A French press coffee pot goes many different names depending on where you are in the world. In France it goes by the name of the manufacturer as well as a cafetiere a piston. In Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK it is known as a cafetiere the French word for carafe. In Australia, South Africa and New Zealand a French press is called a coffee plunger.
A French press is a very basic and easy way to make a cup of coffee. You simply fill the carafe with ground coffee and hot water. Then after steeping you filter out the grounds by pressing the plunger down. You are left with a great cup of coffee. There is no set method for making coffee using a French press as it differs depending on the person.
As with any coffee the temperature of the water is very important. The water needs to be hot but not boiling. Almost boiling is the perfect temperature. And this can be achieved by adding a shot of cold water to boiling water.
You also want to use fresh water every single time as water that has been boiled will taste flat as it does not contain any dissolved gasses. Before using your French press you can warm up the carafe with some hot water so that you coffee is as warm as possible.
It has also been found that freshly ground coffee tastes better then pre-ground coffee as the aroma and flavor is much better in freshly ground coffee. Coarse ground coffee is the best for the French press as very finely ground coffee will not be caught by the filter in the French press which can lead grounds in your coffee.
For every one cup of water you add to the French press you should have two tablespoons of ground coffee. You can add a bit more if you like strong coffee but as a rule this works well. Once you have added the coffee you should add the water and stir to make sure all the coffee grinds are exposed to water as sometimes air pockets can occur.
The range of steeping time can vary between four to ten minutes. Ten minutes produce a very strong cup of coffee. A standard cup of coffee will take about four minutes. There is also a no steeping time that is recommended by some coffee producers. However to make sure that your coffee is strong enough you will need to add more coffee.
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