There are many French Press Recipes out there, and for such a simple coffee brewer there is a lot of misguided information floating around as well… But after roughly 4 years of brewing coffee with my French Press, I can confidently say that I have a French Press Recipe for you that’s sure to guarantee a delicious cup of coffee every time!

Servings: 2-3
Calories: 10 kcal
Brewing Time: 5 Minutes

Skip Straight to the recipe :)

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French Press Coffee Ratio

The most hotly debated question regarding French Press Recipes is the brewing ratio between water and coffee. Now I’ll be completely honest, there is no right or wrong answer, it’s all dependent on your taste buds….

I would generally recommend a French Press coffee ratio of around 1:15 (coffee to water) for a medium to medium dark roast at coarse grind size would be a good baseline. And that 1:15 ratio is what I will be using for this French Press Recipe.

Anywhere from 12g -17g water to 1g of coffee is what I would consider a good range.

French Press Coffee Brewing Times

Your French Press’ brew time is dependent on many factors such as your temperature of water, type of coffee bean roasts, grind size, etc…

Following my French Press Recipe for a medium to dark roast coarse grind, I found that about 5 minutes is a good brewing time. Enough time to allow the coffee grounds to infuse the water with its oils and flavor, while on over-extracting too much of the harshness.

Use 5 minutes as a baseline. If your French Press brew time is too quick you risk under-extracting which gives you that sour and woody flavor, too long of a brew time and you’ll get over-extraction which creates an unpleasant bitterness.

What Coffee Beans for French Press?

For my French Press Recipe, I recommend medium to dark roasted coffee beans. A French Press shines in brewing a strong and bold cup of coffee and a darker roast will give you that.

Lighter roasts can work but it’s harder to balance the flavors with the brew time, as lighter roasts require a longer extraction so you’ll need to brew for longer.

If you want to use a lighter roast I recommend going for the filter brewing method.

French Press Grind Size

For any French Press Recipe, you’d want to go for a medium to coarse grind size, something like the size of sea salt crystals. This is because the French Press is an immersion brewer, so the larger chunks of coffee beans can have time to infuse their oils and flavors into the water.

A finer grind size will make the French Press Coffee very bitter, If your grind size happens to be too coarse then you can get some sour and woody flavors, try experimenting with grind sizes to see what works for you.

But personally, I’d go for coarse whenever I make French Press Coffee.

Avoiding Coffee Grounds When Pouring

A common problem with all French Press coffees is the amount of coffee particles/sediment that’s poured into your cup.

Honestly, it’s pretty difficult to completely avoid finer coffee particles when you are pouring out your French Press Coffee. The nature of the metal mesh doesn’t allow for a fine filtration. However, there are some methods which help reduce the amount of coffee fines in your cup.

Plunge slower - Yes, plunging slowly, take like 20-30 seconds to fully plunge as it helps you to minimize agitating the finer coffee particles, and stop air bubbles from forcefully coming out the side of the metal mesh filter.
Clean your plunger mesh - Cleaning your French Press’ filter allows the metal mesh to kind of expand/form back into its original shape which creates a tighter fit.
Check your grind size - You might be grinding too fine, try a coarser grind size for the French Press

If all else fails, then I suspect it could be the quality of your coffee grinder, you’d want a grinder that can grind coffee beans to a consistent size. I wholeheartedly recommend AGAINST using a blade grinder because that’s just utter rubbish for grinding coffee beans to a consistent grind size.

I use an 1Zpresso J-Max hand grinder, a good hand grinder is usually cheaper than an automatic grinder, so if you’re short on budget then that’s my recommendation.

Recipe Ingredients and Equipment

French Press Coffee Maker (I use an inexpensive Bodum French Press)
30g coffee (medium-dark to dark roasts), coarse grind size
500ml hot water (80-90°C / 180-194°F)
Timer
Stirrer

French Press Recipe

Add your coffee grounds into the French Press.
Bloom your coffee grounds by pouring in about 150ml of your hot water into the French Press. Leave your French Press alone for 30 seconds to allow the coffee to bloom.
Gently stir your coffee grounds for about 10 seconds to make sure the coffee grounds are all soaked in water.
Pour in the remaining 350ml of hot water in a swirling motion and push the plunger so that the mesh filter is just submerged in a thin layer of water.
Leave your French Press to brew until your timer reaches 5 minutes, allowing the coffee grounds to steep (You can experiment with brew time to see what works for you).
Plunge the mesh filter gently, if you plunge too hard the finer coffee particles can pass through the French Press’ mesh filter and into your coffee liquid.
Serve and Enjoy! Pour into a cup or mug, or leave it to cool for a bit then pour into a glass full of ice for a refreshing iced coffee!

Tips for this French Press Recipe

Pre-heating your French Press by pouring in hot water and letting to rest before actually brewing will help you get a more constant brewing temperature, making for a more even extraction of the coffee ground’s flavor. Don’t forget to throw out the water.
Try experimenting with brew time to match your taste preference. For a bolder cup, steep for 5 minutes or more; for a lighter, milder flavor, reduce to 3 minutes.