French Press 101

[Jasonian]

I followed the instructions and got a good cup of coffee, but didn't get that cool looking froth. Is there a trick to getting the foam? I suspect it's either my grinder or my beans. I'm using a burr grinder, but it's a Black & Decker model. It's certainly an improvement over my blade grinder, but I'm guessing that a Zass would be even better. I'm getting beans from HighPoint coffee in Memphis. They tell me that it's roasted in MS and they get shipments every Monday, so it's fairly fresh.

What's the trick to froth?

~Jeff

Having had their coffee, I can promise you.. it's the coffee.

Freshness is more than a function of when it was roasted. (referring to green coffee)How it was stored, how long it's been stored, how it was shipped, how it was processed, how it was dried, and how it was roasted will all be factors.

The "froth" is just the bloom. If you're not getting much bloom, or if your bloom isn't very stable, you will have little to no froth. On the other hand, that "froth" doesn't do a thing for flavor, so it's not worth worrying about anyway if you're happy with the cup you're getting.

 

[kwigibocity]

Search "site:ajcn.org coffee french press". This is nearly as dry an organization as New England Journal in USA, as dedicated to the scientific method but able to conduct a broader range of studies specifically confined to nutritional concern. French press method does allow a (minor) bit of bad cholesterol...of course, the same site's got plenty pointing out other coffee drinking benefits.

And there doesn't seem to be a study incorporating particularly long baselines of null/alternative comparison (maybe couldn't fund such).

But it is at least proven that short term LDL levels increased slightly from consumption of unfiltered coffee, and lowered after removing unfiltered coffee from the diet.

 

[Shaving Galoot]

Having had their coffee, I can promise you.. it's the coffee.

Freshness is more than a function of when it was roasted. (referring to green coffee)How it was stored, how long it's been stored, how it was shipped, how it was processed, how it was dried, and how it was roasted will all be factors.

The "froth" is just the bloom. If you're not getting much bloom, or if your bloom isn't very stable, you will have little to no froth. On the other hand, that "froth" doesn't do a thing for flavor, so it's not worth worrying about anyway if you're happy with the cup you're getting.

Honestly, I think the stuff I picked up at Fresh Market and Whole Foods is better than the HighPoint beans. In the next couple weeks I'm going to upgrade my grinder to either a Hario Skeleton mill (I'm on the waiting list) or a Zass. But in the meantime I think I'm going to go back to the Fresh Market and Whole Foods beans. Maybe I can work up better bloom out of those. Either way, they taste better than HighPoint.

Thanks for the help.

~Jeff

 

[ravkesef]

I would not wish to say anything that contradicts Din Johnson's method of making French Press. It's simple, classic, and effective. However, I use another technique which, of all the FP methods, in my opinion, offers a fuller bodied, richer tasting coffee. Herewith my daily morning ritual.

Background Remember, that once you open a package of coffee beans, they will begin to go stale, so you should keep the bag as tightly sealed as you possibly can. Grind only as much as you need for the coffee you are making right now.

Start with filtered water, either a Britta filter, or bottled water. Of course, if the water that comes out of your tap is of exceptionally high quality, then you can use that without fear.

Method

1. Heat the water to just off the boil, 205°is perfect.
2. Use 6 ounces of water for every two level tablespoons of coffee. I measure out the whole beans and then grind them. By the way, one coffee measure is the equivalent of two tablespoons. I actually weigh my beans, and for the two of us (SWMBO and your humble servant,) I use 40 grams of coffee and 24 oz of water.
3. The grind should be medium coarse.
4. Put the freshly ground coffee into the carafe. Add 3-4 oz of hot water. The coffee should begin to foam, (it is releasing CO2, a sign that it is fresh.) Cover and wrap the carafe with a towel to help keep it warm.
5. Wait 3 minutes.
6. Stir the coffee lightly with a plastic or wooden spoon.
7. Add the rest of the hot water. (you may need to heat it slightly to bring it back up to temperature before adding.) Rewrap the carafe.
8. Wait 3 minutes.
9. Push the plunger slowly down, pour the coffee and enjoy. This method will give you the fullest bodied, richest coffee, bringing out all the subtleties and nuances in the beans.

 

[Jasonian]

That's quite a heavy dose you've got going on. 10g per cup.

If you want your cup to be on the clean side, don't plunge the grounds down.

break the crust with a cupping spoon (or soup spoon), just as you would for a cupping. Remove the bloom and floater grounds with the spoon, and let the rest sink.

Then plunge. (this part should take little effort, if any)

All the flavor, significantly reduced sediment. Just make sure you let it rest for 30 seconds or so before pouring off. Pour it all off at once if you want to avoid the inevitable overextraction, and this method will actually increase the life of the brewed coffee if decanted due to the reduction in fines in the final product.

