Ah, the French Press. Much debate on origin of the name here in the Pick and Brew office, but it is universally accepted as one of the premier coffee brewing methods. Using a coarse grind, the hot water pulls on each ground, extracting premium flavor and a strong and robust cup. Following is recipe for a 4-cup French Press (8-cup in parenthesis).
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Weigh out 38 grams (8-cup: 64g), about 5 level tablespoons, of whole 11 oz colombian whole bean coffee. Using a burr grinder, grind the coffee to a coarse consistency (far left setting of commercial grinder).
Step 2
Rinse your French Press with hot water. This preheats the vessel and helps to keep a steady temperature while brewing. Discard the rinse water and add the freshly ground coffee into the preheated French Press. Place onto your scale and tare to ‘0 grams.’
Step 3
Now we’re ready to start brewing. Once your water has reached a boil, allow it to cool a few degrees, waiting 90 seconds before brewing. Set timer to 4:00 minutes. Gently pour 600 grams (8-cup: 1000 g) of water over the grounds, filling the French Press to just below the bottom of the pouring spout. Make sure the grounds are fully saturated and no dry pockets remain at the bottom. Then, start your timer.
Step 4
After one minute, you’ll notice that a layer of grounds will form a “crust” on the surface of your brew. Give a gentle stir to evenly immerse these grounds into the rest of the brew. Cover your French Press with the accompanying plunger (or with a small plate, or something similar), to prevent heat from escaping while the coffee brews.
Step 5
When 3:30 minutes have passed, insert the plunger screen into the French Press chamber and slowly press down, using gentle pressure. If there is resistance when pressing, your grind may be too fine. Adjust accordingly.
Step 6
Pour into your favorite drinking vessel and enjoy. If there is still brewed coffee remaining in the press, decant it into another vessel. This stops the brewing process and prevents over-extraction.
