by Ken Locke

Created on: January 30, 2009   Last Updated: April 20, 2011

French press coffee is perfect, especially during the month of July, when the Tour De France bicycle race is on TV. A lot of the intro shots are of those perfectly Gallic street-side cafes where patrons sip from small cups of coffee with a plate of bakery goods right next to them. Seen on the tables, if one looks quickly, is a french press of coffee.

We actually found out about french press coffee in the South Pacific, courtesy of some Australian friends. Long story short, we bought our own french press coffee system, and have always enjoyed the experience of coffee prepared this way. While correctly preparing coffee with this method is simple, there are a few rules that must be followed to retain its quality.

If possible, buy coffee beans and only grind them when you are ready to use them in the french press carafe. Coffee's aroma and body are released through brewing, and the fresher the grind the better. If you don't have a grinder at home, use the commercial-grade grinder where you buy your beans, and set the coarseness somewhere past 'auto-drip' and before Turkish.

Heat water on the stove. It is critical to take off the water before it boils! If you forget and end up boiling the water, set the water aside until it is a few degrees below the boiling point. Fill the carafe with the amount of ground coffee you want. Normally, the packaging has directions and suggested amounts to use when preparing coffee; just follow those. Pour the almost-boiling water into the carafe. Stir the water and coffee gently, to make sure all the coffee is submerged, and no clumping occurs. Use a metal spoon, because wood or plastic utensils can release oils or scents from other food products into the coffee.

Place the press part of the carafe into the carafe, but don't plunge it yet. Leave the strainer above the water and ground coffee, but let the cap/lid sit on the top of the carafe to keep the heat in. Wait between 3 and 5 minutes, depending on how strong you want your resulting coffee. Hold the carafe with one hand, and firmly plunge the press down through the mixture. You will notice an increased resistance towards the bottom of the carafe. Use enough force to complete the plunge, but take care not to break the press.

Serve and drink the coffee right away. It cools quickly in the glass carafe, so have your milk, sugar, and flavorings ready to add. After your first carafe, you'll be hooked and ready to tweak the strength and mixture and coarseness of the next batch. French press coffee is gourmet coffee and can be available right in your kitchen.

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