The French press is the simplest and one of the oldest methods for making coffee.
Due to the simple nature of the brewing process, this method doesn’t favour any coffee in particular, instead it is completely down to the user and their preference. Therefore, it is the perfect tool for the coffee novice and connoisseur alike.
Cafetiere, also known as a French Press, consists of a fireproof glass jug/mug and a metal stainless steel mesh attached to a metal rod (plunger) and lid, tightly fitted to the cylinder beaker which is pressed into and separates the coffee grinds from the brewed coffee. It works by fully immersing the coffee in water; this brew method is known as infusion/immersion. More details on brewing types below:
Percolation - Water is poured from the top, and passed through ground coffee, with gravity pulling the water through. Drip or pour over coffee makers like the Hario V60 work this way.
Immersion - Water is mixed and infused with ground coffee. A cafetiere is the most common example.
Espresso - High pressure pushing hot water through a puck of ground coffee. The espresso machine.
ORIGIN:
Although the origin is not exactly known, the cafetiere (or rather this method of brewing coffee) is thought to have been first patented by two French inventors, Mayer and Delforge in 1852, though it did not create a seal inside of the carafe. The cafetiere which more so resembles the one we use today was created by an Italian designer Attilio Calimani in 1929. Since then it has been through many design changes/modifications. The most common one/well known was created by a swiss man Faliero Bondanini in 1958, and this design was then manufactured and sold in France as the Chambord.
Cafetiere Preparation
It is important that you use a medium coarse coffee grind - if the grind is too fine the coffee will brew too quickly as they have a low permeability and may over extract and cause the coffee to become bitter, additionally the grinds can flow through the mesh and go into your drink when the plunger is lowered.
Your coffee to water ratio should be about 75g/litre.
For the perfect brew the water temperature should be about 92°C (if boiling the water in a kettle make sure to leave it out for about a minute so it can cool down, preferably don’t use a hot water reservoir as it is often not hot enough (approximately 85°C)).
How To Use a Cafetiere
This method, adapted from James Hoffmans recommended recipe, ensures less silt/grainy material in your cup compared to a traditional cafetière method of pressing the plunger down.
Use a ratio of 75g coffee to 1l water.
Make sure your cafetiere is clean (as you use the press old coffee grounds may get stuck in the filter. For deep cleaning you can often separate the pieces of the mesh)
Put the ground coffee inside the cafetière, and position on top of scales.
Pour the hot water inside the cafetiere, and try getting all of the coffee wet.
Leave the coffee to steep for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, a crust layer of coffee grounds will have formed at the top. Using a spoon, stir through the crust which will cause almost all of the coffee to fall to the bottom.
Using the spoon, discard any floating grounds and foam still remaining at the top.
Wait another 4 minutes.
Place the plunger at the top of the beaker, BUT do not plunge!
Pour the coffee slowly through the mesh, and let it pour until a small amount of liquid and coffee grounds remain in the cafetière.
Enjoy a very little silt cup of coffee!
Cannon Coffee Recommendation
Roast: Medium
Grind: Cafetière
Origin: Brazil, Uganda and Colombia
Cannon’s Favourite: Armada Blend
Cafetiere notes: Full bodied, smooth and well balanced. Flavours of Caramel, Cocunut and berry afternotes.