 

[ravkesef]

That's quite a heavy dose you've got going on. 10g per cup.

If you want your cup to be on the clean side, don't plunge the grounds down.

break the crust with a cupping spoon (or soup spoon), just as you would for a cupping. Remove the bloom and floater grounds with the spoon, and let the rest sink.

Then plunge. (this part should take little effort, if any)

All the flavor, significantly reduced sediment. Just make sure you let it rest for 30 seconds or so before pouring off. Pour it all off at once if you want to avoid the inevitable overextraction, and this method will actually increase the life of the brewed coffee if decanted due to the reduction in fines in the final product.

Yup, and darn proud of it! Actually, that's pretty much a standard dose. Measure add 2 tablespoons of coffee and weigh them, and you'll find you have about 10 to 12 g. And when you're making espresso, you'll weigh in 12 to 14 g for a double shot (does anybody drink singles anymore?)

 

[Jasonian]

Yup, and darn proud of it! Actually, that's pretty much a standard dose. Measure add 2 tablespoons of coffee and weigh them, and you'll find you have about 10 to 12 g. And when you're making espresso, you'll weigh in 12 to 14 g for a double shot (does anybody drink singles anymore?)

How measures in volume these days?

Doesn't everyone own a gram scale?

It depends on the roast level, and if you're using mostly light-medium roasts, your numbers seem about right.

cheers!

 

[ravkesef]

How measures in volume these days?

Doesn't everyone own a gram scale?

It depends on the roast level, and if you're using mostly light-medium roasts, your numbers seem about right.

cheers!

For the benefit of all concerned, I would not attempt to match wits in the coffee business with Jason Haegar, truly one of the all time greats. Therefore, not by way of contradiction, but simply to explain what has worked for me, I offer the following:
Most coffee instructions tell you to use a standard coffee measure for each 6 ounces of water. A standard coffee measure equals two level tablespoons. Now here's the trick: take several different types of coffee, measure out a standard coffee measure with each one, and then weigh it. You will find a significant variation in weights, the measure weighing in at anywhere from 10 to 15 g. (this assumes whole beans, since the density of the beans varies greatly, depending upon type of bean, size, and roast.) That's why I go by weight, because that factors out the other things. My experience is that a few very the weight depending upon the roast, you will get a wide variation in the quality of the finished product. If it's just about right for a lighter roast, and then you cut back on the amount of coffee for a darker roast, you run the risk of getting watery coffee with excessively sharp overtones. Again, my experience is that varying the amount of water or coffee, i.e. departing from the standard 10 g of coffee for 6 ounces of water, will not give you a stronger or weaker brew, but simply bad coffee. The 10g/6oz standard allows you to achieve the fullest extraction, experiencing everything which that particular coffee has to offer.

The same, by the way, can be said of tea, where you should not use a level teaspoon for each cup of tea, because teas vary in their density even more than coffees do. For example, I have an English breakfast from Upton Tea that has a very fine size, and if I use a level teaspoon, I will get an excessively astringent and unpleasant brew, one that even the addition of milk won't salvage. However, if one follows the standard measure and practice for tea, i.e. 2.25 g per 6 ounces of water, you will get a well made cup of tea displaying all the qualities which that tea has to offer, regardless of the type of tea selected.

Now as to Jason's question, namely doesn't every one own a gram scale is certainly well taken, because not everyone does, and so a standard coffee measure or a teaspoon provides a good approximation… Sometimes. And at other times, you'll wonder why the coffee or tea isn't as good today as it was the other day. That's why you should have a gram scale, and you can get one for a reasonable price here.
In my judgment, the slight expense is well worth it. My 2¢ worth.

 

[ratcheer]

My coffee shop man makes consistently excellent coffee. He weighs 0.15 pound of beans per 64 oz. water. I could figure it out in grams per 6 oz, but right now I am too lazy to do it.

Tim

 

[ravkesef]

that's a bit weaker than mine.
mine (10g/ 6oz) works out to 1.66g/oz

his: .15#/64oz = 68g/64oz works out to 1.06g/oz, or converted to a 6 oz cup would be ~6.4g/6oz.
I tried it in my French Press and got a thin, watery brew. Haven't tried it in a filter, but when I make coffee in a Chemex or in a Cona, I still use the same proportions, as these are the ones recommended by the various coffee institutions.
However, the bottom line is de gustibus... and I would never presume to argue with what a person likes or to tell another what to like, anymore than I would care for the same done to me.

 

[ratcheer]

Well, it is significantly stronger than my wife makes it. She sets our burr grinder to make coffee for 4 to 6 cups, then she uses it to make 10.

Tim

 

[Coyotebd]

I also use a scale. Kitchen scales are inexpensive and useful for many things, including baking since many recipes call for weights.

