A French press coffee pot goes many different names depending on where you are in the world. In France it goes by the name of the manufacturer as well as a cafetiere a piston. In Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK it is known as a cafetiere the French word for carafe. In Australia, South Africa and New Zealand a French press is called a coffee plunger.
A French press is a very basic and easy way to make a cup of coffee. You simply fill the carafe with ground coffee and hot water. Then after steeping you filter out the grounds by pressing the plunger down. You are left with a great cup of coffee. There is no set method for making coffee using a French press as it differs depending on the person.
As with any coffee the temperature of the water is very important. The water needs to be hot but not boiling. Almost boiling is the perfect temperature. And this can be achieved by adding a shot of cold water to boiling water.
You also want to use fresh water every single time as water that has been boiled will taste flat as it does not contain any dissolved gasses. Before using your French press you can warm up the carafe with some hot water so that you coffee is as warm as possible.
The best type of coffee to use is freshly ground and this will give you a superior cup of French press coffee. There is a big difference between freshly ground coffee and pre ground can be noticed in the aroma and flavor of the coffee. If you have too fine coffee then it will not be caught by the filter and you will have grounds in the coffee. Coarse ground coffee is the best when using a French press.
In general about two tablespoons of coffee should be used for one cup of water. Though if you like a stronger cup of coffee you can add more coffee. Once you add the water to the grounds you should stir the grounds so that the grounds are completely wet as air pockets can form.
Generally four minutes is the perfect time for steeping but you can go for as long as ten minutes if you desire very strong coffee. There is also a no steep method that produces a less bitter cup of coffee. However you will need to use more coffee grinds to get the same amount of flavor and aroma. For extra dark coffee you can steep for 10 minutes, for standard coffee steep for 4 minutes, a short steep is 30-60 seconds and you plunge after adding water for the no steep method.
A French press is a very basic and easy way to make a cup of coffee. You simply fill the carafe with ground coffee and hot water. Then after steeping you filter out the grounds by pressing the plunger down. You are left with a great cup of coffee. There is no set method for making coffee using a French press as it differs depending on the person.
As with any coffee the temperature of the water is very important. The water needs to be hot but not boiling. Almost boiling is the perfect temperature. And this can be achieved by adding a shot of cold water to boiling water.
You also want to use fresh water every single time as water that has been boiled will taste flat as it does not contain any dissolved gasses. Before using your French press you can warm up the carafe with some hot water so that you coffee is as warm as possible.
The best type of coffee to use is freshly ground and this will give you a superior cup of French press coffee. There is a big difference between freshly ground coffee and pre ground can be noticed in the aroma and flavor of the coffee. If you have too fine coffee then it will not be caught by the filter and you will have grounds in the coffee. Coarse ground coffee is the best when using a French press.
In general about two tablespoons of coffee should be used for one cup of water. Though if you like a stronger cup of coffee you can add more coffee. Once you add the water to the grounds you should stir the grounds so that the grounds are completely wet as air pockets can form.
Generally four minutes is the perfect time for steeping but you can go for as long as ten minutes if you desire very strong coffee. There is also a no steep method that produces a less bitter cup of coffee. However you will need to use more coffee grinds to get the same amount of flavor and aroma. For extra dark coffee you can steep for 10 minutes, for standard coffee steep for 4 minutes, a short steep is 30-60 seconds and you plunge after adding water for the no steep method.
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1 comment:
Great how to write up! We just put together a brand new step by step guide to making French Press coffee over at www.FrenchPressHowTo.com and would love to hear what you think!
Thanks!
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