How Can I Brew Coffee Using a French Press Coffee Maker?

When preparing coffee, the chosen brewing system will impact the aroma, bitterness, caffeine concentration and texture of your drink. You will select one or the other depending on what is attractive to you in coffee. Using a french press will result in coffee that has a rich taste and a smooth texture, and contains an average caffeine concentration. Would you like to know how to brew coffee using a french press? How the Bodum machine works? Ideal coffee quantity, grind and water temperature? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, read on.

Here are the basics. A french press coffee maker consists of a carafe and a filter with a plunger. To prepare coffee, open up the coffee maker and pour hot water in the carafe and add the coffee grounds. Let the coffee brew in the carafe for approximately five minutes, then add the filter and press down on the plunger of the french press. The plunger and filter will strain the coffee from the grounds. Coffee is ready to be poured in a cup.

A Bodum (french press) coffee maker lets you control the temperature and time of brewing, hence the strenght, aroma and bitterness of your cup of coffee. The Coffee Brewing Institute of the Pan-American Coffee Bureau recommends that the perfect brewing temperature is between 195 ºF and 205 ºF. So if you start with water at 212 ºF, by the time coffee is ready, its temperature will have decreased to 199 ºF, which we find the best bet. When using a bodum coffee maker, use a medium grind for your coffee beans and make sure the filter isn’t too fine, so as not to block the piston. If your grind is finer, let the coffee brew a minute less. That is something you can test for optimum aroma. The ideal quantity of coffee to stir into your hot water will vary between 7 and 9 rounded tablespoons per liter of water. That will depend if you prefer your french press coffee stronger or lighter.

Well used, a Bodum coffee maker with the right grind of beans will let you savor all the aroma of your favorite coffee. More on french press coffee makers and how to brew coffee on our Coffee Makers page.