The French Press Method - A Guide by Joffrey's Roastmaster

When people want coffee at home, most of the time they will either turn on their home brewing coffee maker, or maybe use their single serve brewer. While both of these things are very easy, the quickly brewed coffee doesn't quite meet its full potential.  Enter Joffrey’s Roastmaster of 28 years, Chris deMezzo.  His preferred method of enjoying coffee, one that is easy enough for you to do at home, and one that truly provides the most flavorful coffee, is the French Press. When it comes to show and taste, you can achieve both with the French Press. The ‘’show’’ component is obvious, a beautiful pot, active participation and the resulting glorious liquid can make any morning special.  Now the taste; a French Press coffee tastes better because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and since the grounds aren’t filtered in a paper filter, more of the many components that give coffee its flavor are allowed to remain in the finished beverage, and thus offers a richer taste. A few careful steps ensure the best extraction.  Buying whole beans from an expert roaster who believes in freshness will certainly ensure a great taste.   You will need to grind your beans, and believe it or not, the particle size of grind matters.  You want uniform coarse particles.  Unfortunately less expense (blade variety) grinders give you a mix of chunks and dust making plunging your coffee difficult, which can also result in an unacceptable amount of sediment at the bottom of the pot.  And that is what most home users dislike the most. If you don’t own a grinder, some roasters like Joffrey’s offer a French Press grind specifically for this type of brewing.   And lastly, don’t forget water quality, filtered or bottled is best.   Taking these simple pre-steps is actually the most important part of brewing.  So now that you know what you need, but how do you use the French Press? PREPARATION:  Fresh whole beans, quality non-blade grinder, filtered/bottled water Step 1:  Begin boiling the desired amount of water before you even hit the grind button. Step 2:  Grind the whole beans to a coarse texture (or buy pre-ground beans in a French Press grind style), and put 1 rounded tablespoon per cup into the bottom.  (If you like measurements, we use 8 grams for a 12oz press pot). Step 3:  Slowly, in a circular motion, pour the water to saturate all the grounds until you are about ¾ of the way to the top of the press. Step 4: What we call a coffee bloom (or foam) will form, allow to steep for 30 seconds then stir until all the grounds have been saturated once again. Step 5:  Add the filter and set your timer.  2-3 minutes for a 12 oz press works perfectly Step 6:  When the buzzer sounds, it’s time for the show, grasp the handle with one hand and start pressing down the plunger in an even and controlled manner.  The brewed and filtered coffee will remain at the top and the grounds under the filter at the bottom. Step 7:  Ta-da!  What you’ve been waiting for…Hold the lid, pour and enjoy! Another unique benefit of the French Press is the ability to customize the coffee to suit your taste. If you want a stronger cup with a bolder taste, put a little bit more grounds in or let it steep for a little longer. If you want a weaker coffee, put fewer grounds in or more water. Using a French Press is truly an art form, so you will be able to spend many mornings altering your recipe in order to brew a cup that hits your pallet perfectly. No matter what flavor of Joffrey’s Coffee you brew in your French Press, you can always count on our quality beans to brew, no matter the method you choose.