# French Press recipes



## the_partisan

I'm having a bit of trouble getting great results with french press.

I have for example tried, 26.4g coffee ground with Feldgrind at 1.10 setting, pour 440g boiling water on top and mix thoroughly, let it stand for 10 min and then press slowly and pour into another container. In this instance the coffee had some good notes, but also had rather unpleasant bitterness at the same time.

If I try pouring without pressing, the grounds seem to clog the press after a while and it's not possible get all the brew out. I could also try brewing longer but I'm not sure if it would have helped in this case, and I would prefer to find a recipe where I can get a good result in under 10 min.


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## MWJB

"A good result" means different things to different people, but you won't hit the same result at 10 min that you can hit at 20min plus, you will have to aim for different cup characteristics.

60g/l for French press is a bit of a no man's land for me, lacking intensity, past interesting acidity but not into the sweetest zone either.

At 10min there will still be some floating grounds, sink these prior to pouring, leave a little while then pour, keeping the mesh as high in the pot as you can (without it falling out, or rising above the spout). If the mesh is sinking into the brew when you pour, it can cause a blockage.

For a 10 min brew I'd grind medium drip, brew at 65-75g/l (or stronger if you like). Sink any crust after 4-5min. Pour at 10min. This will promote acidity.

However, I think it's a bit odd to limit yourself to a specific brew time, I find coffee still too hot for me to enjoy after 10min steep and starting & pouring the brew takes the same time no matter how long the steep...the bit in between, you can just do other stuff.

For longer brews, grind fine drip, 53-56g/l, leave until cool enough to enjoy & pour. If you like coffee very hot, this may not be for you.

In either case, discard the first 30-70ml of brew, this just oil & silt.

If I want a quick brew, I drip brew.


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## the_partisan

OK thanks, so you would suggest a 20min brew at 54g/L? Fine drip meaning, finer than V60 for example?

Would you suggest warming up the press beforehand? When do you stir?


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## MWJB

Yes, 54g/l for a 20min brew, sounds weak but if the extraction is high enough you'll be about the same strength as a 60g/l brew hits in a few minutes.

Finer than a pulse poured V60, around Aeropress/Moka grind, or V60 with a single filling pour. A little coarser than espresso. The grind should be just coarse enough that you don't see any dry pockets of grounds, if you suspect it is on the fine side, one quick NSEW stir at fill (4 strokes). Ideally the pour should be enough,without stirring. You just want the coffee to be wetted, but not stirred to the point that all the crust sinks early on.

For a single wall glass press, coffee in, then boiling water straight in (preheat double walled or ceramic presses). If your kettle will hold the brew water weight, or more, at its minimum, weigh out the water into the empty kettle add 5-10g extra per mug, to allow for evaporation, then literally dump the kettle load of water into the pot & cover it (use scales when you pour then you can make a note of losses on boiling for your water weight & kettle). I dismantle the FP mesh for cleaning & just use the lid to cover, fitting the mesh & plunger just before pouring.


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## the_partisan

I tried brew with 12g coffee/222ml water ground at Felgrind 2.0, and let it brew for 20 mins with no mixing, and pour it without pressing as you said.

It tasted better, not bitter as the previous, but also didn't seem to have a lot of flavour either. A bit sour, if anything, maybe it is underextracted? There were also quite a few fines floating around I think which didn't make a great mouthfeel towards end of the brew. The latter could be because I was brewing Turkish coffee with the grinder earlier and some of it gets stuck on the sides.


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## MWJB

Feldrind at 2+0 sounds too coarse, it is for me (it's what I use for a pulse poured V60 and I couldn't get French press brews in range at this setting which was around 0.5mm average), try 1+6 to 1+8.

Don't try and pour out the very last drops from the pot, there shouldn't be any noticeable change in mouthfeel until the very last sip in the cup, even then it's just a light dust, no layer of silt covering the base of the cup. From 222g of brew water I'd expect about 150-160g of finished coffee. Is this a different pot to your earlier brew of 440g? I wouldn't advise trying to brew small amounts in a big pot, it kicks up too much silt.

This may help, I used 19:1 ratio in the video, you could go stronger, but do this once you are getting past the sour, or bitter flavours (e.g once grind is on target)...


