There is nothing better than a perfect cup of French press coffee. The question remains: how does one brew the perfect cup? Follow these steps and you will soon be sipping on the perfect cup of French press coffee!

What You Will Need:

  1. Whole coffee beans or ground coffee
  2. French coffee press (also known as the press pot)
Steps:
  1. Take approximately 1 tablespoon of grounds per cup. Dump them into the bottom of the French press.
  2. Use a kettle to boil your water. You want to let it sit for a couple of minutes after boiling before adding it to the press. Although exact temperature isn’t too important, we recommend your hot water be somewhere around 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Pour the hot water into the French press, slowly covering all of the coffee grounds as you fill it up. Immediately stir the grounds to ensure uniformity in your coffee.
  4. Add the filter on top and let the coffee steep for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes has passed, press the plunger down.

That’s it! Your perfect cup of French press coffee awaits you!

Why does my coffee taste bitter, sour, grainy, stale, etc.?

No one wants a cup of coffee that tastes anything other than perfect. Here are some explanations for why your coffee may not be as great as you had hoped.

Bitter

1. Your coffee beans weren’t roasted properly

Solution: While most people blame their coffee’s bitter taste on their own fault (such as burning the coffee, etc.), in some cases the coffee beans themselves were the issue. Make sure to investigate your coffee before you buy it to make sure you find quality coffee beans!

2. Your coffee steeped for too long

Solution: You can do one of two things: (1) Adjust the grind of your coffee beans or (2) Experiment with shorter brewing periods to ensure you aren’t extracting too much from your coffee beans or grounds.

3. The water you used is too hot

Solution: If the water you use to brew your coffee is too hot, it will extract the bitter nature of the coffee beans or grounds you are using. The National Coffee Association recommends your brewing water be between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Your coffee brewing equipment is dirty

Solution: When your coffee brewing equipment isn’t thoroughly between uses, the taste of leftover coffee can be added to the next cup of coffee you brew. Ensure that your brewing equipment is properly cleaned to get the perfect cup of coffee!

Sour

1. Your coffee didn’t steep for long enough

Solution: Sour coffee often results from underextraction, which is when you don’t let your coffee steep for long enough. Make sure to experiment with your coffee’s steep time to get the perfect coffee flavor!

Grainy

1. Your coffee grounds got into your coffee

Solution: Grainy coffee is often the result of bad coffee filters that don’t keep your coffee grounds out of your coffee. The solution to this problem is to invest in better coffee filters with tough, quality fibers that will keep your coffee grounds where they belong: out of your coffee!

Stale

1. Your coffee didn’t steep for long enough

Solution: Stale coffee often results from underextraction, which is when you don’t let your coffee steep for long enough. Make sure to experiment with your coffee’s steep time to get the perfect coffee flavor!

2. The water you used wasn’t hot enough

Solution: If the water you use to brew your coffee is too cold, not enough of the rich coffee flavors will be extracted from your coffee beans or grounds. The National Coffee Association recommends your brewing water be between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit to get optimal coffee flavor.

3. The coffee beans or grounds used are not fresh

Solution: Coffee loses its flavor when it is exposed to too much oxygen. If you grind your own coffee, make sure to grind your coffee beans as closely to the time you will be brewing your coffee as possible. If you are using coffee grounds, make sure to properly seal off your grounds for the freshest coffee possible.

Why does using cold filtered water matter when brewing coffee?

When brewing coffee with a standard drip coffee maker, the amount of water-extraction of flavor from coffee must be strictly regulated to brew a proper cup of coffee. Every standard drip coffee maker has a set temperature at which it will brew your coffee, regardless of the temperature of the water you put into it. Thus, to make the perfect cup of coffee, you must put cold water into your coffee maker. This will ensure that your coffee is steeps for the right period of time.