer for up to 2 years.

Use a Coarse Grind

For four minutes, French presses fully submerge grinds in water, providing much more contact between the water and the ground than other brewing methods.

Weigh Your Coffee and Water

Coffee and water are measured most accurately by weighing it. Coffees have varying densities. African coffees, for example, tend to be denser than South American coffees. Because the densities of the beans vary, a measurement of volume will not be as accurate as a measure of weight. The only way to ensure that you always have the right coffee-to-water ratio is to weigh coffee every time you grind it.

Grinding the Coffee Beans

A lot of people prefer to use ground coffee in the morning to brew a cup of Joe. Although ground coffee is certainly handy, the price is a palatable taste. If you want to maintain the coffee flavor as much as possible, the coffee beans should be grinded right before brewing.

Wet the Grinds First

Rather than filling up the French press instantly the minute your water is hot, wet the grinds first. And let them have 30 seconds to stand. This will allow the coffee to bloom, and give your brewed coffee sometime to get rid of carbon dioxide in the grinds time so it won't become sour. Pour the rest of the water after the grounds have been dank for 30 seconds.

Water Proportion in French Press Coffee

Although some people tend to have a strong coffee, some choose lighter cups. Experiment for different amounts of coffee to water to discover your favorite. Start with a ground coffee 7 grams per 4 oz.

Quality of Water

Most coffee lovers make the error of focusing solely on the coffee bean consistency. A cup of coffee, at the end of the day, is mostly water. Contrary to common opinion, the purified or reverse osmosis water should not be used for the coffee. To bring out the coffee's flavor you need the minerals in the water.

Using the precise water temperature

We all know from our personal experiences that coffee is all too easy to burn. For brewing coffee, the optimal water temperature is 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit. If the thermometer is not on hand, boil the water and leave it on the stove to cool for one to two minutes.

Stir 1 Minute In

All the grounds will often rise to the top, and not be completely immersed in the water.

Give them a good 1-minute stir into the brewing process, if the grounds rise to the top of the press. By doing this they will settle back into the water.

Brew for 4 Minutes

They will brew French presses for 4 minutes. This is the total time when water hits the coffee. You can use your smartphone, a kitchen timer or a coffee scale with a timer for 4 minutes to clock out.

Pouring Coffee to a Warm Carafe

You should transfer the coffee to a warm carafe right after the brewing process. Allowing the coffee to stay in the French Press would only result in over-extraction and an overly dry cup of coffee.

Plunge and Pour

When you have brewed your coffee, press the plunger down. It's time to have fun. If you're not going to drink any of it at once, pour the remainder into a warm carafe to prevent over-extraction.