The French press, also known as a plunger pot, delivers good coffee like no other brewing method—and plenty of it. In this article, Swiss filter coffee master and 2017 German Coffee Taster of the Year Benjamin Hohlmann shares his two favorite French press recipes. This guide will walk you through the preparation step by step. We answer the most important questions, explain how much ground coffee is needed for different amounts of water, and how to find the right brewing temperature.
French press, plunger pot, or coffee maker
What matters more than the name of the coffee maker is how it works. First, coffee is added to a round glass or metal container. Hot water is poured in at a ratio of 1:15 to 1:16. This corresponds to 60 to 70 grams of coffee per liter of water, depending on your taste. The water should be around 95 degrees Celsius. After a brewing time of 3 to 5 minutes, a central rod pushes down a filter, mesh, or paper plunger. The plunger separates the coffee particles from the brewing water. The plunger ends the brewing process and gives the French press its name.
The French press is simple and practical. This straightforward principle is why the plunger pot is so popular. Anyone can make good coffee at home with a French press. The following two recipes are easy to use and bring out two different flavor profiles.
French Press Guide: Recipe No. 1, Classic, Strong, Good
The process described in the introduction is the classic French press basic recipe. Here it is again step by step.
Since water is still in contact with coffee in the plunger pot, extraction continues in principle. After pressing down, there is very little movement, which severely limits extraction. For best results, I serve the coffee right after four minutes or pour it into another pot.
French Press Recipe No. 2: Elegant, Nuanced, and Championship-Ready
For even better results with the French press, try a recipe that is based on professional coffee tasting. This brewing method is called cupping. Cupping or cup tasting is used in quality control by green coffee traders and roasters.
With this method, the ground coffee is placed directly in a cup and poured over with hot water at around 94 degrees. After four minutes, the crust is broken and removed. After another four minutes, tasting begins with a spoon from above. This avoids stirring up the coffee that has settled to the bottom.
Sensorially, the coffee tastes "clearer" and "cleaner" this way than the sensory results from the plunger pot recipe 1. The mouthfeel is also "softer" and "more elegant."
You can also achieve this flavor result with the plunger pot. Follow steps 1 to 4 from recipe 1.
The Ratio of Coffee Amount to Water in the Coffee Press
Using 60 to 70 grams of coffee produces the best flavor result that suits most Central European palates. The exact amount can be chosen according to your preference.
Generally, using more ground coffee—for example, 7 grams of coffee per 100 ml or 70 grams per liter—produces a "stronger" coffee. When more grounds are used, the water has more extraction potential available. However, it's often overlooked that the resulting coffee also becomes "more acidic."
Using more coffee makes the beverage stronger. However, the same amount of water can no longer extract substances from the coffee as effectively. This tends to result in underextraction, which tastes more acidic.
If you want your coffee to be stronger without increasing acidity, a finer grind often produces better results. However, note that a finer grind triggers higher extraction of the ground coffee. This tends to taste more bitter.
When the ratio of ground coffee to water settles at 60 to 70 grams of coffee per liter, the brewing is usually balanced and delicious.
What Temperature for the French Press?
The right brewing temperature is simple: pour at about 95 degrees. If you have a kettle with temperature control, set it to 95 to 96 degrees. Everyone else boils water and then waits about two minutes—then it's in roughly the right range.
It shouldn't be much hotter, or the brew will quickly emphasize bitter notes. If the water is too cool, the coffee will taste thin and flat. With very light roasted filter coffees, you can go toward the upper end; with slightly darker roasts, choose a degree or two less. Unlike pour-over filters, the French press is forgiving here: a few degrees off is no problem.
What Coffee Works Best with a French Press?
The French press or plunger pot belongs to alternative brewing methods and is part of the family of "immersion brewers." Immersion means that water and coffee are in contact for most of the brewing time—the coffee is immersed in water. In contrast, there are percolator systems like traditional filter coffee, where water flows through the coffee.
Another immersion method is the AeroPress, which uses shorter contact time and some pressure. If you're looking for a difference from traditional pour-over filter: with the French press, coffee sits in the water the whole time; with filter, water runs through it. This makes the plunger pot stronger and more straightforward, while the filter gives a clearer cup.
"The French press is a very honest brewing tool. It shows the coffee as it is. Without filtering anything out. I like that."
Benjamin Hohlmann, German Cup Tasting Master and Swiss Brewers Cup MasterThe choice of coffee depends largely on the strength of the final beverage. This is roughly the same for both immersion and percolator systems. Strength is the concentration of dissolved coffee particles relative to water. The best flavor results are achieved when coffee prepared with a plunger pot contains approximately 1.2 to 1.5% dissolved coffee particles. In technical terms, we call this "Total Dissolved Solids," or TDS in percent.
To put it in perspective: the remaining 98.5 to 98.2% of the coffee beverage is water! This shows how important the water you use is.
