The French press is one of the greatest brewers out there. Not only is it a way to make a cup of coffee very easily and quickly, but it;’s a great, low-cost entry point to the world of specialty coffee. To that end, we would have to recommend a French press to anyone getting started in the world of specialty coffee – it’s a way to dip your toes into the pool.
In this article, we’re going to talk about the best ways to use, clean, store, and boost your French press in your kitchen. It can be a truly powerful piece of kit, so read on for some tips and tricks to ensure you use it well.
How to use a French press
Using a French press is delightfully simple, and it’s a process that you’re likely already familiar with. We’re going to run through the basic steps here, so that we can make some points about great French press coffee.
The first step is to add the ground coffee to your french press. Since you’re creating an immersion brew, it should be ground to a medium fineness, quite similar to granulated sugar.
After adding the coffee to your chamber, add a small amount of water and allow the coffee to bloom – bubbles of CO2 will be released from the coffee. When the bubbling stops, add the remaining water to your French press, filling it to the amount of brewed coffee that you’d like to create.
Allow the brew to stand for around three minutes, before using a spoon to break the crust of coffee that forms, and agitate the grounds that you’re working with. This will lead to a slightly better level of final extraction.
After a total of four minutes, place the lid onto your French press, and fully depress the plunger. This will separate the grounds and the brewed coffee, leaving you with a tasty drink. Decant the coffee, and you’re good to go!
Cleaning instructions
Cleaning a French press isn’t quite as tricky as you might think. Since the actual assembly of the French press is quite strong and sturdy, there’s little to no risk of the brewer being damaged by a particularly aggressive style of cleaning.
First of all, remove the grounds from the French press. Depending upon the grind size you used and the nature of your kitchen, you might put them into a garbage disposal, drain, or compost heap – anything will work fine.
After removing the grounds, you may be able to place the pieces of the brewer into the dishwasher, allowing for them to be totally cleaned very easily. Alternatively, you may prefer to hand wash these pieces.
The only thing to take special care of while cleaning is the filter screen. The small mesh holes can get clogged quite easily, so we would recommend cleaning it several times, before finally rinsing it with cold water to be sure that there are no blockages to negatively impact your coffee brewing.
Ensure the brewer is totally dry and can be stored. Rather differently front other brewers, there are no rubber or pressure-sensitive elements to be wary of during cleaning – this makes things quite a lot easier!
Storage suggestions
Storing a French press really couldn’t be easier, all you need to do is place it into a cupboard or on a countertop if you own a particularly pretty one.
This is quite interesting, on a small level, since the French press contains no elements or sections that are derived from rubber. In turn, this means that you don’t really need to take special care when storing it – it can be stored in fairly high or low temperatures, and it can also be stored open, closed, depressed, or any variation on these ways of storage.
We would suggest, however, that you avoid storing the French press in a cupboard that contains a lot of items that have a powerful aroma. These items could produce aromas that permeate into rubber, plastic, or similar items within the French press, which would lead to a final press that produces coffee with a slight tinge of odd flavor to it.
Finally, we would also suggest ensuring that you think through the storage process. French presses are usually made from glass. If you know that you’re a clumsy person, especially before that first cup of coffee in the morning, consider not placing the French press on a high shelf that it is liable to fall from and shatter.
French press accessories
Accessories for the French press are relatively few and far between since it’s such a simple item that it’s hard to improve upon its straightforward nature. With that said, though, we’ve found two accessories that we quite like.
Bamboo Stirrer
Depending upon the size and shape of your French press, you may find your fingertips getting perilously close to the exceptionally hot water that you’re working with. To avoid the risk of any burns, a bamboo stirrer is a great option!
We would also recommend a bamboo stirrer for the reason that it won’t absorb heat from the coffee and transfer that heat to your fingers. This makes the whole brewing process much easier, safer, and more comfortable.
Finally, we want to bear a handy final point in mind – bamboo will never scratch the glass of your French press, meaning that you will easily retain the appearance of your fancy, new French press.
Scoof
The scoof is a strange-looking implement, but it’s one we love. It removes the frustration of using a spoon or similar implement to dig the grounds of your French press. Instead, you can twist the scoof, and the small blades at the end of the tool will essentially scoop up all the coffee easily, dislodging it for you to discard. This is a simple, easy way to manage the coffee in your press!
Conclusion
The French press is a wonderful piece of equipment to have in your kitchen, for coffee brewing and a host of other things. We certainly hope that our advice will keep your French press working perfectly for you.