How long to steep french press coffee?

4 to 5 minutes.

French press coffee has been around for ages. It's one of the easiest, most efficient brewing methods to bring out all the flavors and aromas in your coffee beans. 

If done properly!

The question of how long to steep french press is a commonly debated topic and honestly there is no "right" or "perfect" answer as it all depends on your taste preferences. 

Here's our guidelines to making perfect, well-bodied French Press Coffee!

Related Article: Can you make espresso in a french press?

About 4 to 5 minutes

From start to finish, making french press coffee should take no more than 5 minutes. Rushing the process and only allowing your coffee to steep for less than that will result in a very sour or sharp taste. On the other hand, brewing for longer than 5 minutes will result in an over-extracted, bitter tasting cup of coffee.

That sweet spot tends to be in the 4 to 5 minute range regardless of the coffee you're using. 

How much coffee should I use to make french press?

This all depends on the size of your french press and how much water you're using. 

Our recommendation - 60 grams of coffee to start for every 1000 grams of water. Ticker around with dosages based on your taste profiles and what you're looking for. Be patient as it make take a few try's to figure this out!

Related Article: 5 Things to Look For When Choosing the Best Grinder for French Press Brewing

What about the grind size?

Unlike espresso or turkish coffee which requires a very fine grind, french press needs a much more coarser set of coffee grounds. 

Make sure you have not only the freshest coffee possible but also a solid, well-built conical burr coffee grinder. Unlike blade grinders that simply chop up your beans, conical grinders actually grind them into a uniform powder. This is essential to making quality coffee at home. We love the Baratza Encore.

Steps to making incredible French Press

1. Grind your coffee to a medium coarseness and insert into the french press.

As James Hoffmann said don't go crazy here and go too coarse. Shoot for something right in the middle of fine and super coarse. 

2. Boil your water using a gooseneck kettle like this one.

For every 30 grams of coffee you're using, you'll need about 500 grams of water. 

What type of water, you ask? Filtered is recommended for the best results. Also, it's filtered. Who doesn't like filtered water? 

3. Slowly pour your boiled water about half way.

Don't pour it all in at once. This would overwhelm the brewing process. 

Allow the coffee to sit and brew for about 4 minutes. 

4. While brewing, grab a spoon and stir.

Don't worry if there is excess coffee left up top. We'll take care of this shortly. 

5. Continue waiting and do nothing.

What you're doing is allowing the coffee grounds to fall to the bottom and brew. Allowing your coffee to steep for at least 4 minutes is, again, essential.

6. Insert the strainer however do not push down just yet!

Just let the strainer do it's job for a bit.

7. Slowly push down.

Slowly is the key word here. We want to make sure the strainer leaves no coffee ground uncollected.

8. Enjoy!

Our favorite products to help you make incredible french press coffee at home!

This scale specifically designed for coffee brewing.

2. A double-walled, insulated french press from Espro. (expensive but worth it)