How to use a French press to make a great cup of coffee

• Using a French press is one of the easiest ways to manually brew coffee at home.
• Having control over every brewing variable ensures that your coffee will turn out perfect.
• If your coffee tastes off, the French press is simple, so it's easy to figure out what went wrong.

Using a French press is the simplest way to make delicious coffee. The brewing process is easy to learn and forgiving enough to execute while half asleep. But you'll still have control over every variable in the brewing process for maximum customization. French presses are also very versatile when it comes to how much coffee you want to make.

Below you'll find everything you need to make an excellent cup of coffee with a French press, how to control every element of your brew, plus troubleshooting tips if it doesn't taste how you expected it to.

What you need

• Coffee
• French press
• Kettle
• Burr grinder (optional)
• Scale (optional)

Quick tip: If you're looking to buy a French press, check out our top picks for the best French presses according to our testing.

French press basics

Making any cup of coffee relies on a few basic variables - beans, grind size, the coffee-to-water ratio, temperature, and time. The French press allows you to customize each one, but there are a few things you should know about each before you get started:

Choosing the beans: The coffee beans you use are going to have the biggest effect on the outcome of your coffee. Taste is subjective when it comes to roast profile, growing region, and flavor notes, so go with beans you love.

The biggest thing you can do to improve your coffee is to make sure it's fresh. Coffee is usually at its best when brewed within two weeks of roasting. Storing your beans in an air-tight container in a cool and dark area will also help keep them fresh.

Grinding: Grind your beans coarsely, roughly to the size of sea salt. French presses usually use metal or mesh filters, which allow more dissolved solids to pass through. A coarse grind helps prevent some of that mud and grit that often settles at the bottom of a French press.

Most coffee grinders allow you to select the degree of coarseness, so you can dial in and find the right fit. Blade grinders produce notoriously inconsistent grinds, so if they're not recommended; use a burr grinder instead. If you don't have your own grinder, most cafes and roasters can grind to your preferred coarseness as well.

Ratio: Coffee experts generally recommend a ratio of about one part coffee to eighteen parts water. French presses come in many different sizes, so using ratios is the easiest way to figure out the measurements for your specific press.

For a single 8-ounce cup of coffee, use around 15 grams of coffee and 237 milliliters of water, or about 2 tablespoons to 1 cup. The French press is very forgiving compared to other manual brewing methods, so you don't have to be perfectly precise.

Water temperature: The ideal temperature range for brewing coffee is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use a thermometer to be precise or simply allow your water to come to a boil, then turn off the heat and wait about 30 seconds before pouring it over the grounds.

Brew time: A four to five minute brew time will get you the best flavor. If you prefer stronger coffee, steeping the grounds for longer is fine, but you run the risk of over-extraction, which causes the coffee to taste more bitter.

Quick tip: French presses are sold with either glass or plastic beakers. Plastic can begin to warp, crack, and discolor after prolonged use. Glass is more fragile, but only needs replacing if it's cracked or broken.

How to make French press coffee

1. Grind your coffee. Make sure your coffee is ground coarsely. If you don't own a grinder, have your local roaster or cafe grind it for you.
2. Heat up your water. Heat your water in a kettle to between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Transfer the gound coffee. Place your desired amount of ground coffee into the bottom of the beaker.
4. Cover the coffee with hot water. Carefully pour the hot water over the coffee grounds - 1 cup per 2 tablespoons of ground coffee. Make sure the grounds are evenly soaked. Carefully stir to fully combine the coffee grounds and water.
5. Let it steep. Allow your coffee to brew for four to six minutes to achieve a full-bodied cup with a balanced flavor profile. You can also stir your coffee a few times during this stage to ensure even brewing.
6. Filter the grounds from the coffee. Place the lid on the beaker and depress the plunger to separate the grounds from the brewed coffee. Go slowly to prevent the coffee from spilling.
7. Serve your finished coffee. Pour the finished coffee directly into a mug or another serving vessel and enjoy!

Quick tip: Most French presses can be used as a serving vessel, but even after filtering, the coffee continues to steep. This can lead to over-extraction and bitter coffee. If you are making more than a single cup, decant the coffee into a pitcher to stop the brewing process.

Tips for troubleshooting French press coffee

The French press is that it's so simple that troubleshooting is a breeze. Here are some common problems and some likely solutions:

Too weak? If your coffee turns out too weak, there are two variables in the brewing process that could be responsible - brewing time and water temperature. If the coffee steeps for less than four minutes or the water is less than 195 degrees Fahrenheit, it will be underdeveloped and taste watery.

Too bitter? Bitterness usually occurs when the coffee is brewed for too long. The longer the grounds are in contact with water, the more organic compounds and oils are extracted from the beans. Try using a kitchen timer to avoid over-extraction and pour your coffee into a different serving vessel once it's finished brewing.

Too gritty? French press coffee is well known for producing a more full-bodied cup of coffee due to its style of filtration. Unfortunately, some sediment will likely be present with every batch. To avoid the worst of this, grind your coffee coarsely so fewer particles make it through the filter. Also, as your coffee cools, the sediment will naturally settle toward the bottom of your mug. Don't drink the last sip, as it will likely be full of grit.

Tastes funny? Make sure to clean your French press after every use. Oils can build up over time and sour, causing some unpleasant flavors. Clean with hot water and a clean dish towel. If you use dish soap, make sure to rinse thoroughly. Soap can also leave residue that causes strange flavors. If your press is clean and your coffee still tastes strange, check the roast date on your beans. They could be too old.

Quick tip: Grinding your coffee right before brewing is another great way to guarantee the freshest flavor.

Insider's takeaway

The French press is not just a simple, easy to learn, and very forgiving device. It's also the perfect introduction to the fundamentals of coffee brewing. It offers control over every brewing variable, so through a little understanding and practice, you can learn how each factor in the brewing process contributes to making the perfect cup.

If you just want some delicious coffee, use 1 cup of water per 2 tablespoons of ground coffee, heat your water to 195 degrees Fahrenheit, steep for four minutes, and enjoy.