Your Guide to Making Plunger or French Press Coffee

Background Information

Making plunger coffee can be rather rewarding and satisfying, when it is done well. Like all methods of brewing coffee (espresso, filter, syphon) there are a variety of opinions and techniques on how to do it.

Some coffees that are not so suitable for espresso based drinks, may be more enjoyable as a plunger or drip filter coffee. This may be due to the coffee having a high level of acidity and brightness. Too much acidity and brightness is not normally overly desirable in espresso based coffees, but is a very positive and enjoyable attribute in a plunger (or drip filter style) coffee.

This guide is not meant to be seen as a set of absolute ideas – but to provide you a good starting point on how to make great plunger coffee. Always feel free to experiment with these variables: volume of coffee, volume of water, grind setting and steep time (or infusion).

Your Guide:

First, you need to start with freshly roasted coffee – but it should be at least 4 or 5 days after it was roasted.

Second, you will need about 2 tablespoons or 30 grams of freshly ground coffee. It should be ground coarsely. You will also need about 8oz of water or about 225-250 mls. Check out this clip from 49th Parallel Roasters.

Third, preheat your plunger with some hot water. Discard water. Check out this cool little clip from Ritual Roasters, even if it is a bit cheesy!

Fourth, put the coffee into the plunger. Boil the water. You may want to add more water, but this will make the coffee taste ‘weaker’ (unless that is your taste preference). Wait 30 seconds after the kettle has boiled. Saturate the coffee with the water. See that all the coffee grounds are now wet.

Fifth, let the coffee infuse (or steep) for 3-5 minutes. This is a step you can experiment with. If you prefer a coffee that doesn’t taste as bold (or strong) then plunge closer to three minutes. Or if you prefer to have a coffee tasting bolder and fuller, then wait closer to 5 minutes. Note, if the coffee tastes a bit sour it most likely hasn’t been infusing for long enough or if it’s too bitter/harsh then you have let it steep for too long! For a more detailed and technical approach, check out this great clip from CoffeeGeek.

Now, plunger your coffee and enjoy!