Is a French Press coffee maker best for brewing great coffee? I won’t mince words, the answer is YES. I’ve worked in the restaurant business for almost 30 years. and I’ve made and served coffee almost every way imaginable, at work and at home, and my preferred method is the French Press.
If you like the look of the French Press I use in the video, here’s a current price for the same French Press Coffee Maker on Amazon. And if you need a coffee carafe for keeping coffee hot, you can check the price on a reasonable coffee carafe here, but carafes are very easy to find in thrift stores! I have never bought a new coffee carafe, but a good 2nd hand French press is harder to find.
Coffee will taste great no matter how you brew it just as long as you pay attention to the 3 keys to a delicious cup of coffee:
- Use freshly ground, flavorful coffee beans.
- The right water temperature.
- And the right brew time.
What beans are best? Only you can say, and you won’t know until you try different beans and different roasts. The closest I get to being a coffee snob is when it comes to coffee beans. Once you start freshly grinding whole beans at home, it’s hard to go back to pre-ground coffee; the difference in flavor is worth the effort.
But coffee making is certainly not a hard and fast science. You don’t need a thermometer and a stopwatch. You hear a lot about the perfect ratio of water to beans, and the exact water temperature needed, but really, you just need to be in the ballpark, and it’s a big ballpark. Don’t be intimidated by too much coffee information. Coffee is simple, and it’s entirely subjective. The best cup of coffee is the coffee you love, and it doesn’t matter how you get there.
How I make French Press Coffee
In a pot, measure out water and bring it to a boil. The ratio of water to beans should be whatever YOU PREFER. I like strong coffee, and use a ratio of about 4 oz. of water for every 1 Tbsp ground coffee beans, but I will adjust this depending on the strength of the coffee beans. There is no wrong ratio.
Using a coffee grinder, coarsely grind the coffee beans and measure them into the bottom of the French press carafe.
Once the water boils, set water pot aside uncovered 1 minute to cool. You don’t want to pour boiling water over the ground beans…after one minute the temperature will be just right.
After 1 minute has passed, pour the hot water over the beans. Stir the grounds in the hot water.
Then cover with the upraised filter and carafe top and let brew for 4 minutes.
After 4 minutes, slowly plunge the filter down through the coffee.
Pour and drink and enjoy.
If you make extra, and have leftover coffee in the French press, pour it out of the press and into a coffee thermos/carafe to keep hot. Coffee that remains sitting in the press with the ground beans will steep too long and become too strong.
How to Clean a French Press Coffee Maker
Many think cleaning a French press is a hassle, but this is mostly because people don’t like getting the wet grounds out of the carafe, but it’s easy if you have a wire strainer/sieve.
Just fill the carafe with water and pour through the strainer, repeat as needed. Once the grounds are removed, take the plunger apart and wash the carafe and plunger parts by hand. Or place all of the pieces in the dishwasher.
Clean your French Press after each use, and occasionally soak the mesh filter overnight in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, this will keep oils from building up in the mesh.
What about a Stainless Steel French Press?
One of the drawbacks to a glass carafe French Press is that it can break quite easily, but you can use a sturdier Stainless Steel French Press to make the same great coffee.
Other Ways to Brew Coffee
Coffee is just ground beans steeped in water. No matter how you dress the brewing method up, that’s all it is. I like making coffee on the stove top with a Moka Pot, especially if it’s a small pot and I’m making coffee just for myself.
If I don’t have a brewing system, then a stove-top egg coffee is a handy method for making coffee, especially if you don’t have freshly ground beans. Egg coffee can take a sub-par brand of pre-ground coffee and give it a silky smoothness that elevates it to something you might even love.
A simple Pour Over Coffee works, too, in a pinch. This ultra-basic brewing method is a bit more attention intensive depending on your setup, but if you don’t mind standing there pouring the hot water, and you can do it without getting distracted halfway through the process and coming back to cold coffee, then it’s as good a method as any.
I make coffee any way I need to. If a French press is handy, that’s what I’ll use, but coffee is good as long as you use the freshly ground beans you love. Don’t you agree? You can find all of my coffee related videos on my CHEF BUCK COFFEE VIDEOS PLAYLIST.
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