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## the_partisan

Yes, my pot is for 500ml (was from John Lewis), but this is the only FP pot I have. I tried again at 1+8, with 13g coffee and 240g water, no stirring and discarding the first bit and pouring carefully. The result in the cup was 170g of brew.

It had more flavour, but also quite bitter notes at the same time, so still not great. and still quite a bit of fines at the bottom, not as clear as your cup, but not as bad as last time.


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## MWJB

Make a larger pot & 2 cups worth, decant them both & microwave one later so as not to waste it.

The bitterness is likely because you are still getting the fines, or because your extraction hasn't got into the sweeter phase yet. Try finer.

How would you describe the roast level?


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## the_partisan

This was a medium roast, will start with some new beans now as those are now finished. I think it could be because of the fines, but I'm not quite sure how to avoid them. I could taste some sweetness and good flavours, but also tasted bitter at the same time.


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## MWJB

Fines are pretty much inevitable, they will always be in the pot, the trick is to keep them out of the cup by disturbing them as little as possible.


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## Maxxuud

Is there any consensus on the best way to secure temperature stability for the slurry with the French Press?

Is it even an issue? I am very conscious I get great cups when cupping, but struggle to replicate these with the cafetiere. Which seems to make little sense.


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## the_partisan

I gave this another go - 13g/250g water , ground at Feldgrind 1+6, steeped for 20min. I poured the first 10ml or so away (probably poured away too little here), and poured rest into the mug in one motion. There was lots of sweetness in the cup, but also some bitterness in the backgorund, if not for the bitterness, it would have been perfect. It was fairly clean but there were still some fines in the bottom of the cup, but otherwise pretty clean. I am not sure how I can get rid of the bitterness, maybe it will work better if I up the dose a little? Or use a smaller press? The one I'm using holds 500g. Will try the same recipe for 2 mugs and see how that goes.


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## jlarkin

Yes try brewing for two mugs, mwjb mentioned "I wouldn't advise trying to brew small amounts in a big pot, it kicks up too much silt." I think if you want smaller brews, it's best to try and find a smaller cafetiere.


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## MWJB

Maxxuud said:


> Is there any consensus on the best way to secure temperature stability for the slurry with the French Press?
> 
> Is it even an issue? I am very conscious I get great cups when cupping, but struggle to replicate these with the cafetiere. Which seems to make little sense.


How does your cupping & cafetiere methods differ (water temp/grind/time/ratio)?

Do you cover your cuppings?

Do you slurp from the cafetiere with a spoon (without trying to pour the coffee through a filter mesh, thus disturbing the bed)?

An uncovered cup, in a non-preheated ceramic bowl will start at a lower brew temp & drop faster in temp than a Cafetiere brew in a single walled glass press with a lid (same water temp at pour).


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## scots_flyer

I've been looking for a simple and 'repeatable method' for brewed coffee.... tried the above recipe with the suggested 19:1 ratio and it tasted fabulous. I then attempted to repeat the following day with exactly the same routine but it was no longer sweet, lacked body and it wasn't really drinkable. I tried again the next day and still no joy :0( On the most recent attempt I took the temperature of the water 1 min. after boiling as I suspect it's the least scientific part of the process and it was bang on 80˚ so wondering if there might be something I can try?

I'm using a Porlex gringer, .35 Ltr press, Raves signature blend and accurate scales. Any advice appreciated


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## MWJB

Are you leaving the water 1min after boiling in the kettle? Don't, when the kettle boils add the brew water as quickly as you can to the pot.

What kind of setting do you have on the Porlex?

This method is "repeatable" within the context of manual brewing, if you want more consistent repeatability consider drip brewing.


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## scots_flyer

I'm actually boiling the water in a pan on a gas hob then leaving lid on for 1 min. The grind is between medium and fine - not as fine as I'm using for espresso though.... I will have another go tomorrow before giving up on it but as you bring it up what do you consider to be a reliable method which is the least hassle and the most consistent? I find the Aeropress can be very good but a bit of a fiddle and a pain if you occasionally want to make 2 cups/mugs and get as good a cup as you can when making just 1.

thanks

Al


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## MWJB

You want to be just a shade coarser than espresso, bordering coarse espresso...under 8 clicks on the Porlex?

