The main advantage of brewing coffee in a french press is that the brewing process allows for the oils in the coffee beans to remain present in your cup of coffee.
Paper filters, while convenient, filter out many of the oils that make up the richness and complexity of a coffee’s flavor. So, to enjoy the true depth of a coffee, brewing in a French press is a great option.
Here are a few tips for brewing in a French press.
1. Grind your fresh coffee to a relatively coarse state (not as fine as you would grind it for a drip brewer) and place it in the French press. Finely ground coffee will get through the mesh of the press and make for a potentially chalky coffee (inevitably you will have some fine grounds in the bottom of your cup).
2. Use water that is “off boil.” Once the water comes to boil, turn off the heat and allow it to slightly cool.
3. Pour the water over the coffee. Stir the coffee once.
4. Wait 4 minutes, press down slowly (as to avoid spraying hot coffee everywhere) and enjoy. Make sure to appreciate the complex aromas and flavors of the coffee. If you are brewing a freshly roasted coffee, the flavors evident in the cup should reflect the freshness, depth and complexity of the roast/coffee balance.
Please comment with tips and suggestions for brewing in a French press. Have you experienced that the French press brew has flavors lost in a different brewing method? Thanks -Tom
