How to Use A French Press Coffee Maker – Quick Guide
The French press coffee maker’s most agreeable advantage is it allows you to create a cup of coffee to your individual taste ultimately. You can vary the number of coffee grounds, steeping time, and temperature. The downfalls are most French press coffee makers are small and bigger ones can be costly.
For the best coffee cup, grounds should be coarser then you would typically use in a percolator or coffee brewers. To make a perfect cup of coffee in a French press, use the following instructions:
- Set your timer for four minutes and pour just enough water to saturate the coffee grounds. Stir with a bamboo whisk or chopstick and allow to sit for 30 seconds.
- Properly grinding the coffee beans is very important. For a French press coffee maker, you’ll want the beans to have coarser consistency. You’ll always want to use freshly ground beans. If the grounds sieve through the screen, then the grounds are too delicate.
- The correct quantity of coffee grounds is also essential. The art of the French press coffee maker is getting coffee-to-water ratio extract. The rule of thumb is in the range of 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio: 1 gram of coffee grounds for 10 grams of water.
This ratio seems to work best because it is a simple ratio to calculate and remember, but can be adjusted to suit most tastes. Once you get down how you like your coffee in a French press coffee maker, you can basically eye the amounts. - Do not leave your coffee in the Press after it has finished brewing. The coffee will continue to brew even after you pushed down the plunger and may over steep and become bitter.
- If you drink more than a couple of cups of coffee and don’t want to brew a new batch every time, make the amount of coffee you want and transfer it to a carafe or thermos to keep it hot.
Quick Overview of French Press Coffee Maker
In 1852 two French inventors patented the forerunner to the modern-day French press coffee maker. There are many names for the French press coffee maker, a cafetière, a piston, a coffee press, but it is a coffee brewing device that uses steeping and pressing to create coffee.
Because there is no paper filter to hold the coffee’s flavor, a French press can make a more robust, hearty cup of coffee. Not needing paper fillers results in less wasted coffee, and it is a cost-saving using fewer paper filters. The French press coffee maker quickly makes a great cup of coffee. It is easier to control the amount of coffee and to make a single cup of coffee.
Some reports have claimed that French press coffee makers can be an unhealthy way to brew coffee. This information is because it does not filer out the cafestol, which can cause LDL in the body. LDL raises “bad” cholesterol. Research has shown that if you drink five or more cups of coffee a day from a French press it can raise blood cholesterol, but anything less is not harmful. Always consult your physician when in question.
About the Author
Lori Bogedin is a health and wellness writer and editor of TwigsCafe.com. She is in the restaurant business since 1999. In 2016 she was named one of the "Top Women in Business" by Northeastern Pennsylvania Business Journal.
