The French press is the workhorse of coffee brewing. No filters to run out of, no machine to program — just hot water, coarse grounds, and four minutes. It's also the easiest method to get wrong in small ways that add up to a bitter, muddy cup. Here's how we do it.
What You Need
- French press
- Fresh coffee, ground Coarse (on our product pages, choose the Coarse grind — or Whole Bean and grind it yourself)
- Filtered water at 195–205°F (just off the boil)
- A kitchen scale if you have one — it makes the method repeatable
The Ratio
For French press we go a touch stronger than the standard 1:16 golden ratio: 1:15 — one gram of coffee for every 15 grams of water. In kitchen terms, that's about 4 tablespoons of coffee for a 12 oz mug, scaled up for a full press. The immersion brew rewards the extra coffee with a fuller body.
The Method
- Preheat. Fill the empty press with hot water, then discard it. Cold glass steals heat from your brew.
- Add grounds. Put your coarse-ground coffee in the empty press.
- Pour and saturate. Pour the hot water over the grounds, making sure every bit of coffee is wet.
- Stir, lid on, wait. Give it a gentle stir, set the lid on top (plunger up), and steep for 4 minutes.
- Press slowly. Push the plunger down with steady, gentle pressure.
- Pour everything out. Serve immediately — or pour it all into a thermal carafe. Coffee left sitting in the press keeps extracting and turns bitter.
Troubleshooting
- Bitter? Your water was too hot, the grind was too fine, or it steeped too long.
- Weak or watery? Use more coffee, or check that your water is hot enough.
- Muddy cup? Your grind is too fine. French press needs genuinely coarse grounds — that's exactly what our Coarse option is ground for.
Which Coffee Should You Use?
Full-bodied dark and medium roasts shine in a press. Our 6 Bean Blend is the house favorite — smooth, rich, and built for long shifts. Order it in the Coarse grind and it's ready to brew the day it arrives, roasted to order.
Want the full picture? Our complete Coffee Brewing Guide covers drip, pour over, cold brew, espresso, and pods too.
Fuel for the front line.