Do real coffee lovers drink French Press coffee? I read this question a while ago at a small coffee shop in the Pacific Northwest.

At the time, I never had French Press coffee. If you read my about me page, you know I’m a tea drinker over coffee any day. But from time to time, I love a good cup of coffee; especially, coffee that brings out that espresso bar flavor.

My First French Press

A couple of years ago, my boyfriend and I were gifted with a French Press coffee maker. But we never used one before.

So, we did what most people do to figure things out, we headed over to YouTube. We watched tutorial after tutorial trying to perfect our French Press coffee. And there was a lot of trial and error, and more bitter faces than anything else.

French Press Coffee

How to Make French Press Coffee

With time, we finally found a method to our coffee madness. We actually felt like we perfected how we make French Press coffee and listed our own directions below.

There are a couple key points that are slightly different than most French Press coffee makers, but we feel this separates the coffee lovers from the coffee drinkers. Our method is the sole reason why we stopped making a Starbucks run on Saturday mornings. We bring out a flavor of coffee that you never knew existed.

French Press


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Prep Time: 8-12 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Serves: 5-6 cups

Ingredients:

  • Water
  • Coffee Beans

Supplies you will also need:

Directions:

1. Measure your coffee beans.  Use the 6:10 ratio. 6 ounces of water for every 10 grams of ground coffee beans, depending on preference. The food scale comes in handy for this.

2. Grind your coffee. You want to grind to a medium grade not super fine. Add to French Press.

3. Heat your water. Try to use filtered water 198-205 degrees, the hotter the better. The electric kettle works the best for this, or you can boil water on the stove.

4. Add hot water to French Press.

5. Stir gently with a fork.

6. Cover. Let hot water and coffee grounds steep. (4-5 minutes)

7. Press. Take the cover off and stir (optional), put the cover back on and press down slowly.

8. Let sit 1 minute and enjoy to your preference.

Questions/Answers:

How much coffee do I put in a French Press?

Use 6 ounces of water for every 10 grams which corresponds to 40 grams of coffee for 24 ounces of water.

Can you use regular coffee grounds in a French Press?

Yes, but for the best flavor for a French Press you can get your coffee beans ground for French Press use. This can be done at any café, Starbucks or even grocery store in the coffee isle. If you want some recommendations for coffee and other supplies check here.

Is French Press coffee bad for you?

French Press coffee does not filter out Cafestol (a compound in coffee), which causes your level of bad Cholesterol to rise in your body. There has not been a lot of discussion in about this in recent years (within last 5 years) but moderation is key like with most caffeinated beverages.

Let me know if you are new to this type of coffee and gave it a try. Also if you know of any recent health concerns of French Press coffee please leave links in the comment section. Let’s bring awareness up if needed.