For reasonable consistency French press is hard to beat, low hassle in that you don't have to be that precise with measurements (to the g), it just takes time & you need to be careful at the end of brew to avoid silt. If you make espresso, French press should be like falling off a log...in slow motion 

Greater consistency can be had with drip, but weighing coffee (0.1g) & water more precisely is more important, as is timing, benefit of quicker brews though. Varying brew amounts mean revising grind, or pour regime & timings. A one, or two hole Melitta style brewer, or Kalita Wave can be low faff (no pouring kettle required), can also be used with a pouring kettle & a coarser grind, V60 pretty much always needs a pouring kettle.

For Melitta & Kalita (no pouring kettle), try 13.5g coffee, 230g boiling water, bloom with 20g, stir & leave for 90sec, then add rest of boiling water, aiming 3:10 average total brew time. Fine grind, should be in same ball park as French press.

For V60 with pouring kettle (with the other brewers too) 13.5g to 225g, coarser grind, bloom 15g & stir, at 30sec add 35g & then another 35g every 20sec, each 35g addition taking ~10seconds, still looking for 3:10 total brew time, average.

All these methods start with boiling water (Volvic if not sure of your tap water). After seeing the water clear the grounds bed in drip, stop timer, then wait for drips to all but cease (a minute to be on the safe side).


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## scots_flyer

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. I got the flavour back right away and it's so easy and compact I'll stick with this method for working away from home.... may investigate dripper another time though


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## BenJM

The cafetiere is responsible for the best coffee I have ever tasted. It is just so adjustable and repeatable!

Pre-heat caf whilst grinding beans.

Tip out water and add coffee.

pour water over a spoon onto the grinds.

12min steep.

Plunge and pour.

Perfect

I'm using around 40g coffee and enough water for 2x 320ml mugs.


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## the_partisan

What's the best grind size to use for cupping and french press? I use James Hoffman FP technique, which is pretty much same as cupping. Do you use the same grind size as you would for a drip, for a certain bean to get a similar extraction? As syringe filters are quite expensive, I haven't tried refracting any FP brews yet..


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## MWJB

Depends how big your brew is. For larger presses I use the same as large drip brews, but steep longer. For any press I pretty much wait until the slurry temp drops to 60c or just under & decant into a preheated cup.

For a small press I grind as fine as I can before I start getting bittering/carbony/pruney flavours from suspended solids (a fine flour sifting sieve can help here), somewhere between coarse espresso & fine drip, similar to what I would use for Aeropress/Moka pot.

Personally, I aim for a higher yield in immersion mode (22-24%) than I do for drip mode (19-21%).

A while back Square Mile sent out a cupping 'how to' suggesting 21-22% EY.

I rarely measure French press EY unless something is really awry, you know when you're in the region as you get a very sweet cup...if you're not there after your initial steep time, leave it a bit longer, tasting as you go, to decide when to decant.


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## the_partisan

How do you define large vs small? My press pot is 500ml and I typically make 350ml at a time using 21g coffee. They do end up quite sweet, but sometimes there is some bitterness as well, probably due to solids. I wasn't quite sure if I should ground coarser or finer. This was done using little finer grind size than I use for Kalita with same beans.


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## MWJB

I'd call 300-350ml "small". 900-1200 "large".

I try to make a full pot each time, brewing less than the pot will take can make it easier to kick up solids. Also, I don't affix the plunger assembly until the end of the steep, if you fit it from the beginning & it sinks into the floating slurry, you will get solids through the mesh.


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## Step21

You could always filter the sample through a paper drip filter if you don't have a syringe filter and want to refrac it? Perhaps a waste of a filter but the syringe filters are expensive.


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## salty

Pretty good video here






Personally I find 70g/litre too much and I tend to go for 50g/litre - but I guess taste is a personal thing

Tim


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## the_partisan

Yes I pretty much use Tim Wendelboe/Jim Hoffman technique, except I do let it stay at least 5 minutes after breaking the crust, and keep it covered (but not plunged down) after breaking the crust. So far I have used 60g/L, I think 50g/L might be a bit on the thin side..

Would filtering it through paper give good results when refracting?

I quite like the full mouthfeel I get from FP, but I do get this bitterness which is not present when doing filter.


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## Step21

As you know the syringe filters are designed for espresso where you don't have much volume to waste relative to the size of the shot. With a FP brew you can take a bigger sample. If your paper filter is good enough for refracting drip then why not FP? Nothing different happening.


