How To Make French Roast Coffee – Brew A Truly Amazing Coffee!

Learning how to make French roast coffee will help you to unlock the deep, bold, amazing and almost sexy flavor of a French roast coffee by brewing it the French way, with a French press.

Literally speaking, this brewing methods was designed to get the best out of French roast coffee beans!

Keep reading for the details!

How To Make French Roast Coffee

Making French roast coffee is easy and one of the better brewing methods for this deep and dark intense roast is the French press brewing method.

Yes,

you are reading that right making French press coffee with a French roast coffee bean!

You can call this a true French coffee if you wish! Let’s get to the details, starting with….

Read: Starbucks French roast coffee

What Is A French Roast?

A French roast is a style of coffee roasting that uses a high temperature that produces a very roasty coffee due to being roasted at 464F (240C) to produce a very dark brown coffee bean that has an oily coating as at this temperature the oils from deep within the coffee bean migrates to the exterior surface.

Like all dark roasts it is roasted to beyond the second crack and is second deepest of the 4 dark roasted coffees.

Only an Italian roast is roasted to higher level.

Expect a deep, dark coffee with earthy but not burnt notes with a lingering smokiness and caramelization of the sugars. It produces a cup of coffee with a light body and low acidity.

What Is A French Press?

A French press is a coffee brewing device and piece of equipment that was invented in France in 1929 and has been used ever since. It’s iconic and easily identifiable and known by a few other names including:

• Plunger coffee.
• Coffee press.
• Cafetière.

It’s a coffee brewing method that uses the full immersion technique to extract the flavors and oils and get them into your cup of coffee. It works best with dark roasts, particularly a French roast coffee and an Italian roast coffee.

Due to the metal filter you will get all the delicious and tasty coffee oils into your brew.

You’ll find a French press to be cheap, easy to use and very affordable.

As a note, the best ones are made with a glass carafe and by leading brands like Bodum.

Read: What does French roast coffee taste like?

How To Make French Roast Coffee With A French Press

French press coffee is very easy to make and French roasted coffee beans are easy to work with.

Quite literally, this brewing technique was made for this type of coffee bean.

At Latte Love Brew we encourage you to use the baristas principle of the best equipment and the best ingredients together produce the best results.

Let’s get to the list of equipment and ingredients needed to brew an Amazing coffee with the French press method.

Equipment Needed

Very few items are needed for making amazing French roast coffee with your French press.

The following equipment will help you to make the perfect brew, perhaps you already own them. If not, consider them as an investment.

• Waterproof Digital Coffee Scale With A Timer
• Ceramic Flat Burr Grinder.
• Bodum French Press With A Glass Carafe.
• Kettle With Digital Temperature Control.

The items needed help to achieve precision and a repeatable process where you consistently make the perfect French press coffee.

Ingredients Needed

It is barely a secret that the best ingredients will produce the best coffee. You need only two ingredients for making the perfect French roast coffee with your French press.

• Premium Quality French Roast Whole Coffee Beans.
• Bottled Water or Filtered Water.

Your coffee is 98% water, the better the quality of your water, the better your brew will be.

How To Make French Roast Coffee With Your French Press Step By Step

The perfect coffee to water ratio for a perfect French press coffee is 1:15, that 15x more water by weight than coffee that you use.

Start by first calculating how much coffee you want to make by volume in milliliters or fluid ounces.

It is better that you use calculate in milliliters for greater accuracy and a better brew, a better cup of coffee.

Here are some common cup sizes in ounces and milliliters.

• 8 Oz – 240 ml.
• 12 Oz – 360 ml.
• 16 Oz – 480 ml.
• 20 Oz – 600 ml.

Divide the number, volume of water used, by 15 to get the correct amount of coffee to use.

Here is how much coffee to use by weight, for common cup sizes.

• For 8 Oz (240 ml) Use 0.53 Oz (16 grams) Of Coffee.
• For 12 Oz (360 ml) Use 0.8 Oz (24 grams) Of Coffee.
• For 16 Oz (480 ml) Use 1.06 Oz (32 grams) Of Coffee.
• For 20 Oz (600 ml) Use 1.33 Oz (40 grams) Of Coffee.

