How to Make Coffee in a French Press

November 7, 2011

Ever since I watched that creepy Season 3 scene of LOST where Ben makes the fancy beachside breakfast and tells Kate she can't have any coffee until she puts on handcuffs, I've wanted to learn how to use a French Press. Here's how it's done:

You'll need something to boil water in, coffee, a coffee grinder if you're using whole beans, a tablespoon, a chopstick (or a thin, long-handled something) and a coffee cup. And a press pot.

Decide how much coffee you want to make, and put at least that much water on to boil.

As the water begins to boil, grind your coffee (obviously, you can skip this step if you're using pre-ground). Coffee retains more flavor if you can minimize the time between grinding and steeping, so it's a good idea to have your water boiled and ready to go as soon as your coffee is ground.

Don't over-grind. Try to keep the chunks on the bigger side or later you'll end up with concentrated coffee sludge on the bottom of your cup. Which I don't really mind - but some people do.

For every 6 oz. of water you'll be using, add one heaping tablespoon to the bottom of your pot. Adjust the heap according to your strength preference. I like mine heap big strong. 2011-11-071
Add your boiling water to the pot. Pour it evenly to cover all the grounds.

You'll notice a bunch of bubbles on top. This is called "bloom." It's caused by the release of carbon dioxide when the hot water hits the grounds. The fresher the coffee beans, the bigger the bloom.

Stir gently with a chopstick to create a frothy bloom and extract more flavor. Stirring also breaks the surface of the water to allow the carbon dioxide to escape prior to steeping and pressing. Fewer upward-moving gas bubbles means fewer coffee grounds escape around the filter as you press.

Gently lay your lid/filter/plunger piece on the pot. DO NOT plunge the filter down yet; the coffee needs to steep. Your steep time depends on how much coffee you're making, and how strong you want it. Timing is something you can experiment with later, so 3-4 minutes is a good place to start:

After your steep time's up, it's time to S-L-O-W-L-Y press the plunger all the way down (On LOST, Ben pressed it way too fast, by the way). Press straight down, keeping the filter level to minimize escaping grounds.

Use one hand to secure the lid as you pour to avoid scalding yourself, making a big mess, and ruining your coffee.

VOILA! You did it. A French-pressed cup of coffee!

Ben Linus French Press


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