So Which Coffee Works Best with a Plunger Pot?
Filter coffees are best suited for brewing with a plunger pot. With the lighter roast, there are flavor nuances and the coffee's own positive acidity, which balance very well with the water amount (+98%).
We offer our filter coffees in Switzerland and also in Germany and the EU.
For preparing espresso, darker roasted coffee is used. This is partly because of the water ratio. Since only 90 to 93% water is in the final espresso drink to provide balance, the darker roast reduces the intensity of acidity.
Important: the acidity mentioned here is mainly important for the coffee's taste. As with wines, it helps keep the flavor balanced. Acidity, sweetness, and bitterness are in balance in good coffees.
What Water Should You Use for the French Press?
As with coffee beverages in general, French press coffee tastes best with "soft" water that is free of foreign flavors. Soft refers to lower hardness—meaning little minerals like magnesium or calcium in the water.
"Hard" water buffers coffee acidity and removes an important factor in taste. Without acidity, coffee becomes "dull," one-dimensional, and flavor notes don't develop well.
For brewing methods like the plunger pot and traditional filter, water with a hardness of 2 to 5 German degrees of total hardness and appropriate carbonate hardness works best. A table filter from BWT or Britta can reduce water hardness. Mineral waters like Lauretana, Black Forest, or Volvic are also very soft.
Who Is the French Press Right For?
The plunger pot is the simplest brewing method for making good coffee easily. It forgives more mistakes than pour-over filters, Moka pots, or espresso. Even if you don't choose the exact right grind, the French press delivers good results. A good, everyday plunger pot for beginners is, for example, the Timemore U French Press from our shop.
We always recommend grinding coffee fresh. However, if the coffee isn't freshly ground and the grind can't be adjusted, the plunger pot still delivers the best results. It's a brewing method that forgives mistakes. This is mainly because the coffee sits in water. No or incorrect movement affects the result. When making filter coffee, if the water doesn't flow because the grind is too fine, the result is always poor. Not so with the coffee press or plunger pot.
The plunger pot also brews larger amounts of coffee without problems. The 1-liter version of the Bodum Chambord plunger pot, for example, can brew up to 800 ml of coffee. Results don't get worse with larger amounts—they stay consistent. This makes the plunger pot very good for brewing coffee for larger groups. It also doesn't require much "attention." Even if step 5 of either recipe isn't timed exactly, the plunger pot forgives you in terms of flavor.
The Bestargot titanium coffee press* is one of the most interesting coffee brewing methods for outdoor use. In our article on coffee methods on the go, this 216 g plunger pot earned a top spot.
How Much Ground Coffee per Cup for How Many People?
An average coffee cup holds 150 ml. To brew enough coffee for four people to each have a full cup, you should brew at least 600 ml of coffee.
If you pour 600 ml of water over 36 grams of coffee, you won't have enough coffee (remember: about 6 to 7 grams of coffee per 100 ml of water, see above). Additionally, 2 to 2.5 grams of water per gram of coffee used clings to the grounds—in our example, at least 72 grams. From the 600 ml, you'll only get about 530 ml of coffee, or a bit less if you're careful not to pour everything. This actually gives you better flavor.
That's why with the plunger pot it makes sense to always brew a bit more than 150 ml per cup. The brewing method conveniently makes it easy to brew larger volumes deliciously. We've published a separate article on the perfect amount of ground coffee per cup.
Freshly Ground Is Half-Brewed!
For the coffee press too, freshly ground coffee tastes best. Grinding breaks the coffee's natural protective shell. It then begins to react with oxygen in the air and light. Volatile aroma components escape and coffee oils begin to oxidize. The coffee loses complexity and becomes rancid.
We tested 14 hand mills under 100 euros, and almost all are well-suited for grinding coffee for filter coffee and plunger pots. Higher-priced, excellent models from Comandante are in our shop. We also now offer the Timemore C5 ESP PRO hand mill, one of the test winners from the test series in its newest version, in our shop.
What Grind Size for the French Press?
The grind size is only slightly coarser than for filter coffee. The company Kruve has developed a good reference guide. While we don't agree with all the grain sizes they recommend for different methods, the grind size reference is helpful.
A grain size of 700 to 1000 is perfect for brewing the plunger pot recipes we've shown.
Cleaning Your French Press
After brewing, wet grounds remain in the pot. It's best to knock them into a food waste or compost bin, not down the drain—otherwise, pipes get clogged over time. Rinse the glass and plunger with warm water afterward, and use a little dish soap if needed.
Once a week, it's worth taking a closer look at the plunger. The metal filter can be unscrewed on most models. Coffee oils accumulate over time, and when they go rancid, you'll taste it in your next coffee. So occasionally separate the individual discs and clean them thoroughly. Most plunger pots are also dishwasher-safe, though it's worth checking the manufacturer's instructions.
