What Does A French Press Do? It Has Multiple Uses!

Everyone that has thought of buying a French press has that question: What does a French press do? 

Rather than drag out a long-drawn-out answer, here is the quick answer. Your French press has multiple uses and is not just for brewing coffee. You can brew tea and even use it as an emergency milk frother. It is also good for making cold brew coffee.

Keep reading for the details.

What Does A French Press Do?

A French press is a coffee brewing device that brews your coarsely ground coffee by using the full immersion method.

It steeps your coffee grounds in hot water and extracts their flavors, oils and healthy compounds like chlorogenic acid, and ensures that they get into your cup of coffee.

Thanks to the metal mesh filter all the coffee oils get into your cup, producing a cup of coffee that is full of flavor, deep, dark and intense.

It’s not only for brewing coffee, you can brew great tea with it too. Half fill the carafe with milk and pump the plunger like a bicycle pump, and it doubles up as an emergency and very effective milk frother.

Read: Is French press coffee better?

What Is French Press Coffee?

French press coffee is a cup of coffee that is brewed using the French press brewing method of full immersion, the steeping of your coffee grounds in hot water while they extract the flavors, caffeine and coffee oils.

It was invented in 1929 and is known by a few other names, including:

• Press pot.
• Coffee press.
• Cafetière.

It’s a coffee brewing method that was probably made with the specific purpose of getting the best out of dark roasted coffee beans, particularly French roasts, as this was the dominant coffee bean in France where it was invented and still is today.

Best Type Of Coffee For French Press

French press coffee makers work much better with medium to dark roasted coffee beans with medium-dark and all four dark roasts producing the best results.

This is due to this method of brewing being much better at extracting the deep, dark and bold flavors from your coffee beans and the delicious coffee oils than other coffee brewing methods.

Here is a complete list of the coffee roasts that are best with a dark roasted coffee.

• Medium roast.
• Medium-dark roast.
• Full city roast.
• Vienna roast.
• French roast.
• Italian roast.

The latter four form the category of dark roasted coffees.

Due to the time and effort that is required, it is much better in my opinion that you use your premium quality coffee beans.

Particular flavors that are extracted best with French press brewing are the earthy, chocolate flavors and the nutty nuts of hazelnut and almonds.

Here are my top 5 recommended beans to try with your French press:

• Deans Bean’s – Ring of Fire Dark Roast.
• Volcanica Coffee – French roast.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters – French Roast.
• Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend.
• Lavazza Super Crema Espresso Roast.

Read: 

Does French Press Make Espresso?

A French press is great for making a large 8 Oz (240 ml), 12 Oz (360 ml) and larger cups of strong, bold and intense coffee that is enjoyable and delicious.

As good as French press is for brewing strong coffee, it’s not ideal or perfect for brewing an espresso. No matter how hard you try, you will at best only get a poor version of a homemade espresso. A French press lacks the pressure of 9 bar (130 PSI) to get the thick, rich crema on top.

The only machine that will get you an espresso is an espresso machine.

How To Use A French Press With Pre-ground Coffee

A French press is easy to use and while I encourage you to use whole beans for the best tasting coffee and get that freshness best.

If you are using whole beans, start by weighing your coffee beans and then grinding them to coarse grind size and follow the step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients Needed For Brewing French Press Coffee

At Latte Love Brew, it is our ethos to encourage you to use the best ingredients and best equipment together with the best techniques to get the best tasting coffee.

Ingredients you will need are:

• Premium Quality Pre-ground coffee of a coarse 0.75 mm to 1 mm grind size.
• Bottled water or filtered water.
• Milk and sugar as desired.

Your coffee, regardless of the brewing method, is 98% water and thus the better the quality of your water, the better your coffee will be.

Read: Pour over Vs French press

Step 1: Calculate And Measure Your Coffee

To calculate how much coffee you will need, take the size of the cup of coffee you wish to brew and divide it by the coffee to water ratio for French press, which is 1:15.

If you have a 12 Oz (360 ml) cup, divide the 360 ml by 15 to get 24 grams (0.8 Oz), which is how much coffee to use by weight.

Step 2: Measure Your Water

Measure the amount of water to use and add 100 grams.

Measure your water by weight. 12 Oz (360 ml) + 100 grams = 460 grams.

The additional 100 ml (100 grams) is needed to preheat your French press.

