How to Use a French Press: The Five-Step Method (With Ratios)
A French press and a cafetière are the same thing — two names for one device. It is, in our view, the most forgiving way to make good coffee at home: no paper, no machine, and very little that can go wrong once you know the numbers.
What you need
A cafetière, coarse ground coffee, a kettle, and ideally a set of kitchen scales. Scales sound fussy but they are the single thing that turns inconsistent coffee into consistent coffee. If you buy your coffee from us, choose French Press as your grind at checkout and it arrives ready to use — no grinder needed.
The ratio, which is the bit that matters
Almost every bad cafetière coffee is a ratio problem rather than a technique problem. Aim for 1 gram of coffee to 15 grams of water — roughly 2 heaped tablespoons per large mug. Here is what that looks like for the common sizes:
| Cafetière size | Water | Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| 3-cup | 350ml | 23g |
| 8-cup | 1 litre | 65g |
| 12-cup | 1.5 litres | 100g |
A 250g bag makes about four full 8-cup pots, or a fortnight of daily mugs.
The five steps
1. Boil, then wait
Boiling water scalds coffee and pulls out the bitter compounds. Boil the kettle, then leave it for about 30 seconds — that brings it to roughly 93°C, which is where you want to be.
2. Add the coffee
Coarse ground, into the bottom of the press. Coarse means something like fine gravel or sea salt. Too fine and it will taste bitter and go through the mesh; too coarse and it will taste thin.
3. Pour and stir
Pour the water in fairly briskly so everything gets wet, then give it one gentle stir. It should foam slightly — that is carbon dioxide leaving the coffee, and it is a good sign. Put the lid on but do not plunge yet.
4. Wait four minutes
Four minutes is the standard. Darker roasts give up their flavour a little faster, so go closer to four; lighter roasts can take five. This is worth experimenting with once you have the ratio right.
5. Plunge slowly, then pour
Press down steadily and slowly. If you have to force it, the grind is too fine. Stop just short of the bottom to avoid compacting the grounds, which makes the last of the coffee taste bitter. Pour it all out straight away — coffee left sitting on the grounds keeps extracting and turns harsh within minutes.
If your coffee is not right
Bitter or harsh? Water too hot, grind too fine, steeped too long, or left sitting on the grounds after plunging.
Weak or watery? Not enough coffee. This is far and away the most common cause — people use about half what they need.
Muddy, with sediment in the cup? Grind too fine, or you plunged too hard. Pour slowly and leave the last centimetre in the pot.
Which of our coffees suits a cafetière
Most of them, honestly — but if you want a steer: Kettukahvi is the safest all-rounder and works well with milk. Karhukahvi if you like it strong and earthy. Ilveskahvi if you have always found coffee a bit too bitter.
You can see all of them on our filter and cafetière coffee page. Choose French Press as your grind and we will match it for you. Not sure which grind you need at all? Our grind guide has the whole thing in one table.