French press is the most forgiving brewer for beginners — but it has a short list of non-negotiable rules. Get these right and every cup will be rich, clean, and consistently excellent.
The Recipe (2 cups)
Coffee
28g
Coarse grind
Water
420g
93–96°C
Steep Time
4 min
Then press and pour
Total Time
~7 min
Including preheat
Method
- Preheat the press: Pour some hot water into the empty French press and swirl it around for 30 seconds. Discard. This prevents the glass from cooling your brew water rapidly.
- Add coffee: 28g of coarsely ground coffee (like coarse sea salt or breadcrumbs). Coarser than you think is necessary.
- Start timer and add water: Pour 420g of water just off the boil (wait 30 seconds after boiling). Pour in circles to saturate all the grounds. Make sure no grounds are clumped dry in the corners.
- Stir once, place lid: Give it one gentle stir to ensure even saturation. Place the lid on top with the plunger pulled all the way up — don't press yet.
- Wait exactly 4 minutes. Set a timer. Seriously. Over-steeping is the most common cause of bitter French press coffee.
- Press slowly: Apply gentle, even pressure. Take 20–30 seconds to press fully. If it resists significantly, your grind is too fine. If it drops with almost no resistance, too coarse.
- Pour immediately: Don't leave coffee sitting in the press. Pour all of it into cups or a separate container. Grounds left in contact with liquid continue extracting.
Scale to any size: The ratio is 1:15 (coffee:water by weight). For a single cup: 14g coffee / 210g water. For a full large press (1L): 65g coffee / 1000g water.
Why Your French Press Tastes Muddy
Sediment in your cup almost always means the grind is too fine. Coarsen the grind one step at a time until you reach the right balance between clean cup and full body. Some sediment is normal and part of French press character — a completely sediment-free cup is more like filter coffee.