It's also good for people trying to watch portions, although be careful using that as a selling point with the wife.

If you like weaker coffee, do not skimp on the beans. Add hot water after brewing.

 

[Jasonian]

If you like weaker coffee, do not skimp on the beans. Add hot water after brewing.

That's good advice.

 

[JBHoren]

I add four level measures (those blue, SCAA scoops from Sweet Maria's) of roasted coffee beans to my grinder for an 8-cup Bodum French press; two level measures for a 4-cup Bodum French press. In my experience, this method works perfectly.

I won't go near weight/mass measurements... too fussy and time-consuming, and way too anal... ya know? This isn't rocket science, and coffee's for drinking.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[ratcheer]

If you like weaker coffee, do not skimp on the beans. Add hot water after brewing.

You are preaching to the choir.

Tim

 

[Coyotebd]

I won't go near weight/mass measurements... too fussy and time-consuming, and way too anal... ya know? This isn't rocket science, and coffee's for drinking.
Of course, YMMV.

No, I don't know how weighing coffee is fussy, time-consuming or anal.
Turn on scale. Put grinder on scale. Zero scale. Dump in beans. Turn off scale, take grinder of scale, grind.

Don't forget that this makes it impossible to miscount your scoops. Unless your scoop matches exactly the amount needed for a cup in your carafe (which mine doesn't) you've already had to do some math. Write down your common bean to water amounts and stick it on your fridge.

Edit to add: Besides, what forum are we on anyhow? Taking the time to do it right is fine for shaving but not for coffee? You can spend hundreds of dollars on multiple razors, but not $20 on a kitchen scale that is useful for more than coffee?

 

[Jasonian]

No, I don't know how weighing coffee is fussy, time-consuming or anal.
Turn on scale. Put grinder on scale. Zero scale. Dump in beans. Turn off scale, take grinder of scale, grind.

Don't forget that this makes it impossible to miscount your scoops. Unless your scoop matches exactly the amount needed for a cup in your carafe (which mine doesn't) you've already had to do some math. Write down your common bean to water amounts and stick it on your fridge.

Edit to add: Besides, what forum are we on anyhow? Taking the time to do it right is fine for shaving but not for coffee? You can spend hundreds of dollars on multiple razors, but not $20 on a kitchen scale that is useful for more than coffee?

Man, you sound like me.

Not everyone takes coffee so seriously, and not everyone recognizes that a lb. of whole bean coffee for $14 is the deal of the century, if you know how much went into it. If you don't (which most people are in that category), it seems "expensive" compared to the stuff they practically give away because there's almost no other way to get it to market. And who suffers? Not the buyer.. not the roaster.. not the broker.. but the farmer. The people who need it most.

Paying more for coffee is about more than just quality. And here I've gone on another tangent. Sorry 'bout that.

 

[letterk]

My scale is by my roaster in the garage, and I STILL walk out there and weigh my coffee for my vacuum pot. Not as often for the Techniform, but only because I find it to be less sensitive.

 

[ravkesef]

No, I don't know how weighing coffee is fussy, time-consuming or anal.
Turn on scale. Put grinder on scale. Zero scale. Dump in beans. Turn off scale, take grinder of scale, grind.

Don't forget that this makes it impossible to miscount your scoops. Unless your scoop matches exactly the amount needed for a cup in your carafe (which mine doesn't) you've already had to do some math. Write down your common bean to water amounts and stick it on your fridge.

Edit to add: Besides, what forum are we on anyhow? Taking the time to do it right is fine for shaving but not for coffee? You can spend hundreds of dollars on multiple razors, but not $20 on a kitchen scale that is useful for more than coffee?

+1. And again, different coffees have different densities. Three scoops of this coffee might be just fine, but would be too strong or too weak for the next coffee due to bean size, roast, etc. Weights are always consistent, and as previously noted, we are not a group noted for our economy measures. For all that we talk about how much cheaper DE blades are than Fusion cartridges, we spend mega bucks on different razors, soaps, creams, brushes, etc. We're economical, but we're not afraid to spend where it counts, and trust me, coffee is where it counts.
Weak coffee? No way. There's more caffeine in my urine than that. Here's the deal: Coffee is not a matter of life or death. It's far more important than that.

 

[Amandi]

Hello, all. I am brand new to these forums. Came across them while researching how to properly use a French Press. I have only one morning's worth of experience -- and it went well -- but my main conundrum so far is this:

I have an old press that I found in my mother's office a few days ago. It is a Bonjour 8-cup, and the issue I'm having with it is that it does not have an airtight seal to utilize while steeping, thus causing the coffee to get cold much quicker. Does anyone know of a site where I may be able to buy just a lid that would fit on my press? I'd really like to get one that seals.

Thanks much. This thread has been immensely helpful to me!