French Press Recipe

Preheat

Bring enough water to a boil. Pour ~150 ml of the hot water into the empty French press and into the serving cups to preheat them. Swirl briefly and discard preheat water.

Weigh and Grind

Weigh 52 g (0.052 kg) of coffee beans and grind to a coarse, even texture similar to breadcrumbs (roughly sea salt sized). Use a burr grinder for consistency.

Add Coffee

Place the French press on a scale (if available), add the 52 g of coarsely ground coffee into the carafe, and tare the scale.

Bloom

Start a timer. Pour 120 ml of the hot water (just off boil, about 93°C/200°F) evenly over the grounds to saturate them. Gently stir with a spoon or paddle to ensure all grounds are wet. Let sit for 30–45 seconds to allow degassing (bloom).

Add Remaining Water

After the bloom, pour the remaining hot water up to 800 ml total (so add ~680 ml more), pouring in a steady, even manner to keep grounds submerged. Place the plunger assembly on top of the carafe but do not press down; this helps retain heat.

Steep

Allow the coffee to steep for a total of 4 minutes from the moment you started the bloom timer (so 3.25–3.5 minutes after adding remaining water). For a slightly stronger cup, extend to 4.5 minutes; for milder, shorten to 3.5 minutes.

Plunge

At the chosen total steep time, firmly and steadily press the plunger down. Apply even pressure and stop when the filter reaches the grounds. The plunge should take about 15–20 seconds; a too-fast plunge can force fines through the filter.

Decant

Immediately pour the brewed coffee into preheated serving vessels to prevent over-extraction from residual grounds sitting in the carafe. If you won't serve it all at once, transfer to a thermal carafe.

Adjust and Enjoy

Taste and add milk/cream or sweetener to taste if desired. Clean the French press promptly after use to avoid stale oils and grounds building up.