French Press
KNOW THE LINGO
- Bloom: When coffee grounds come in contact with hot water, they release carbon dioxide and often bubble and expand, creating a blossoming effect.
- Fines: Sediment made up of the tiniest coffee ground particles.
GATHER
- A 32 oz. French Press (Adjust recipe for your size)
- 50 grams (7 tbsp) coffee
- 800 grams (28 ounces) filtered water
- Digital Scale
- Spoon
- A Snowy Morning on Your Day Off
PREPARE
- Preheat the carafe part of your French press with hot tap water and discard
- Be sure the plunger portion of your French press is rinsed and assembled
- Grind your coffee on a coarse setting so that it resembles kosher salt and pour into the bottom of carafe
BREW
0:00 – Start the timer and pour 60 grams of water to bloom the coffee grinds and wait 30 seconds
0:30 – After the bloom, pour the remaining amount of water for a total of 800 grams
1:00 – Do nothing! Sit back and let the coffee steep for 2 minutes
3:00 – With your spoon, break the crust that has formed on top and gently stir; most of the grinds will fall to the bottom of the carafe
3:30 – After breaking the crust, a foam will form in its place as more carbon is released from the grinds. This carbon carries bitter flavors with it, so scrape the foam off with a spoon and discard it in the sink
4:00 – Place the plunger into the carafe of the French press and begin slowly pressing the plunger down. The plunge should be done slowly to keep settled coffee fines at the bottom and stop them from reincorporating into the brew
4:30 – Pour your coffee slow and steady to keep those fines from kicking up and enjoy!
Why is There Mud at the Bottom of My Mug?
That is the beautiful nature of a French press! The metal screen used on these brewers allows more coffee particles to escape into the final product. There are many ways to reduce that ‘mud’ in your cup such as adding a second screen to the plunger or waiting an extra minute, so the fines really have a chance to settle at the bottom.