French Press
BREW TIME: about 10 minutes
The iconic French press is prized for its simplicity and consistency. Our method adds a step and calls for a bit more patience than most, but the end result is a clean, clear, full-bodied cup. With a pair of spoons, you’ll break the crust and discard the foam that rises to the top of the brew. The foam is a byproduct lacking any benefits: composed of carbon dioxide and coffee insolubles, it coats the tongue and obscures the delicious flavors. This recipe is tailored to a one-liter French press.
What you’ll need
| 1x 1L Bodum French press | 1x digital gram scale | 850g boiling filtered water |
|---|---|---|
| 1x large carafe for decanting | 2x spoons | |
| 1x timer | 55g coffee (ground like kosher salt, 16 setting on Virtuoso+) |
Directions
- Place the French press, lid off, on the digital scale.
- Add the ground coffee and then zero out your scale.
- Start the timer and pour all of the water into the French press. Make sure the grounds are fully immersed.
- With the metal filter and plunging rod fully contracted, carefully place the lid on the carafe. Don’t allow the filter to touch the brew bed. (This step adds insulation and maintains heat in the brew bed.)
- After 5 minutes of brewing, remove the press lid. Use the back of a spoon to gently break the crust of coffee grounds on the surface of the brew bed. All the floating grounds should sink to the bottom of the French press. Clean the spoon.
- Using both spoons, skim the brew bed’s surface to remove leftover foam and any stray floating grounds.
- Place the press lid on the carafe and turn it to open the pour spout. Again, make surethe metal filter and plunging rod are fully contracted.
- When the timer reaches 10 minutes, gently plunge the metal filter, stopping when it sits on top of the surface of the brewing coffee.
- Keeping the lid steady with one hand, carefully decant all the coffee liquid through the spout and into a clean carafe. Pour slowly to keep the grounds at the bottom of the carafe.
- Pour into your cup and enjoy!