Step 3: Heat Your Water

Heat your water to between 92C (195F) and 96C (205F). For maximum extraction, it is better that your water temperature is nearer to 96C (205F).

Step 4: Pre-heat Your French Press

Add 100 grams (100 ml) to your French press and swirl it around to heat your French press. Discard your water when finished.

Step 5: Add Your Coffee Grounds

Add your 24 grams of coffee grounds to your French press.

Step 6: Bloom Your Coffee

Add twice as much hot water as there is coffee grounds. For 24 grams of coffee, add 48 grams (48 ml) of hot water and wait 25 to 30 seconds for your coffee to bloom.

Step 7: Add The Rest Of Your Hot Water

Add the rest of your hot water to your coffee press. Stir your coffee grounds gently. Lower the plunger until your coffee plunger is just below the water line and wait 4 min to 5 min for your French press coffee to extract.

Step 8: Take The Plunge

Press down on your plunger slowly with an even pressure until it reaches the bottom.

Your coffee is now ready. Pour and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions About What Does A French Press Do?

What Is The Point Of A French Press?

The point of a French press is to brew your specialty grade coffee beans that are of a medium roast, medium-dark roast and dark roast and get all the great flavors of the beans and coffee oils into your cup of coffee using the full immersion brewing method.

Why Use A French Press Instead Of Coffee Maker?

Coffee tastes different depending on the brewing method and equipment used, that right there is a perfectly good reason to use a French press instead of a coffee maker, to get a different tasting cup of coffee.

A French press coffee maker gives you full control over all the variables, meaning you can make adjustments and get it tasting exactly how you want it to taste. The use of the metal mesh filter helps to produce a coffee that is bolder and stronger tasting.

A drip coffee maker offers you convenience and the very different brewing method of using a constant flow of hot water and a paper filter results in clean, crisp tasting coffee.

Is It Necessary To Use A French Press?

It is not absolutely necessary that you use a coffee press to make your coffee as you can use any method or technique that suits you. They are cheap and very long-lasting if you take care of them. My Bodum French press has lasted me a few years already; all presses that I have owned have lasted years!

It’s a good piece of brewing equipment to have and gives you options when it comes to brewing coffee. Your medium and dark roasted coffee can be brewed using a moka pot, espresso machine and a coffee siphon to name a few in your quest to make the best coffee with your premium quality beans.

Do Cafés Use French Press?

It depends on where you are in the world. I have travelled a lot and tend to enjoy my coffee and seek out the better quality gourmet coffee shops: these are the ones that do have a French press, but not always.

Should You Wash French Press After Every Use?

Yes, if you don’t wash your French press coffee maker every time you use it, the coffee oils and coffee grounds that may be stuck in the filter will build up, go rancid and brew horrible coffee.

Do Italians Drink French Press?

Yes, it is not uncommon to find a French press in an Italian home and I have seen, while in Northern Italy, Italians drinking French press at a street side café.

As a word though, it is very common for Italians to own a moka pot.

Can I Reuse The Grounds In My French Press?

No, you cannot reuse the ground from your French press to get a second cup of coffee from. Your second cup of coffee should be weak and watery.

If you are able to get a reasonably good tasting cup of coffee, you should revise your brewing technique as you are not getting the full flavor into your first cup of coffee.

You can reuse your coffee grounds for other purposes like adding it to your compost pile, growing mushrooms, fertilizing your garden, make a facial scrub, hair scrub and various beauty treatments. Don’t just throw them out!

Why Doesn’t My French Press coffee Taste Good?

There are many reasons why your French press coffee might not be tasting as good as it could be, may be due to not using the correct grind size or brewing temperature.

Other reasons may be using the incorrect coffee to water ratio or too long or too short an extraction time.

The ideal grind size is a coarse grind size; the perfect temperature is between 92C (195F) and 96C (205F).

The coffee to water ratio should be 1:15 and a brew time of between 4 min and 5 minutes.

Final Thoughts – What Does A French Press Do?

That question What does a French press do? Should be fully banished from your mind if you have read this far.

Make good use of your French press and use it for making multiple different types of coffee drinks, including cold brew coffee and a better quality of tea can be brewed also. You can also take advantage and use it to make frothy milk.

However,

if you particularly enjoy the frothy milk produced by your French press, give serious consideration to buying a manual pump milk frother.

Join our fun and friendly coffee community and tell us about the amazing alternate uses that you have for your French press! Find us on Facebook/Meta.

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location