Which grinding for coffee italian drinkers use in a French press?

A French press calls for a coarse grind, water between 88°C and 91°C, a set coffee-to-water ratio, and about four minutes of steeping. Because the method relies on immersion, these four parameters decide whether the cup tastes rich and full-bodied or thin and over-extracted, and each can be adjusted for medium-light or medium-dark roasts.

The press dates to 1850s France, designed by Mayer and Delph as a piston-filter device, but early screens let sediment slip past. Italians added a spring set to keep the filter level during pressing, the fix behind today's style. That same grinding for coffee italian brewers use still determines balance in the cup.

For an easy, rich black coffee at home, the French press is one of the lowest-barrier options, and its operation is quite similar to brewing tea. This article begins with the origin and structure of the French press, sorts out the key parameters affecting extraction—grind size, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and steeping time—and gives specific recommendations for medium-light and medium-dark roasted beans. It also reminds readers of the deep-cleaning points after use, as well as the French press's extended uses in brewing tea, frothing milk, and more. The parameters and product information recommended by the Front Street brand are all retained, making it suitable for coffee lovers who want to systematically master French press brewing.

If you're worrying about not finding a place nearby to drink coffee, you might consider getting a French press. Its operation threshold is extremely low, the process is almost the same as brewing tea, and within a few minutes you can get a cup of rich, full-bodied black coffee—quite friendly for people who dislike hassle. Next, Front Street will walk everyone through this piece of equipment in detail.

French Press

The history of the French press can be traced back to 1850s France. At that time, two Frenchmen, Mayer and Delph, jointly designed a "piston-filter coffee device." After obtaining a patent, it was brought to market under the name French press.

However, the early version had an obvious flaw: when the plunger moved down, the filter screen struggled to stay level, so coffee grounds slipped through the gaps at the edges into the cup, and what you drank was often a mix of coffee and sediment. Because of this, the initial French press sales were quite poor. Entering the twentieth century, Italians fixed this shortcoming. They added a set of springs to the filter screen, which not only kept the screen balanced when pressing down but also improved smoothness of movement. With this improvement, the coffee liquid no longer contained fine sediment, and the French press quickly became popular thanks to its convenience—this is exactly the style we use today.

From its appearance, the structure of the French press is clear at a glance: a carafe that holds the coffee, plus a plunger fitted with a metal filter screen and spring plate. The brewing process is likewise not complicated, Add grounds → Pour water → Wait → Press down → Done~ However, many beginners in practice always find that the French press coffee they brew tastes less than ideal.

There aren't many drastic actions in the whole process that can sway extraction, so after ruling out human operating errors, the problem mostly lies in parameter settings. Grind Size Let's start with grinding. Most French press tutorials circulating online suggest using a coarse grind. Front Street also recommends beginners use a coarser grind: based on a No. 20 sieve, a 70% pass-through rate is more suitable for French press immersion extraction; if compared to everyday things, it's about the texture of coarse granulated sugar.

Of course, a fine grind isn't unusable; it's just that a coarse grind has more room for error and can reduce the risk of over-extraction caused by steeping too long. A fine grind is like a double-edged sword: if brewed well, the flavor expression is extremely full; if brewed poorly, it hits your mouth with bitterness. Besides being prone to over-extraction, a fine grind has another drawback—more fines. The pores of a metal filter screen are far larger than those of filter paper, and these fines can easily pass through the screen into the coffee liquid. Although this can add some body, it also costs the coffee a lot of clarity.

Water Temperature The French press is filled with water all at once, and during steeping there is no stirring action to improve extraction efficiency, so the water temperature needs to be raised appropriately to compensate. Usually, 1–2°C higher than the temperature commonly used for pour-over is enough. For medium-light roasted beans, it is recommended to keep the water temperature at 92–94°C; for medium-dark roasted beans, it is recommended to keep the water temperature at 89–90°C.

Coffee-to-Water Ratio If you want to adjust coffee strength, the coffee-to-water ratio is an unavoidable part. 1:16 is a relatively common ratio for the French press, and the extracted strength is also more palatable. Coffee brewed at this ratio has a strength of roughly 1.1–1.2%. If, like Front Street, you prefer a rich mouthfeel, you might try a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio; the resulting coffee will be heavier and fuller.

Steeping Time Finally, steeping time. As mentioned earlier, without manual stirring, to let coffee substances release smoothly, you have to improve the extraction rate through other links, and steeping time is another adjustable factor. Under the same conditions, the longer the steep, the higher the extraction rate—and of course, the probability of over-extraction rises with it.

According to Front Street's tests, if using medium-light roasted coffee beans with the other parameters above, it is ideal to keep the steeping time at around 4 minutes; if using medium-dark roasted coffee beans, keeping the steeping time at around 3 and a half minutes is enough. These two time points can fully extract the flavors that the corresponding roast level should have, while also avoiding the bitterness produced by steeping too long. Final Notes After using the French press, be sure to give it a thorough cleaning. After steeping, coffee oils and other residues will adhere to the metal filter screen, and if not cleaned promptly, they can easily oxidize.

Therefore Front Street suggests that after use you must disassemble and clean it, taking apart all the parts one by one and washing them separately. This not only ensures the flavor performance of the next coffee but also adds another layer of protection for your health. Besides brewing coffee, the French press can also be used to brew tea and froth hot or cold milk for latte art. It combines many advantages in one, and with its friendly price, it is really impressively competitive.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.