French Press Coffee?!
Answers: I have recently purchased a french press coffee maker, does anyone have any cool tips, tricks or recipes to go along my new hobby.
Remove the plunger unit from the French Press. Warm the French Press and each cup with hot water if you wish. Be sure to discard the warming water before pouring the coffee.
For each four-ounce cup of coffee grind 2 T (or one standard coffee scoop) of whole bean coffee. Dark roasted, oily beans are traditionally used. Use only coarsely ground coffee as fine grind (such as for expresso)coffee may clog the filter and create high pressure. We recommend Specialty Coffee from Costa Rica.
Place the coffee in the bottom of the French Press. Be sure to discard the warming water if you used it.
Add hot, not boiling water to the pot. Leave a minimum of one inch at the top. Stir gently.
Place the plunger unit back on top of pot. Turn the lid to close off the pour spout opening. Do NOT press down at this point. Allow the coffee to brew for at least four minutes. Hold the pot handle firmly with the spout turned away from you. Use the weight of your hand to apply slight pressure on top of the knob and lower the plunger straight down into the pot. Lowering the plunger slowly with minimal pressure produces the best results. Do not use excessive force, which can cause scalding liquid to shoot out of the pot.
Turn the lid open the pour spout and pour coffee.
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6 cups fresh cold water, see note 2
8 tablespoons whole beans, or 6 tablespoons ground beans, see note 1
1 4-cup French press
Note 1: This is more than most instructions specify. Fresh-roasted dark, oily beans, i.e., French, Italian, or espresso, are preferable
Note 2: Spring or filtered water is best. That said, I use tap water.
Bring water to a full rolling boil, then remove from heat immediately. Pour about half a cup of the boiling water into the plunger pot and a splash into each of the coffee mugs to heat them. This step is essential to avoid lukewarm coffee.
Grind beans. Conventional plunger wisdom calls for a coarse grind in order to keep the beans from escaping through the mesh screen. However, if you like your coffee thick and velvety, use a fine (i.e., espresso) grind. If you are using pre-ground beans, buy them in quantities that will be consumed within a week.
Spoon ground coffee into plunger pot. (If you are half-asleep, double-check that you have dumped out the warming water.) Add 4 cups of hot water and insert the plunger just far enough so that it acts as a lid. Let the coffee steep for 3 to 4 minutes, then press plunger down very slowly and steadily. Allow another minute for the coffee sediment to settle to the bottom.
Hold the French press up to the sun before serving and pay homage to the coffee gods. If any hint of sunlight shines through the coffee, pour it out and start all over again.