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## MWJB

Leave it longer, if the bitterness isn't solids getting into the cup it's most likely a flat spot beneath terminal extraction.

I don't really find a big difference in mouthfeel with French press (compared to any other method using a metal filter), my philosophy is: if I can tell that the brew was made in French press due to silt/mouthfeel, I did something wrong 

@salty I use 50g/l with dark roasts, but medium/light roasts would be a bit weak for most at that ratio. I also use 60g/l or a tad under for a long steep.


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## MWJB

Step21 said:


> As you know the syringe filters are designed for espresso where you don't have much volume to waste relative to the size of the shot. With a FP brew you can take a bigger sample. If your paper filter is good enough for refracting drip then why not FP? Nothing different happening.


There is some difference because in a drip brew the bed itself does a fair bit of filtering (not just the paper), if you pour a FP through a paper filter you will often see silt in the cup. Syringe filters are designed for any situation where solids get into the cup/beverage (FP, Aeropress, espresso, or even very fine grinds with paper drip), but for ball park ranges, in-house, practicality may be preferable.


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## the_partisan

As I had some syringe filters lying around, I tried refracting my FP brew for the first time. 21g coffee, 350g water, stir and clean at 4min, cover and wait 10min then plunge up to the surface and pour into two cups.

I then stirred the cups to homogenize, and then take one filtered and one unfiltered sample. I refracted only from the first cup, as the last cup poured always seems to have a lot more sediment. Both gave the same TDS at 1.20 giving EY of 21.35%, and the unfiltered sample looked very clean, not much different than a typical drip brew. The resulting cup was really tasty too.


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## the_partisan

Do you adjust grind depending on bean for FP? Some beans are more soluble, some are less. I tried another beans, and ended up with only 20% EY using same recipe as before.


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## MWJB

I don't adjust grind, I steep until they all fall 22%EY (+/-1%EY), which usually happens with a grind just coarse enough to allow wetting with just a pour (e.g. not so fine you get clods/dry pockets) & by the time the steep has dropped to 60C or less.

I don't break a French press, just skim/pour off the surface oils a little before decanting, maybe give it a little shake to sink crust if this hasn't happened by 15min or so, but if you have a floating crust much after this you are probably a little too coarse.

That said, your last was 21%, so 20% seems fairly consistent?


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## the_partisan

Sure, I was just curious because with these beans I grind them a bit finer than the previous one I mentioned when doing drip, but I left the grind the same for French Press. I'm using a fairly fine drip setting, which is a little finer than I use for Kalita. Slight changes in grind setting effect extraction quite significantly with drip, but maybe there is less effect with French Press?


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## MWJB

Too coarse for French press and you'll hit a ceiling of extraction that you will never exceed even if you leave the pot to steep for a day.

There is probably no grind that will see you over-extract in 10-20min, as after a point, you go too fine and extraction drops.

In drip, going to fine will result in terminal over-extraction in a few minutes, as flow will slow & contact time goes up accordingly. This is unlikely to happen in French press because the grind does not impact on any flow, it just sits there gently soaking out its solids. Most French press brews will top out at 23-24% at the highest...maybe 25% in extreme cases. I have had sweet immersion brews up to 26-27%EY (Turkish, Clever Dripper).


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## DoubleShot

Latest video from the always entertaining and educational Chris Baca.


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## MildredM

DoubleShot said:


> Latest video from the always entertaining and educational Chris Baca.


That's a good one! He's so easy to watch, everything's nicely set up, he keeps things moving, and I always learn something


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## DoubleShot

It would be great if more members subscribed to his YouTube channel which I'm sure would encourage him to post even more content.

As you say his videos are easy on the eye.


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## ZappyAd

I saw Chris's video first on YouTube then went looking for more info. Read all the posts in this thread and got right back to Chris's video again! I really like his method and the way he presents.


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## DickL

French Cafetiere, 24 grind,40ml water allow to bloom timing 4 Mins Am I doing it wrong??


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## MWJB

DickL said:


> French Cafetiere, 24 grind,40ml water allow to bloom timing 4 Mins Am I doing it wrong??


Are you liking the result? If yes, then no you're not doing it wrong, you're making what you like.

If there's something you would like to change/improve, then there's room to move.


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