Immersion
French press
Full-immersion brewing for a rich, heavy-bodied cup with plenty of texture.
At a glance
CategoryImmersion
DifficultyEasy
Total timeAbout 9 minutes
Best forRich, full-bodied coffee with a heavy mouthfeel
What you’ll need
A French press, a burr grinder, a kettle, a scale, and two spoons for skimming.
The recipe
30.0gDose
500gWater
1:15Ratio
95°CWater temp
CoarseGrind size
4:00Brew time
How to brew
The French press is a classic full-immersion brewer with a coarse metal mesh filter. Because there's no paper, natural coffee oils and fine particles pass into the cup, giving a heavy body and rich, deep chocolate and caramel notes. This gentle method — based on James Hoffmann's technique — keeps the cup clean by letting the fines settle rather than pressing them.
Step by step
- Preheat the carafe with hot water, discard it, then add 30g of coarsely ground coffee.
- Pour 500g of water at 94–96°C quickly over the grounds, making sure everything is wetted.
- Leave the plunger off and steep undisturbed for 4 minutes — a crust of grounds will form on top.
- At 4:00, use two spoons to gently break the crust; most grounds will sink. Skim off and discard the foam and floating chaff.
- Let it settle, undisturbed, for a further 5–7 minutes so the fine particles fall to the bottom.
- Rest the plunger just beneath the surface — do not press to the bottom — and pour slowly.
Advanced: make smooth iced coffee by steeping coarse grounds in room-temperature water for 12–16 hours, then pressing gently.
Troubleshooting
- Sour or thin? Grind finer, use hotter water, or extend the first steep slightly.
- Bitter or harsh? Grind coarser and don't press the plunger to the bottom.
- Gritty or muddy in the cup? Let it settle longer before pouring, and skim the crust thoroughly.
- Weak? Use a little more coffee (a lower ratio).
