# pressing in a french press



## adam_n_eve (Feb 11, 2015)

okay then a simple question for you guys...

how hard do you press? not in the actually pressing down of the plunger but actually onto the coffee at the bottom? i know some people dont plunge at all but i've tried that and didnt enjoy the results. so do you press hard onto the coffee or just let the plunger sit on top?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

What didn't you enjoy about the 'no plunge' results?

I wouldn't let the plunger touch the coffee bed at all, unless maybe at the end of your steep time it has naturally settled there. After pouring I might squash down the bed with the plunger to expel liquid from the bed & make clean up easier.

The biggest problem with French press is silt getting in the brew, some are better than others, but usually the plunger mesh is never fine enough to prevent a lot of silt getting through, so minimal disturbance is a good route.


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## adam_n_eve (Feb 11, 2015)

im not sure what it was with the 'no plunge' method i cant remember the specifics of the brew but i remember thinking "hmm wont bother with that again" maybe i over / under did the times perhaps i'll try again. i've only got a cheap press (£5 from dunelm mill) at work but in terms of keeping out the silt it's really good. much better than the large one we have at home.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

OK, the plunge itself should have minimal effect on the extraction of the coffee, so I'd agree that timing, dosing, or grind might be more relevant?

Before trying to pour through the mesh, make sure any floating grounds are sunk, just touch them with the back of a spoon, or see if a little swirl of the pot does it - you don't want a cake of grinds wedged up against the mesh that you're trying to pour through. Give it a few more mins to settle then pour.

Maybe plunging a little below the surface won't make too much difference?


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## Clue (Mar 16, 2015)

I've had great results with skimming the surface crud off pre plunge after a 30 seconds bloom and a 3 min 30 seconds rest (great results) and I've tried reverse plunge and had mixed results with that....... what this no plunge malarkey??....


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## adam_n_eve (Feb 11, 2015)

the coffe im using doesnt seem to get a block of grinds (maybe it's the 1 min bloom i do) but i skim off the froth and scum and then plunge. perhaps i'll have another go with the plunge-less pour tomorrow


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## adam_n_eve (Feb 11, 2015)

Clue said:


> I've had great results with skimming the surface crud off pre plunge after a 30 seconds bloom and a 3 min 30 seconds rest (great results) and I've tried reverse plunge and had mixed results with that....... what this no plunge malarkey??....


that's similar to me. 1 min bloom, then a 4 min brew and skim off the scum at 1:45 of the brew.

no plunge is as it says simply not plunging at all and simply pouring through the plunger whilst at the top.


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## Clue (Mar 16, 2015)

I'll give this a go with a slightly longer bloom, filter through the screen when pouring and see what happens


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Don't plunge at all. Grind size is critical to extraction. it should not decide anything based on plunge resistance (which should be nothing, if the brew is skimmed before plunging).


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## CoffeefriendUK (Jan 3, 2022)

I find that brewing coffee for a shorter time and grinding more coarsely makes the plunge go easier actually.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

CoffeefriendUK said:


> I find that brewing coffee for a shorter time and grinding more coarsely makes the plunge go easier actually.


Well if you're making coffee that you enjoy, that's great.

But generally, grinding coarse always leads to under-extracted coffee. As does brewing for short periods. No matter how coarse you grind, when you plunge you will force silt through the plunger, because you still get some powder fine coffee at all grind settings (unless you sift it out).

The ease of plunge has no tangible relationship to the quality of the brew.


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## oldboybrewer (10 mo ago)

adam_n_eve said:


> okay then a simple question for you guys...
> 
> how hard do you press? not in the actually pressing down of the plunger but actually onto the coffee at the bottom? i know some people dont plunge at all but i've tried that and didnt enjoy the results. so do you press hard onto the coffee or just let the plunger sit on top?


I have developed a new process using the FP, however, this method only works with a stainless steel "Double Walled" FP.  The glass FP loses heat too quickly.
Method:
-Pre-measure the water in the FP and pour into a kettle to be boiled.
-Heat the FP with hot tap water while the water in the kettle gets to boil
-FINELY grind the coffee. I use the position just after Espresso into the Auto Drip. Finely grinding the coffee goes against the norm for the FP but it works
-When the water is boiling, empty the FP of the hot water and paper towel it dry.
-Pour in the coffee and just 30% of the premeasured boiled water. cover the top of the FP. Replace the kettle back on the stove without heat. There is no reason to subject the coffee to the entire volume of water. Coffee only absorbs approximately 2.2 times its weight in water and the 30% of the total volume allows the required "extraction" volume plus enough to maintain suspension. Time for 4-5 minutes
-After 4-5 minutes, pour in the remaining volume of the pre-measured water. Scoop all of the foam from the top with a small ladle like spoon and discard. Removing this foam helps to eliminate a good portion of the dreaded "cafistol" oil
-Insert the plunger and slowly plunge. Doing this eliminates any dangerous possibility of hot water squirting out of the spout. Also, the "plunge" rate is not critical.

The coffee should be efficiently extracted and very tasty. The 4 minutes extraction is not critical as there is no such thing as "over extraction". 5-6 minutes also works well. If over extraction was "Time Related", Cold Brewed Coffee would not be possible. Bitter coffee comes from Under extraction or prolonged time in extreme high temperatures. I normally pour the coffee, after plunging, into a thermal carafe. The double walled FP is not a "thermos vacuum". Its simply a double wall filled with air and controls the reduction of heat for the extraction well. If the FP were a vacuum type, this method will not work efficiently. 
Thank you for your time
Roger (oldboybrewer)


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Coffee in a French press holds more like 3x it's own weight in water & in some flat bed brewers.

Bitterness in a steep usually comes from grinding too fine & too much silt, or grinding too coarse & steeping too short.

Indeed, over-extraction (whilst certainly existing) is not a major concern in French press brewing, I often brew in a steel press for an hour or more.

Grinding finer than drip for immersions is against the norm, it is normal & was in at least 1948.


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## mdvineng (10 mo ago)

Been using FP for over 30yrs along side espresso. I use just below espresso grind and leave for around 5 minutes, stir and press. Lovely coffee with a nice mouth feel. Can't help but think some people over think and become OCD.
At the end of the day, if you like what you make, that's it.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

mdvineng said:


> Been using FP for over 30yrs along side espresso. I use just below espresso grind and leave for around 5 minutes, stir and press. Lovely coffee with a nice mouth feel. Can't help but think some people over think and become OCD.
> At the end of the day, if you like what you make, that's it.


 How do you mean OCD? "5min, stir & press\" not OCD?

We should probably make less judgements on people's characters & focus more on the mechanics of making coffee.

I just do what makes coffee I enjoy, as we all should.


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## mdvineng (10 mo ago)

MWJB said:


> How do you mean OCD? "5min, stir & press\" not OCD?
> 
> We should probably make less judgements on people's characters & focus more on the mechanics of making coffee.
> 
> I just do what makes coffee I enjoy, as we all should.


Here is the OCD version of my process. Grind somewhere below espresso, enough coffee to go into the pot somewhere near where you usually fill it too. Add just off boil water, wait a while, stir, wait a bit until the bits float down, press and pour. No weights, no measures, no timers. OCD Less!

I think the last line of my original post, aligns with your last line.


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