Why a French press works
Your press is a jar with a mesh filter built in, so you need no extra gear. Keep the plunger up while the coffee steeps, and press only when the time is up. Fine grounds slip through the mesh. Set your grinder to its coarsest setting.
Ratio and water
For concentrate, use 1:5 by weight. For a glass you drink as it is, use about 1:12. No scale? Use double your usual hot coffee. Fill the press about two thirds with water, because the grounds need room. One roaster uses 130 g of coffee and 650 ml of water in a 1 L press.
| 12 oz | 20 oz | 34 oz | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press size | 350 ml | 600 ml | 1 L |
| Water | 230 ml | 400 ml | 650 ml |
| Coffee for concentrate, 1 : 5 | 46 g | 80 g | 130 g |
| Coffee to drink as is, 1 : 12 | 19 g | 33 g | 54 g |
| Concentrate you pour off | about 140 to 160 ml | about 240 to 280 ml | about 390 to 450 ml |
Steeping
Add the grounds, pour in cold filtered water, and stir until every grind is wet. Put the lid on with the plunger up. Steep 12 to 16 hours, and stop by 24, when it turns bitter. Many presses will not fit in the fridge with the plunger up. Steep on the counter, or cover the top with foil.
Pressing and pouring out
Press after the steep, never before. Take about 30 seconds. If the plunger fights you, pull it back a little and press again. Then pour all of it into a jar and rinse the press. Leave the coffee on the grounds and it keeps brewing.
Sediment and storing
A little silt gets past the mesh. Pour the pressed coffee through a paper filter over a jar to catch it, and rinse the filter first. Store the coffee in a sealed jar. Mix a glass at a time, 1:1 with water or milk, over ice.