What all do you need?
- A French Press: A quick amazon search will give you many different options ranging in size and design. I would choose a transparent one because I like to see the coffee grounds being pushed down after it is done brewing. Find one with millilitre marks on the side, this would make the process a lot easier. But you won’t go wrong with any, granted it has a good amount of reviews.
- Coffee: You can either start from coffee beans or buy grounded coffee. It is common knowledge that just 15 minutes after your coffee is ground, it starts losing its flavour and freshness. So it is better to buy coffee beans and grind it just before brewing. If you are still buying grounded coffee, then look for coarsely ground coffee because fine ground coffee would slip in through the mesh in the french press. Usually, you can find a “French Press Ground” mentioned right on the coffee packet.
- Grinder: Buy any simple coffee grinder, again a quick Amazon search will give you a ton of options, just choose the most basic one in the beginning. You can always upgrade later.
The process
The following process is for 1 cup (200 ml) of coffee. You can increase the proportions according to your needs.
- Heat up the water (~300 ml) up to the boiling point.
- Pour just some of it (~40 ml) into the french press to preheat the french press. Pour it on the inner walls of the french press.
- Keep the other water uncovered for a while because the water should be at 190 °F (or 90 °C). A thermometer isn’t required because by the time you do the next two steps your water would have come down to it naturally. Keep it uncovered for ~2 minutes.
- Take 2 tablespoons worth of coffee beans and put them in a grinder. Generally, people choose to use a weighing scale to measure coffee weight. But bringing out the weighing scale every time is not convenient.
- Grind it till the beans are coarsely ground. Usually, the grinder comes with a user manual, that mentions the amount of time required for each griund type.
- Empty out the french press (the water from step 1) and put the grounded coffee in the french press.
- Slowly pour in the water up to the 200 ml mark and cover the press with the lid (don’t push the plunger down just yet).
- After 4 minutes push the plunger down slowly.
- Pour the coffee into a mug.
Your black french pressed coffee is ready. You can still make more additions like putting in some milk or sweetener. You can even try making a Latte by plunging the milk in the french press (without the coffee) to make the milk frothy.
The measurements mentioned here are up to my liking, you might like your coffee a bit different and so it is always a good idea to experiment with the proportions. Change the grind size, change the water to coffee ration, change the brew time etc.
While buying coffee equipment and coffee, don’t get overwhlemed by the amount of options available, it might seem daunting at first. Don’t try to find the best one, because looking at lot of options will make you confused and you will end up getting frustrated. Just consider 5–6 options and choose one from it.