Read: What is French roast coffee?

Step 1: Weigh Your Coffee Beans

Weigh your coffee beans as whole beans. Their mas is the same be the whole or ground and will weigh the same. By weighing as whole beans and grinding later you gain in flavor due to a slightly better freshness.

Step 2: Grind Your Whole Coffee Beans

Grind your coffee beans to a coarse grind size using a ceramic flat burr coffee grinder. This is best type of grinder for getting the most consistent grind size and a reduced heat transfer from the burr to the coffee beans.

This helps in terms of flavor as different grind sizes extract at different rates and heat transfer from burr to beans is detrimental to the quality as it “cooks” them a little.

Grind your beans using the bursts technique of grinding in 5 seconds bursts and resting for 3 seconds. This technique helps to prevent clumping and reduces heat build up.

Step 3: Heat Your Water

This step, heating your water, can be initiated before your weight your beans and let it heat while you perform the other tasks.

A kettle with a digital temperature control will help you to get precision temperature control.

Unfortunately too high and too low a temperature can lead to imperfect extraction of the flavors.

The ideal temperature is a right range for 92C (195F) to 96C (205F). Too low and your coffee will be under extracted and slightly sour tasting, too high and your coffee will over extract and become too bitter.

Heat your water to as close to 96C (205F) as you can.

Step 4: Preheat Your Bodum French Press

Preheat your French press by a title of your adding water and swirling it around your French press.

This part your can’t do with a plastic French press. This is where a glass carafe has its advantage, and in terms of health, a plastic carafe will let xeno estrogens seep into your brew.

Discard the how water.

Step 5: Place Your Digital Coffee Scale Below Your French Press

Put your coffee scale below your French press and use the tare function to zero your scale.

Step 6: Add Your Coffee Grounds To Your French Press

Add your freshly coarsely ground coffee to your French press and add enough hot water to cover your coffee grounds and submerge them in 1 cm of hot water.

Wait 25 to 30 seconds. This process is called blooming or degassing.

Add the rest of your hot water while carefully monitoring the weight of your water. The amount of water you pour should be 15x the weight of your coffee grounds to ensure that your use of coffee to water ratio used is 1:15.

When you finish pouring start the timer, most coffee scales come with a built in timer, the best will start automatically.

Stir your coffee ground gently with a long spoon. Gently push your plunger down until it is only just below the surface of your coffee and water mix.

Step 7: Let Your Coffee Extract

Let your coffee extract using a brew time of 4 minutes. This can be monitored using the timer on your coffee scale.

When your coffee is ready, push down on the plunger gently with an even pressure.

Your coffee is now ready, serve and enjoy.

Best Coffee For French Press

The best French roast coffee to use for your French press are the following coffees which I consider as my top 5 French roast coffees.

• Midnight Roast By Lifeboost.
• French Roast Coffee By Volcanica.
• French Roast By San Francisco Bay.
• French Roast By Starbucks.
• French Roast By Lion.

Each of these coffees will produce a deep, dark and intense tasting coffee.

Why French Press Coffee Is Bad For You

Personally I don’t consider French press coffee as bad for you but many do due to being a coffee brewed with a metal filter which results in raised cholesterol levels due to more cafestol which is found in the coffee oils getting into your brew.

There is a whole body of evidence and medical research that clearly state that cholesterol is good for you, and is in fact essential for hormone production. It is my opinion that the small amount in a cup or two of coffee per day will not be a problem.

However,

If you already have high cholesterol you may be a better choice to enjoy a filtered coffee that brewed using a paper filter. Cafestol is not entirely an evil substance as it has beneficial properties, namely anticancer.

As I said, if you already have high cholesterol, you might want to reconsider using a French press.

How To Use A French Press With Pre-Ground Coffee

Using a French press with pre-ground coffee is exactly the same as the methods and techniques as I laid out on the step by step guide above. Just skip the shep where you have to grind you coffee beans.

Use the same coffee to water ratio, brew time and ensure that the pre-ground coffee is a coarse grind size and a dark roast to get the best results.

