60 g coarsely ground coffee per liter, 94 °C hot water, let steep for 4 minutes, push the plunger down slowly, and decant immediately. Never let coffee sit in the press — it keeps extracting and turns bitter.

How do I brew French press coffee correctly?

60 g coarsely ground coffee per liter, 94 °C hot water, let steep for 4 minutes, push the plunger down slowly, and decant immediately. Never let coffee sit in the press — it keeps extracting and turns bitter.

Why that is

The French press is an immersion brewing method: Coffee and water are in direct contact without a paper filter in between. At the end, the metal mesh only separates the coarse coffee grounds, letting coffee oils and fine particles pass through. The result: a full-bodied, heavy cup with a velvety texture — completely different from the clear cup of a V60.

Step by step:

1. Boil water and let it cool briefly. Target: 92–96 °C. If you don’t have a thermometer: Let the kettle boil, open the lid, and wait 30–60 seconds.

2. Grind coffee coarsely. Like coarse sea salt. This is significantly coarser than for filter coffee. Coffee ground too finely leads to over-extraction (bitterness) and a muddy cup.

3. Add coffee to the press. 60 g per liter of water. For a standard French press (350 ml) that’s 21 g, for a large one (1 liter) it’s 60 g.

4. Pour water. Wet all the coffee particles evenly. Stir briefly so no dry coffee grounds float on the surface.

5. Put the lid on, wait 4 minutes. Don’t push the plunger down yet — it should just rest loosely on top so the heat doesn’t escape.

6. Push the plunger down slowly and evenly. If it’s hard to push, your grind size was too fine. If it slides down with zero resistance, it was too coarse.

7. Pour immediately. This is the most important step that most people skip. The coffee grounds remain in the water under the mesh. As long as coffee sits in the press, it continues to extract — after 8–10 minutes it will taste bitter and harsh. Decant anything you don’t drink immediately into a thermos or a mug.

Most common mistake: A grind size that is too fine and leaving the coffee in the press too long. The combination of both makes French press coffee a bitter experience for many — but the fault lies not in the method, but in the execution.

In practice at Green Wall Coffee

At Sophienstraße 27, we don’t serve French press coffee, but many guests use this method at home. My tip: The French press is the most honest brewing method — it’s unforgiving, but it rewards you with an incredibly full mouthfeel. If you’ve only been putting pre-ground supermarket coffee in your French press so far, switching to freshly ground beans will be a quantum leap.

Related questions

• How long should French press coffee steep?
• What grind size is ideal for French press?
• Why does my French press coffee taste muddy?

Come visit us at Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.