THE FRENCH PRESS

Reliability meets Sincerity for a Hearty, Creamy & Gritty Brew

 

History

The French Press unlike the name suggests was patented by the Italian designer Attilio Calimani in 1933. A coffee plunger was added to it by Faliero Bondanini, a Swiss in 1958, and later was called a “Chambord” or “Bodum”, the names of the companies which produced it on scale.

The French Press is made of a glass beaker, plastic chrome frame with handle, and a lid with an attached plunger and metal mesh filter and works by steeping coffee grounds and hot water in a beaker. Post steeping, the metal mesh filter is pressed to the bottom of the beaker which separates the coffee grounds from the liquid. This process allows the natural oils found in coffee and fine particles to pass through it giving the resulting brew a thick body.

The French Press uses the Immersion technique of brewing.

Equipment

Minimum Equipment

  • French Press
  • Coffee
  • Hot Water

Optimal Equipment

  • Scale
  • Timer
  • Thermometer
 Grind Size Coffee Water Ratio Roast Total Brewing Time
Coarse (Granules rather than sand) 1:13 Medium or Medium-Dark 4 minutes

Measures

  • Coffee: 20 g
  • Water : 260 ML
  • Makes  1 Cup of Coffee

Technique

Step 1 - HEAT

Heat fresh water to 200° F using a thermometer. Or, bring water to a boil and let it stand for 30 seconds.

Step 2 - MEASURE

Measure 20 g of coffee for 260 ml of water and pour into the glass beaker

Step 3 - POUR

Pour the hot water slowly to ensure that all of the grounds are saturated and let steep for 4 min

Step 4 - STIR

After 4 minutes, stir the crust, and discard what’s left on the surface with a spoon.

Step 5 - PLUNGE

Place the lid, and gently press the plunger all the way down

Step 6 - SERVE

Once the plunger reaches the bottom, pour the brewed coffee slowly from the French Press into the mug and enjoy. Avoid pouring out the last 10% of brewed coffee that is in the beaker as this is high in silt.

Serve Semi-hot.

Brewing Tips

  • If the grind is too fine, the coffee will be extracted too, and the metal mesh will let coffee fines percolate into your brew, making it too gritty.
  • If it’s hard to press the plunger down, this means the grind is too fine; if it sinks with minimal resistance, then the grind is too coarse.
  • Serve immediately after brewing, otherwise extracting continues adding bitter flavors to your coffee.
  • Clean your French Press thoroughly before brewing because old coffee grounds get stuck in the metal filters.

Tasting Notes

  • Rich, Hearty, Creamy, Gritty.
  • Best had Black.

Food Pairing

Chocolate Desserts, Croissants, Savory Food like Quiche, Crepes, Omelettes, Red meat