Automatic coffeemakers may be quick and convenient, but nothing beats the French press for flavor intensity, as well as style. By allowing the coffee grounds to mingle with the water, it creates a stronger, thicker and more piquant cup of coffee, retaining essential oils and sediments that would otherwise get caught up in drip coffeemaker's filters. If you've got one languishing in your cupboard, dig it out, clean it and follow these twelve easy steps. Why not? Once you try it, you may never go back!

[edit] Ingredients

Highest preference first:

Coffee roasted locally packed as beans in bag
Coffee as beans for home coarse-grinding
Coffee store-ground coarse
Water for boiling or ready high-heated from a tap

[edit] Steps

Choose coarsely-ground coffee beans. Coffee that's too finely ground won't be caught by the filter efficiently, and you'll end up with sediment in your cup (see Warnings). Also, with fine-grind coffee, it may be difficult to depress the plunger.
Remove the top and filter from the coffeemaker.
Place coffee grounds in the coffeemaker. Start with 25 grams (5 tablespoons) of coffee to 1.4 L (48 oz. or 6 cups) of water and adjust to taste.
Pre-measure your water to the capacity of the French press and bring it to a boil, then let it cool for thirty seconds or so. Boiling the water may not be necessary if you have a high-heat water tap on-hand (as some Bistros and homes have these installed). The temperature of the water should be 90.5-96.1 degrees C (195-205 degrees F), or you can experiment to taste. The way the temperature affects the flavor may depend on how the coffee was roasted.
Pour the water. You can either pour just enough water into the French press to cover the grounds and stir gently (allowing the coffee to "bloom" or create a foam, especially if the coffee is freshly ground) before adding the rest of the water, or pour all the water in at once.
Stir with a plastic or wooden spoon to avoid damaging the glass of your French press (if you do use a metal spoon, be cautious).
Put the top back onto the coffeemaker, with the filter raised all the way up.
Let the coffee brew for a maximum of four minutes. Generally speaking, the coarser your grounds are, the longer your brew time should be,^[1] but four minutes is about the longest you should ever need. Different coffees will need a different balance between coarseness of grind and brew time. If your coffee brews too long, it will over-extract some of the bitter elements, so experiment by either shortening the brew time or using a coarser grind.
Stir again just before compressing the plunger; this increases the body and flavor.
Press the filter down gently, making sure the filter "spout" is facing forward. Be careful! You can also use a flattened "basket" style unbleached paper coffee filter as an additional filter, but this makes the plunger a little harder to depress. It will also significantly alter the taste because the press is designed to leave more traces of sediment in the coffee for more flavor. It does, however, keep some more of the grounds and sediment out of your coffee. (see Warnings)
Pour the coffee slowly into your cup to minimize the inclusion of fine sediment. Don't let the coffee sit in the French press after the brewing time has completed, or else it can become bitter from remaining in contact with grounds for longer than needed. If you don't wish to serve it all at once, pour it into a thermos.
Let your mug sit for at least a minute to allow any additional settling of sediment.

[edit] Video

[edit] Tips

Clean your French press between uses. Remove the filter immediately after pouring your cup and rinse. To disassemble the filter for cleaning, hold the bottom with one hand and unscrew the handle with the other. There will be several parts. Remember what order they go in so you can put it back together! Baking soda and scrubbing works well to get rid of lingering coffee odors. The filter should have a neutral smell; otherwise it will impinge the flavor. You can also put a denture cleaner tablet in the bottom of the press and place the disassembled parts inside. Fill with water and let soak. Rinse, and they will be completely clean.
To avoid overflow, don't overfill the coffeemaker or press the filter down too fast. Some French presses have a line to indicate the maximum amount of water that should go in, but a general rule is to leave at least one inch (25 mm) of space above the waterline.
Because coffee is about 98% water, using purified water may improve taste.
Don't let the name fool you. A French press is not necessarily the preferred coffee brewing method in France.
A French press can also be used to make tea by substituting tea leaves for coffee grounds and altering the steeping time accordingly.
If you prefer iced coffee, use cold water and let the French Press stand overnight in the refrigerator. The coffee comes out very sweet and clean-tasting because there is no heat to harm the essential oils.
An ultrasonic cleanser is a good tool for cleaning your French press innards about once a week. You will be amazed how much coffee sediment and dirt and oil come of even a clean device!
It is best to have the coffee beans ground using a burr grinder as using a blade grinder will result in dust and boulders(some course, some fine) which will result in sediment.

[edit] Warnings

If you overfill the press or press the plunger too aggressively, water can splash out and burn you.
Sediment is the hidden enemy of the French press. Even good burr grinders or coarse grind will produce a small amount of fine particles as the bean is shaved. If you do not take the steps to let the "powder" settle, your first sip will be gritty and unpleasant. You will also note this sediment at the bottom of your cup when near the end. That is where you want it to remain.
Studies indicate that there may be a causal link between unfiltered coffee and an increase in LDL cholesterol levels. If cholesterol is an issue, consult your doctor or filter through an unbleached paper filter, although this will alter the taste of the French-pressed coffee because the press is not designed for extraneous filtering.

[edit] Things You'll Need

A French Press
a coffee grinder with a coarse setting (electric or manual)
a plastic or wooden spoon for stirring the coffee in the press
hi-heat tap installed nearby or a stove and pan to boil water or a microwavable french press and microwave can instead be used together to boil the water
Denture cleaner tablets for immediate after-cleaning.