Wondering how to use a French press?
Also known as a cafetière, coffee press, or coffee plunger, using one for the first time doesn’t have to be daunting.
At Moderno Coffee, we have you covered. Using a French press can be broken down into 8 easy steps. Here they are:
- Wash your French press thoroughly
- Boil water (preferably filtered) in your kettle
- Scald your cup and the French press with a little hot water
- Add a heaped tablespoon of ground coffee
- Pour hot water over the ground coffee and stir 2-3 times with a spoon
- Leave the coffee sit (brew) for 5 minutes
- Press down the coffee
- Pour the filtered coffee into a cup and enjoy
The rest of this article will go into each of these steps in more detail. We’ve also included photographs to explain each step.
Oh and by the way, my name is Colm. I’ve been drinking coffee from a French press for years. And the step-by-step method I’m about to show you is exactly how I brew my coffee every morning.
So let’s get into it.
First, here’s what you’ll need
You’ll need the following to make coffee in a French press. See the photograph below for what these look like.
- A French press (obviously 🙂)
- A spoon
- Ground coffee
- A kettle
- Your cup
- Water
OK let’s go.
8 Steps to Amazing Coffee
I’m going to outline the above 8 steps in more detail. After you’ve done this once, you’ll see there’s nothing to it. Soon you’ll be brewing coffee as good as what you get in a coffee shop.
Step 1: Wash your French press thoroughly
Step 1 is a preliminary step that’s not part of the actual brewing process. But it’s important all the same.
Make sure you wash and rinse your cup and French press with warm soapy water. After you’ve done this make sure you wash out all the soap – this includes from the plunger part of the kit. And make sure you rinse out all the grounds from previous brews (if this isn’t your first time using a French press).
Step 2: Boil the water
I filter my water using a Brita filter because I live in a city and don’t like drinking tap water. It’s better for making coffee too since you’re getting purified water (at least to some degree).
Anyway, add about 1 pint (568 ml or 20 fl oz) of water to your kettle and boil it. Afterwards, wait for it to cool down a little, as you never want to add boiling water to your coffee. Instead, it should be just off the boil, or about 95 degrees Celsius (200 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Starbucks.
The reason why you don’t want to use boiling water is because it can burn your coffee. It can also extract too much flavor from the grounds, making your coffee very bitter.
Anyway, that brings us onto Step 3.
Step 3: Scald your cup and French press
This step is optional, but I like to do it because that’s how my Dad taught me how to make coffee. And I’m pretty sure his parents taught him the same way. Thanks Dad :).
When I say “scald” your cup, I mean you add in some hot water from your kettle into the cup. Then swirl it around and leave it in the cup while you go through the next steps. This keeps your cup nice and warm while you wait. You can do the same thing to the French press.
Step 4: Add coffee to the French press
Add one heaped tablespoon to your French press. That’s it. Though it will depend on how strong you want your coffee and how many people you’re brewing it for. If it’s just for yourself, 1-2 tablespoons is enough. This should give you about 80-135 mg of caffeine if it’s an 8 ounce cup.
Step 5: Pour hot water over the ground coffee and stir
As mentioned in Step 2, the water from your kettle should be just off the boil. In other words it shouldn’t be boiling, but still very hot. Otherwise you risk burning your coffee or at the very least extracting too much flavor from the beans.
How much to add? Well, how many are you serving? Fill the entire pot if it’s for 2 or more people, but if it’s only you then you can add as much as it takes to fill one cup.
Step 6: Leave the coffee steep
I like to leave mine steep for about 5 minutes. Although some sources recommend going up to 8 minutes.
Personally, the flavor is just right for me with 5 minutes of steeping. But this is for the specific brand of coffee I drink. If I change brand in the future, then steeping time will have to change also. This is where you’ll need to experiment. Try 2-4 minutes. Try 5 minutes. Heck, try 10 minutes. See what works for you.
7. Press down the coffee
This is the exciting part. After all, it’s where the name “French press” comes from :). Push the top of the press downwards, so you push the coffee grounds to the bottom of the pot, filtering out the coffee.
8. Pour the filtered coffee into a cup and enjoy
We’re pretty much done! All you have to do now is pour the coffee from the French press into your cup. Oh.. and be careful not to spill any!
And that’s it! Simple, right?
Now there are some hardcore coffee aficionados who insist on using whole beans for the brewing process. And they weigh their coffee first as well. To this I say, “YAWN”.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with taking these extra steps, but it’s too involved and takes a lot longer.
The article you’re reading right now is aimed at getting you up to speed on making coffee quickly. Once you’re familiar with this process, you can then add more detailed steps if you want. Including using whole beans and weighing out your coffee.
So to finish this up, just remember not to use boiling water for your coffee. It should be hot – just off the boil. And follow these steps:
- Wash your French press thoroughly
- Boil water (preferably filtered) in your kettle
- Scald your cup and the French press with a little hot water
- Add a heaped tablespoon of ground coffee.
- Pour hot water over the ground coffee and stir 2-3 times with a spoon.
- Leave the coffee sit (brew) for 5 minutes
- Press down the coffee
- Pour the filtered coffee into a cup and enjoy
Looking to try an espresso instead of coffee made in a French press? Check out our recent article on how much caffeine is in an espresso. Or take a look at our post on the coffees with the highest levels of caffeine.
And good luck with your coffee brewing!
