Coffee brewing: French press

French press is an easy way to make consistent, tasty, full-bodied coffee.

If you’re using whole beans, grind them at a coarse setting.

Boil water and allow it to cool about a minute. Rinse the French press jug and plunger assembly with the hot water.

Spoon coffee into the jug. Use 75g ground coffee per litre of water. If you don’t have a scale then start with a heaped teaspoon per serve, e.g. 8 heaped tsp for the 1 litre plunger.

Pour the hot water into the coffee. Make sure all the grinds are wet, then stir to mix. The instructions will tell you never to use a metal spoon, but surely you can stir without breaking the jug!

Place the plunger assembly on top, but do not press it yet. Start your timer for 6 minutes. Your lid might have a safety/keep warm lid, like Bodum; if so, turn it to cover the spout.

After the coffee has steeped for 6 minutes, you have 3 options:

1. Gently stir to give your brew more body
2. Skim the top to remove grinds and oils, which will make your brew cleaner, but with less body
3. Leave it as is and go to the next step.

Gently and slowly press on the plunger until it reaches the bottom. Turn your lid to the open part, if applicable, and pour to serve.

Each time after you use the French press, dismantle the filters at the bottom to remove any old grinds and oil. Your coffee will taste cleaner and better.

The spent grinds from your brew can go into compost, or straight onto any plants that like nitrogen/acidic soil.