If your French press coffee comes out bitter and silty, it is almost never the press, it is the grind and the time. Get those two right and you get a big, satisfying cup with very little effort.
What you'll need
- A French press
- 30g of coffee, ground coarse (like coarse sea salt)
- 500g of water around 200°F, just off the boil
- A timer
The method
- Grind coarse. A fine grind is the number one cause of bitter, gritty press coffee.
- Add the coffee, pour in all 500g of water, and start your timer.
- At one minute, stir the crust on top, then skim off the foam and floating grounds with a spoon for a cleaner cup.
- Let it steep undisturbed until four minutes total.
- Press the plunger down slowly, then pour all of it out right away. Coffee left sitting on the grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter.
Dial it in: still bitter? Go coarser or cut the steep to three minutes. Too weak? Add more coffee, not more time.
Decant any extra into a carafe or thermos so it stops brewing. Your second cup will taste as good as the first.
Brew this with
Meet Trailhead →Trailhead
The bean we reach for in this guide. Online ordering coming soon.
