To make French press coffee, Coffee & Cream recommends coarse ground coffee at about 1 to 15, for example 30 g of coffee to 450 ml of water just off the boil, a short stir and a 4 minute steep. Then press the plunger slowly and pour every cup right away, so the coffee stops sitting on the grounds.
French press ratio in grams, ml and tablespoons
The working ratio is 1 to 15 by weight, so 1 g of coffee for every 15 ml of water, and a kitchen scale is the easiest way to hit it. The cups below are 225 ml each, so the 2 cup line matches the 30 g and 450 ml example.
| Cups | Coffee | Water |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 g | 225 ml |
| 2 | 30 g | 450 ml |
| 4 | 60 g | 900 ml |
Without a scale, count 3 level tablespoons per cup. A level tablespoon of ground coffee weighs about 5 g, so 4 cups (60 g) take about 12 level tablespoons. Spoon measures drift with the grind and how hard you pack them, so taste the cup and make the next one a little stronger or lighter.
How to use a French press, step by step
- Boil fresh water, then let it sit about 30 seconds so it is just off the boil, around 92 to 96°C.
- Rinse the press with hot water, empty it, and add the coarse coffee. For 2 cups, that is 30 g.
- Pour the water evenly over the grounds, 450 ml for that 30 g dose, and stir so every particle is wet.
- Fit the lid with the plunger up and steep for 4 minutes.
- Press down slowly and steadily. A hard shove stirs up the fine silt and can force it past the mesh.
- Pour every cup you want now. Coffee left in the press keeps steeping and turns bitter.
One example in the milk frothers and French press collection is the Coffee Glass Stainless Steel French Press, 350 ml. It brews one large cup, about 20 g of coffee to 300 ml of water. Stock changes, so check the product page before you count on a specific press.
The right grind for a French press
Use a coarse grind, close to coarse sea salt. Fine coffee slips through the mesh, muddies the cup, and makes the plunger hard to push. If you buy coffee already ground, filter grind is the closest option on the shelf. It is slightly finer than a true press grind, so expect a bit more sediment in the cup. Look at American filter ground coffee such as Melitta Grand Aroma, Illy Classico Filter, Kimbo Filtro, Coffee Planet Scarlatto Filter House blend, or Carraro Filter. For a fresher cup, buy whole coffee beans and grind them coarse just before brewing. The coffee bean finder matches beans to your brew method.
Espresso grind is too fine for this brew, so keep Kimbo Espresso Napoli and the Saquella espresso coffees for an espresso machine. Turkish grind is finer still and clogs the mesh.
Common French press mistakes
- Fine grind. The press silts up, the plunger fights you, and the cup tastes bitter and chalky.
- Leaving the coffee on the grounds. The coffee keeps steeping after the 4 minutes. Pour all of it into cups, or into another jug, as soon as you press.
- Water at a full rolling boil. It runs hotter than this recipe needs and can push the cup toward bitter. Give the kettle half a minute.
- A fast, forced plunge. Press slowly. If the plunger will barely move, the grind is too fine.
How to froth milk with a French press
A French press can foam warm milk. Heat the milk until it is hot to the touch, well under a boil, and pour it into the empty press no more than a third full, since the foam can double its volume. Fit the lid and pump the plunger up and down for 20 to 30 seconds, keeping the mesh under the surface, until the foam builds. Pour the foam over the coffee straight away.
For a finer foam, use an electric frother from the milk frothers and French press collection, such as the Nespresso Aeroccino 3, the Bialetti electric milk frother, the Hibrew M3A or the De'Longhi LatteMix EMF3.W, or a handheld foamer such as the NanoFoamer V2.
How to clean a French press
Empty the grounds as soon as you finish, before they dry onto the mesh. Rinse the carafe and the plunger, then wash both with warm water and a drop of mild soap. Undo the mesh plates, rinse out the grounds caught between them, and let every piece dry fully before you reassemble. Old coffee oil left on the mesh makes the next pot taste stale. Use a soft sponge on a glass carafe so it stays clear.
FAQ
How much coffee do you put in a French press?
Use 1 g of coarse coffee for every 15 ml of water. A 2 cup press takes 30 g of coffee and 450 ml of water. A single 225 ml cup takes 15 g. Measure the water you actually pour and dose to that.
What is the golden ratio for French press coffee?
The ratio to start with is 1 to 15, coffee to water. That is 15 g per 225 ml cup, 30 g per 450 ml, and 60 g per 900 ml. If the cup tastes thin, move toward 1 to 14 next time. If it tastes heavy or bitter, move toward 1 to 16. Change one thing only, the dose or the steep, so you know what fixed it.
How many tablespoons of coffee for 4 cups of French press?
Four cups at this ratio are 60 g of coffee and 900 ml of water, about 12 level tablespoons. Count 3 level tablespoons per cup, since a level tablespoon of ground coffee weighs about 5 g. Tablespoons vary with grind and how level you scrape them, so a scale is worth using once you like the cup.
How much water for 2 tablespoons of coffee in a French press?
Two level tablespoons hold about 10 g of ground coffee, so pour about 150 ml of water at 1 to 15. Steep 4 minutes, press slowly, and pour the cup at once.
What is the difference between French press and Turkish coffee?
French press coffee is coarse, steeped for about 4 minutes in water just off the boil, then pressed and poured clear of the grounds. Turkish coffee is ground extra fine, heated slowly with cold water in a small pot called a kanaka until the foam rises, taken off before it boils, and served unfiltered, grounds and all. The two grinds are not interchangeable. Coarse coffee gives a thin Turkish cup with no foam, and Turkish powder will choke a French press. For the kanaka method, see the Turkish coffee guide and Turkish ground coffee.
Coffee for your French press
Start with filter ground coffee or whole beans, and look for a press in milk frothers and French press. The ground coffee brew method guide shows which grind fits a press, a filter or a moka pot, and the V60 pour-over guide covers another manual brew. The American coffee guide covers the press alongside a drip machine and an Americano.