I’ve been a closeted coffee guy for a couple years. I go out of my way to order beans I really like (a robusta variety called Indian Parchment), and this might be sacrilege on this board, idk, but I was perfectly happy running a Keurig with reusable cups I’d fill with my own grounds.

Now, I have access to a nice 1.5l french press. I looked up how to use it and it seemed easy enough so I gave it a shot, and sure enough even after my handful of fumbling attempts and some trial and error, my coffee is leaps and bounds better than what the Keurig can produce. So, here’s where I’m at:

I have a weird little antique hand crank grinder that, once I cleaned it up, actually works great and can produce a nice coarse grind. My press is a stainless steel 1.5L variety, can’t remember the brand, was given it by a friend. I like a strong cup so I aim for a roughly 13:1 ratio of water:ground. However, I’m without a food scale so I’m using a calculator to convert to cups and tablespoons. I usually put the grounds in first, then pour boiling water over top. Let it sit for about 3.5-4 minutes, then press, then pour.

I know my first step to really dial in my consistency is a scale, so that’s on the list. Any other tips to step my game up?

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    48 months ago

    I don’t think you need to bloom coffee grounds when using a French Press as you’re about to totally immerse the coffee in water anyway. It does look neat, though!

    • @agent_flounder
      link
      English
      38 months ago

      When our espresso machine kicked it I was using a French press again for a while and did the bloom thing for the first time based on some advice from who knows where. I should have done an A-B test comparing bloom to not bloom, because I’m skeptical that it matters.

      • @bigmclargehugeOP
        link
        18 months ago

        Interesting, maybe just a preference thing? I’ll give it a shot either way to see what happens.

        • @agent_flounder
          link
          English
          18 months ago

          No idea but I’m curious to hear what you find!

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      18 months ago

      Most coffee brew has some type of pre infusion with the hot water, espresso, pour over, dripper…if you don’t bloom you miss out on all the volatile oils that pop off the surface of the fresh grounds.

      Trust. And pre infuse 🙏