How to Use a French Press: Ratio, Grind & Steps

1. 1

   Heat the water. To just off the boil, about 200°F (93°C). Let boiling water sit 30 seconds if you have no thermometer.30 seconds

2. 2

   Preheat the press. With a splash of hot water, swirl and pour it out. A cold carafe drops the brew temperature fast.

3. 3

   Weigh and grind. The coffee coarse, like sea salt. Use 1 g of coffee per 13.5 g of water as a starting point.

4. 4

   Add the grounds. To the empty press and start a 4-minute timer.

5. 5

   Pour all the water. In steadily, wetting every ground, then give the slurry a gentle stir.

6. 6

   Put the lid on. With the plunger raised and leave it to steep for 4 minutes.4 minutes

7. 7

   Press slowly. , taking about 15 to 20 seconds. If it resists hard, the grind is too fine; stop and ease off.20 seconds

8. 8

   Pour everything out. Straight away into cups or a carafe. Coffee left on the grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter.

Want the exact grams and millilitres for your press? Our French press ratio calculator works it out for every common size and strength.

Press sizes are sold in “cups” of about 4 oz, so an 8-cup press makes roughly two to three normal mugs, not eight. Fill it to just below the spout and work from the water you actually pour.

A ratio between 1:12 and 1:15 suits most people. Start at 1:13.5, then move toward 1:12 for a bolder cup or 1:15 if it feels heavy. Change the ratio for strength; change the grind for bitterness or sourness.

A French press is an immersion brewer. All the water sits with all the coffee for the whole steep, so extraction is even and predictable as long as the grind is consistent. Drip and pour over work differently: water passes through the bed once, and a paper filter traps oils and the finest particles.

The metal mesh lets coffee oils and some very fine particles through. That is where the heavy body and rounder mouthfeel come from, and also why a French press cup can taste muddy if the grind produces a lot of dust. If you prefer a cleaner, brighter cup, compare the methods in drip vs pour over.

Because the coffee is fully immersed, time does the work that pouring technique does in pour over. That makes the French press one of the most forgiving brewers: get the grind, ratio and steep time roughly right and it produces the same cup every morning.

• Skim, then wait. After the 4-minute steep, stir the crust gently, spoon off the foam and floating grounds, put the lid on and wait another 5 minutes before pressing. The fines settle to the bottom and the cup comes out far cleaner.
• Press only to the surface. Lower the plunger just until it meets the coffee, rather than crushing the grounds at the bottom. The mesh acts as a strainer and less silt is stirred up.
• Grind with burrs and sift if you are keen. An even coarse grind matters more than the press itself; see burr vs blade grinders.
• Use filtered water. It makes up nearly all of the cup, and very hard water dulls flavour.
• Decant immediately into a warmed mug or thermal carafe so the coffee stops extracting.

These steps add time, not cost. If you only change one thing, make it the longer settle before pouring.

Aim for a coarse grind with pieces about the size of sea salt or breadcrumbs. Too fine and the plunger sticks, the cup turns bitter and sediment fills the bottom. Too coarse and the coffee tastes thin and sour even at a strong ratio. Our coffee grind size chart shows how French press compares with every other method.

Owners of hand grinders can find full charts in our Comandante C40 grind settings guide. Adjust one step at a time: coarser if bitter, finer if sour or weak.

Pick this if you are upgrading from a blade grinder

OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

A budget conical burr grinder that gives the even coarse grind a French press needs.

Check current priceRead the review

Pick this if you brew filter coffee every day

Baratza Virtuoso+

A filter-first electric grinder with a timer and a large hopper for household batches.

Check current priceRead the review

Pick this if you want a premium hand grinder

Comandante C40

A precise hand grinder that covers French press through pour over, and travels well.

Check current priceRead the review

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Still bitter after these fixes? Work through why coffee tastes bitter. Unsure about temperature for your roast? Use the coffee water temperature calculator.

Tip the grounds into the compost or bin rather than the sink, where they can clog drains. Rinse the carafe and plunger with hot water straight after use, before oils dry on.

Once a week, unscrew the plunger and separate the mesh, cross plate and spring. Wash them in warm soapy water with a soft brush, rinse well and reassemble with the mesh flat against the edges. A bent or gappy mesh lets grounds through, so replace it if it no longer seals against the glass.