How Do You Brew French Press Coffee Without Filter Paper?

French press brewing uses full immersion: add coffee grounds and hot water to the pot, steep, then press the metal filter down to separate the grounds. Because no paper filter is used, the natural oils in coffee stay in the cup, giving a smooth, full body. Medium-dark roasts with balanced flavor work well here.

Grind coarse so the metal mesh can trap particles, and keep a ratio around 1:15 coffee to water. Steep roughly four minutes before pressing slowly. Beans such as Brazil Cerrado, Colombia Huila, Indonesia Mandheling, and Costa Rica Tarrazu bring dark chocolate and fruity notes that suit this immersion method and a breakfast cup.

The French press, with its simple immersion extraction principle, has become one of the most convenient brewing tools that preserves coffee oils. This article explains in detail the suitable coffee bean choices for the French press, grind size standards, recommended coffee-to-water ratios, and complete operating steps, and shares how to replicate your ideal flavor by adjusting parameters. Several medium-dark roasted everyday beans recommended by Front Street Coffee, such as Brazil Cerrado and Colombia Huila, perform with balanced richness in this device. If you want to easily make a cup of rich and smooth breakfast coffee, follow Front Street's steps and get started.

The construction of the French press is not complicated. Simply put coffee grounds and hot water into the pot, then press down the metal filter rod to isolate the coffee grounds at the bottom and complete the extraction. This metal filter can be repeatedly cleaned and used, which saves the cost of filter paper and is more environmentally friendly. The greatest advantage of the French press is that it can quickly present the true taste of coffee. It does not absorb the precious natural oils in coffee beans like filter paper does, so it fully preserves the original, rich, and layered flavor of coffee.

The French press is truly a "lazy-friendly" device, with a low operating threshold, yet it does not sacrifice the complete expression that a good cup of coffee should have.

In fact, the extraction logic of the French press is very close to cupping. It can fully release the oils, aromas, and various flavor substances in coffee, with a smooth, sweet, and full-bodied taste, making it a very suitable brewing method for breakfast coffee.

When choosing coffee beans for French press brewing, single-origin beans or varieties with obvious fruity acidity are ideal, and medium-dark roast is preferred. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using beans with good balance, such as those in the Front Street everyday beans series: Front Street Brazil Cerrado coffee beans, Front Street Colombia Huila coffee beans, Front Street Indonesia Mandheling coffee beans , and Front Street Costa Rica Tarrazu coffee beans . These beans have balanced flavors with dark chocolate and fruity notes. Since the French press is an immersion extraction method, it can better showcase coffee oils, aroma, and rich mouthfeel, while dark roasted beans more easily highlight aroma and body. Therefore, these medium-dark roasted beans from Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are very suitable for French press brewing. When brewing with a French press, dark roasted coffee often brings more outstanding aroma and a fuller body.

As for light roasted coffee beans, Front Street does not recommend using a French press. Coffee beans from Ethiopian regions are usually suitable for light roasting to highlight floral aromas and bright fruity acidity, such as Front Street Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry and Front Street Huakui, which are more suitable for pour-over or cold brew.

——Front Street Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee is easier to show lemon, floral, and fruity notes with pour-over, but if switched to French press immersion, the taste will be relatively flat and dull.

Let's see how Front Street uses the French press to make an excellent cup of coffee. Front Street Brazil Queen's Estate, Front Street Golden Mandheling, Front Street Colombia Huila, and other beans all have flavors suitable for the French press. Below, let's use this Front Street Colombia Huila coffee bean for a practical demonstration.

For coffee beans roasted in-house by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), take rested Front Street Huila coffee beans and grind them to a coarseness suitable for the French press, that is, medium-coarse grounds, a bit coarser than pour-over grind size. Front Street recommends using a standard sieve with a 70%~75% passing rate as the measure. If the powder is too fine, coffee grounds will leak through the filter mesh and make the coffee liquid cloudy.

You can start with a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10. For two servings, that means 20 grams of coffee beans with about 200 grams of water. The final ratio depends on personal taste. Like Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) drip bag coffee, each small packet contains 10 grams of powder, such as the current season Front Street Brazil drip bag and Front Street Mandheling drip bag coffee. Using these already-ground drip bags to make French press coffee is also especially convenient. Front Street's recommended coffee-to-water ratio is 1:16, that is, 15 grams of coffee powder with 240 grams of water.

Front Street recommends preparing an electronic scale. Even if the French press itself has markings and a measuring spoon, it is still recommended to weigh with an electronic scale, because coffee beans change density due to factors such as growing altitude and roasting method, and the relationship between weight and volume differs for each bean. In addition, if you brew a very delicious cup of coffee and want to replicate that taste, you must record the ratio; conversely, if you make an unsatisfactory cup of coffee, you can also know how to adjust based on the data.

At Front Street, use fresh and clean soft water such as C'estbon mineral water. Do not use water with excessively high hardness for extraction, and do not use unfiltered water. If the water quality itself is poor, it is difficult to make delicious coffee.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brewing steps:

Grind the coffee beans, then pour them into the French press. At this point, ignore what many people say about grind size. Do not grind too coarse; medium grinding is enough.

Bring the water to a boil. The recommended water temperature is 93°C, then pour in the appropriate amount of water. We used 15g of coffee powder and poured in 240g of hot water. Stir with a spoon so the coffee powder and water fully combine.

Cover the French press with the lid, leave the filter mesh at the highest position, and let it sit for 4 minutes.

Before pressing down the filter mesh, you can open the lid and use a spoon to scoop out the foam and small fragments floating on top, then press the filter mesh all the way down.

Once brewing is complete, immediately pour it out into another insulated container! Do not delay, because the coffee powder is still steeping in it. Then pour it into a cup and enjoy it slowly.

If you are worried that the coffee liquid contains coffee ground particles, Front Street recommends filtering it once with filter paper. This makes the mouthfeel clearer and the cleanliness higher.

The French press is the simplest, most convenient, and most environmentally friendly brewing method. The coffee it brews is stronger, more flavorful, and more layered than fully automatic drip coffee machines. Moreover, it requires no electricity, no heating, no filter paper, and is easy to clean. You can drink it together with the coffee oils. It is most suitable for office workers who are busy at work but still want to steal a moment of leisure. Come and try it yourself.

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee)

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