French Press Brewing Analysis

The French Press

Here at Whole Latte Love, we love to experiment and explore with tons of brewing methods. We have quite a few people here who enjoy a good French Press, so Mitch and Jesse, our Product Specialists/Self-Proclaimed Coffee Nerds, set out to test different ratios to see if we could find one we prefer most here at Whole Latte Love.

The Experiment

Of the many ratios we tested, we've picked three of our favorites to share with you. We will include the equipment used, our ratios, steps, and what our palates told us about the coffee. (Please, do try this at home!) In our experimentation, we found that grind size had a big impact on flavor, so the major difference between our brews was really the grind size.

For our testing, we used some of the equipment we had handy at our barista station. The following equipment was used for all 3 brews.

Equipment:

• Hario V60 Drip Scale/Timer
• Bodum Chambord French Press Coffee Maker
• Bonavita Variable Temperature Gooseneck Electric Kettle

Coffee:

• Gimme! Coffee – The Natural Blend

Water:

• The water temperature was 200°F for all 3 trials

Brew #1:

Out of the 3, this one produced a medium body, with slightly bolder tendencies, and a robust finish. The overall mouth-feel was nice, but a little light for our taste. We weren’t quite getting the deeper chocolate notes that were described on the packaging, so we made some adjustments for the next brew.

Ratio: 30g of coffee, to 400g of water.

Grind size: 7 (describe grinds example compare to table salt)

Process:

1. Place your 30g of coffee into the French Press and add 60g of water.

2. Stir coffee and let bloom for 30 seconds, then fill to your 400g of water.

3. Stir briefly and place the top/plunger back on top.

4. Let brew for 4 minutes.

5. After the 4 minutes, plunge for about 25-30 seconds.

Brew #2:

This second brew was nice and bold, with prominent swiss chocolate notes. The body was full, the mouth-feel heavy, and the flavor quite robust. This however seemed to overpower the brighter notes from the Naturally processed Ethiopian coffee used in this blend.

Ratio: 30g of coffee, to 400 grams of water.

Grind size: 4

Process:

1. Place your 30g of coffee into the French Press and add 60g of water.

2. Stir coffee for 30 seconds and let bloom, then fill to your 400g of water.

3. Stir briefly and place the top/plunger back on top.

4. Let brew for 4 minutes.

5. After the 4 minutes, plunge for about 25-30 seconds.

Brew #3:

This one produced our favorite brew out of the bunch. It was tea like upfront, allowing more of the fruit to come forward. The cup finished with a viscous body and bold mouth-feel that you would expect from a French Press. There was a lingering sweetness from the swiss chocolate and velvety black cherry tasting notes of this coffee.

Ratio: 30g of coffee, to 400g of water.

Grind size: 5

Process:

1. Place your 30g of coffee into the French Press and add 60g of water.

2. Stir coffee for 30 seconds and let bloom, then fill to your 400g of water.

3. Stir briefly and place the top/plunger back on top.

4. Let brew for 4 minutes.

5. After the 4 minutes, plunge for about 25-30 seconds.