Brew the perfect cup of coffee
Let’s start out with what the French press is best known for: making a damn good cup of coffee. The first step that many home brewers miss is actually preheating your carafe with hot water, which will prevent the brew temperature from fluctuating and keep your coffee hot for longer.
Discard the hot water after a quick swish, then pour around 5 tablespoons of coarsely ground beans in for a smaller carafe, which makes about two mugs full of brew. When you think about it, the goal when using a French press is to ultimately push the grounds down to the bottom—leaving only smooth coffee left to pour. When your grind size is too fine it will create muddy coffee.
Now, slowly pour hot water over your grounds until the carafe is about halfway full, give it a stir, and wait around 30 seconds before you pour in the remaining water and cover with the lid. Wait at least 4 minutes before you slowly press your filter down, and voila!
If cold brew coffee is what you’re after, we don’t blame you. Cold brew coffee is perfect to enjoy on warmer days, and is actually less acidic than hot coffee—meaning drinking it is easier on your stomach. To make cold brew coffee in your French press, skip the initial preheating, then follow the same process but with cold water. Leave the mixture in your fridge overnight before you push to strain, and enjoy.
Once it’s time for clean up, Skolnick says the process is just as simple: “First, compost those coffee grounds, or better yet, make a coffee scrub with those remains. My main tip for cleaning is to keep an eye on that filter so it doesn’t get damaged—it’s fragile and very important to the process of making that perfect cup of joe.”
Dining and Cooking