The Newbie’s Guide to French Press Coffee
The Classic Bodum Chambord
Why am I posting a Guide to French Press Coffee? Well, When I met my husband Matt almost 11 years ago, I was a Gevalia and Dunkin Donuts Girl that just moved from Florida to Seattle. I was in for an awakening, a caffeinated one, living in Seattle and the West Coast for the first time when it came to the coffee scene. I had some lessons to learn and I wish someone gave me a Guide to French Press Coffee back then.
Matt and I both lived in Capitol Hill in Seattle in 2010 through 2011, and that was a very special time to live in that neighborhood. There were wonderful drag scene and great restaurants popping up all over the place, and the coffee shops were just glorious. We had Counter Culture, Caffe Vita, Joe Bar, and one of the first Stumptown Coffee houses outside of Portland was right across the street from Matt's apartment. There were a lot of walks of shames to Stumptown back in those days. Oh, and Bauhaus… I miss Bauhaus. It was so authentic and a perfect combination of new hip and old charm. Bauhaus was Capital Hill’s own Central Perk. To paint the picture of its uniqueness, there was a composer that used to write music there everyday. Everyone would buy a coffee to avoid the guilt of sneaking their own snacks and meals to the unmanned upstairs area. It was a poor twenty-something’s perfect chill-place. Unfortunately, the wonderful Seattle Bauhaus is no longer with us.
It’s safe to say that my true first exposure to coffee was in Seattle, as cliche as it is. True to its brand, Seattle delivered me a coffee man… and he came with a French Press. I haven’t had a coffee-pot in my house since… Just a French Press… You can say he was MY Newbie’s Guide to French Press Coffee, and I’m now passing the torch.
Even though I do miss the days of waking up to a coffee-pot that was timed to deliver me a cup of caffeine, I don’t miss the lesser quality. There is something nostalgic when I get Dunkin Donuts to-go on a road-trip or when I visit someone on the East Coast and need a complete over-jolt of caffeine. I love the quality coffee I now get though.
Four Sigmatic Coffee
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Matt and I now live in Berkeley, CA, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area… Funny enough, even though it’s not part of the city’s/region’s brand, I think coffee is a bigger thing here than Seattle. Starbucks may have come from Seattle, but we have Blue Bottle, Philz, Four Barrel, Ritual, Sightglass, Chromatin, and Flywheel Coffee. Peets is even from the Bay Area. If you’ve ever seen Silicon Valley on HBO, the coffee and coffee shops referenced in that show is Philz which is iconic to the San Francisco Bay Area coffee scene. I even get a bag of Sightglass Peaberry coffee in my Imperfect Foods delivery every week for only $8.99. Matt also orders coffee directly from Kona (when we can’t get it at Costco).
Pro Tip from Guide to French Press Coffee: If you ever visit Hawaii, hit up Costco for the Kona Coffee or Hawaiian blends you want to take home. Costco sells the best coffee brands in Hawaii, like Kauai Coffee.
Ok, so now we’ve established that we’re proper coffee snobs, let’s get to this Guide to Frech Press Coffee thing.
You need a French Press. I recommend getting a Bodum. Quality glass does matter, and if you go cheap, you’ll spend more in replacing cheaper glass. Pro Tip: If you wash them in the dishwasher, keep the handle and case on them so the glass doesn’t break. One thing you have to be ok with when being a French Press drinker is that breaking a glass here and there just happens. Be ok with it. Have a back-up press. OR, don’t go glass. I just got Matt the Le Creuset French Press and we love it. You’ll want to buy the large size to match a regular french press size. It’s built like a dutch-oven, so a ceramic layer over iron or stoneware. Also, don’t plunge the coffee fast if you have a glass one, or you can cause the pressure to break the French Press.
MOST IMPORTANT: Most people don’t know this, but you NEED A SPECIFIC GRINDER! No, you can’t use that little chopper kind you use when making coffee in a coffee pot. The kind used in French Press making uses gears that make sure all the coffee grounds are crushed at the same ground, vs chopped at different sizes. Make sure your new coffee grinder is set on French Press when you buy it and start using it. Most people think this step can be skipped, or they simply don’t know and wonder why their coffee ends up like sludge. Don’t even attempt it with the wrong grinder. It’ll be a waste of time, coffee, and your energy… which you don’t have to spare since you’re making coffee.
You’ll need a water kettle. I recommend an electric for daily use, but an over the stove one will work too.
One French Press makes two large mugs of coffee or 3 regular small mugs. Just know this. We have one double sized French Press for when we have company, or a Saturday.
For a regular French Press, add around ¼ cup whole coffee beans to the grinder, and after the grind, add to the French Press, pour in boiling water, stir (we use a butter knife) and wait 4 minutes, stir the coffee one more time. Then plunge and drink!
Now that you have the proper grinder, you can also purchase a coffee pour-over and pour over filters for when you want just one cup of coffee. This will be a finer grind than the French Press.
Enjoy your new coffee techniques! There’s so much great coffee out there to enjoy. If you haven’t tried Blue Bottle coffee yet, they have remarkable beans and offer one bag free with their subscription service. If you’re ever in San Francisco, I recommend hitting up a Philz location for their special coffee roast of the month to take some home with you. I hope you enjoyed the Newbie’s Guide to French Press Coffee!
Love, peace, and coffee homies. I hope you enjoyed this guide to french press coffee. Go enjoy your cup of joe now.
