How to Use a French Press

There are many ways to make the perfect cup of coffee at home, and some methods are better at extracting the most flavour from the beans better than others. Cafetière, or as its sometimes called “French press” coffee, fully immerses the grounds in hot water before pressing the filter to separate the grounds from the liquid. The result is a more rich, denser, and flavourful cup of coffee.

Why it’s called the Cafetière?

The words cafetière, isthe French word for coffee maker or pot.

Its French name is cafetière à piston, most commonly referred to simply as cafetière in France, though some speakers might also use genericized trademarks, notably Melior or Bodum.

In Germany, it is known as a Stempelkanne (“stamp pot”). In Italy the press is known as a caffettiera a stantuffo. In New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, the apparatus is known as a coffee plunger, and coffee brewed in it as plunger coffee.

The Story of the Cafetière

People have been brewing and drinking coffee since the 15th century, when it was brought to Europe from the America’s by the first European explorers

Cafetières have only been around since the 19th century. The earliest cafetières, designed in the 1850’s, but were lacking watertight seals. In 1929 when an Italian inventor named Attilio Callimani patented a new type of coffee plunger with an improved grill and a mesh skirt to enhance filtration and prevent grounds from spilling into the liquid. And this is the design of the Cafetière we use today.

Top Three Things when buying a Cafetière

1. Size - knowing what size you will need. Cafetières are usually marked to show how many cups of coffee they brew at one time. Larger options are also available, including six, eight, and twelve-cup models.

2. Material, Cafetières come in a wide range of materials to suit any budget. Plastic cafetières are made from stronger plastics, and unlikely to crack or break, but aren’t typically as appealing as their pricier glass counterparts.

Most cafetières are usually glass, but there are also stainless steel and aluminium options for those that prefer higher thermal insulation over a clear view of their coffee as it brews.

3. Design factors to consider as you shop for your cafetière. Many models have a main cylinder that is pre-built into the frame. Others have removable cylinders for easier cleaning and replacement if the glass gets broken. Or if it just looks cool.

Choosing the Right Grind

Choose a bean that produces a very coarse ground. – All our beans make great coffee in a cafetière – but find one you love by trying them all.

Unlike traditional grounds, cafetière grounds should be closer to the consistency of rough sand than of powder. This will prevent grounds from slipping through the filtration process and into the liquid.

You should always use fresher beans as they can lose their flavour quickly and make a difference to the taste of your coffee. A good rule is to only buy enough beans at a time to last two or three weeks and to grind them immediately before brewing.

Brewing with a cafetière

After you’ve chosen your coffee beans, preheat your cafetière by running it under hot water. This will reduce the risk of cracking or shattering if the glass is too cold when you begin the brewing process.

Now, it’s time to grind your coffee beans. If you’re unsure how much to grind, follow the guide of one heaping tablespoon per cup of coffee.

Boil your water - use a regular kettle or specialist one if you are posh.

The temperature should be around 93 degrees Celsius for the best results, that’s just under boiling.

Next, add your ground coffee into the bottom of the cafetière pot remembering to remove the plunger.

Then slowly pour in the water into the cylinder. You should use one cup of boiling water for each cup of coffee you wish to make depending on how strong you like your coffee.

Then give a slow stir for 5 seconds and then do nothing for 4-5 minutes

Leave it alone don’t touch it – let it steep.

When the time is up (use a timer your phone will have one), press down very slowly remembering to hold the pot firmly (with a cloth as it will be hot) and push down very slowly and steadily on the plunger to separate the water from the grinds, trying not to agitate the water to much .

Then stop when to get to the top of the grounds near the bottom of the pot, do not try to push through this as you will potentially mix the grounds with the water and get a murky and gritty coffee.

The let it settle again for 1-2 minutes

To finish, pour the coffee into a mug and enjoy!

Experiment with your cafetière, using different beans and combining flavours.

With a little practice, you’ll be a cafetière master.