French Press Coffee Ratio 2 Cups

The coffee to water ratio for a French press or any other coffee brewing technique doesn’t change depending on the number of cups yoru are brewing. It is a ratio that has a direct relationship between the volume of water used and the amount of coffee used.

Calculate the total volume of water that you need to use and divide it by 15. The result is the amount of coffee by weight that you need to use.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Make French Roast Coffee

How Much Water To Coffee Ratio For French Roast?

For a French press coffee, the best coffee to water ratio is 1:15, that’s one part coffee and 15 parts water. Thus, to calculate how much coffee to use divide the volume of coffee that you want to be by 15.

• 8 Oz (240 ml) cup use 0.53 Oz (16 grams) of coffee.
• 12 Oz (360 ml) cup use 0.8 Oz (24 grams) of coffee.
• 16 Oz (480 ml) cup use 1.06 Oz (32 grams) of coffee.

How Can I Make French Coffee?

Using your French press is easy. Use the following instructions for brewing the perfect coffee using the following instruction and method.

Start by heating your water to between 92C and 96C (195F to 205F) and as close to 205F (96C) as you can get.

Weigh your coffee beans and calculate how much you will need by dividing how much coffee you want to brew (how much water you will be using) by 15.

Grind your coffee beans to a coarse and even grind size using a ceramic flat burr grinder.

Add your freshly ground coffee to your French press and slowly add your hot water. When your hot water covers your coffee grounds, and they are wet but not quite submerged, stop pouring and let your coffee grounds bloom for 20 to 25 seconds.

Once your bloom has finished, proceed to slowly and evenly pour the rest of your hot water. You can take this opportunity to heat your water a little to ensure a perfect brewing temperature.

When you have finished pouring your water, give your coffee a gentle stir for a minute. Close your French press coffee maker and push the plunger until the filter is only slightly submerged.

Wait 4 to 5 minutes for your coffee to extract.

When your coffee is ready, push down on your plunger with an even pressure, until it reaches the bottom. Pour and enjoy your coffee.

How Much Water Do I Need For 40g Coffee In French Press?

Using the best coffee to water ratio of 1:15 for a great tasting French press coffee, you would need 40g x 15 = 600 ml (20 Oz) for water.

What Is The Perfect Coffee To Water Ratio?

The perfect coffee to water ratio varies depending on the brewing method that you are using. For drip coffee and pour over coffee it’s 1:18.

It also varies depending on the coffee drink that you are brewing: an espresso for example uses a coffee to water ratio of 1:2, a lunge uses a ratio of 1:3 and a ristretto uses a ratio of 1:1.

The perfect ratio of a French press coffee is 1:15.

How Much Coffee Do I Need For 2 cups Of French Press?

The amount of coffee to use for 2 cups of French press is best calculated by first deciding the volume of coffee that each cup will have and dividing the number by 15 as the perfect coffee to water ratio is 1:15 and double the number for 2 cups.

Use the table below as a guide.

What Makes French Coffee Different?

French coffee, in reference to the French roast, it is different because it is a very high, deep and dark roasted coffee that produces a rich, bold and intense tasting cup of coffee.

French coffee, with a reference to the brewing process known as French press is different due to the brewing process using the full immersion process and a mesh metal filter that results in all the coffee oils getting into your brew.

How Many Grams Of Coffee For 500ml French Press?

To calculate how much coffee to use for a French press coffee divide the volume of water used by 15, as the coffee to water ratio for this brewing technique is 1:15.

500 / 15 = 33.33 grams of coffee to be used for 500 ml of fresh coarse ground coffee.

How Much Coffee Do I Need For A 600ml French Press?

Focusing on the best coffee to water ratio for making French press coffee, which is 1:15. To calculate how much fresh coarse ground coffee we have to divide 600 ml by 15.

Thus, 600 / 15 = 40 grams for coffee is to be used.

Final Thoughts – How To Make French Roast Coffee

If you have read this far you should know exactly know how to make French roast coffee with a very detailed step by step guide.

Join our fun and friendly coffee community and let us know what French roast beans you used in yoru French press, how were, how do you rate them? 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