Delicious coffee with the plunger can
The French Press promises quick and easy coffee enjoyment without sacrificing quality. The practical coffee maker can therefore be found in many households and is also used in some bistros to serve coffee the “French way”. In this article, we want to show you which tricks you should pay attention to when preparing French press coffee.
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Where did the French Press come from?
The short answer is Italy. The French press was probably invented in France around 1850. The first patent for it, however, was secured by an Italian. The designer Attilio Calimani had improved the press for years and patented it in 1929. Today there is a large selection of different designs with glass or metal jugs, which- if the French Press coffee is enjoyed immediately – can also serve as a serving jug. The stamp is always made of metal and equipped with a sieve that presses the coffee powder down.
The French Press (also known as the press stamp jug) owes its other name to him: the coffee maker is also known as a coffee press, coffee pusher or sieve stamp jug. Cafetière and Chambordkanne are other, albeit less common, names by which the small household appliance is known.
Benefits of a French press
The French Press is not only characterized by its beautiful design and practical size. Coffee also has a few differences to ordinary filter coffee. By brewing the coffee without a paper filter, the entire aroma of the coffee powder can pass into the coffee, which ensures the strong, good taste. Valuable oils and aromas are not lost. Despite the longer direct contact of the coffee water with the powder, the brewing method, which belongs to the immersion methods, offers a coffee with less caffeine content than the methods with continuous water supply.
The French Press guarantees optimal coffee enjoyment, which is characterized by a large variety of aromas, but lower caffeine content. There is no such thing as the best coffee for French press : all you have to do is follow your taste and choose the best one.
Suggested reading:
Prepare coffee with the French press – simple step-by-step instructions
In Europe, too, many know and use the practical French press. The quick and simple coffee maker is not always used in the way it would be necessary for an optimal coffee. We will therefore show you how to best prepare your French Press coffee.
What you need for the preparation:
You should have a few tools at hand to prepare the perfect coffee from the French press. In addition to the French press, you need a scale, a kettle, a coffee grinder, two tablespoons or cream spoons and a timer or clock.
Just a few steps to the perfect result
1. In the first step, the water should be boiled and cooled to around 92 to 96 ° C.
2. The coffee beans should preferably be freshly ground. In any case, the coffee powder used should have a very coarse grind – like coarse sea salt – because a coarse grind guarantees a slow and even extraction.
3. Then add about 60 g of ground coffee per liter of water to the jug and first add about 1/5 of the total amount of water.
4. After the powder has swelled for about 30 seconds, it is stirred and made up with the remaining water.
5. After a further four minutes of brewing time, professionals use the two spoons to skim off the foam, including the grist floating above, in order to leave fewer powder particles – or Prütt, as one would say in the Ruhr area – in the coffee.
6. Only then is the stamp put on and – after it has warmed up for approx. Ten seconds and thus expanded – carefully pressed down. If you follow these little tricks, first-class coffee enjoyment without annoying coffee grounds residue is guaranteed. Now the French Press coffee should be drunk as quickly as possible or poured into another pot, otherwise it will become bitter.
The video shows how coffee can be prepared with the French Presss:
Is it worth having your own coffee grinder?
Of course, you can also have the coffee for the French press ground. However, since coffee loses its wonderful aroma very quickly, it is worth buying your own grinder. In addition, the waiting time that should pass between the boiling of the water and the correct brewing temperature for the French press is perfect for grinding the coffee. So you don’t need any extra time, but you can make coffee making the right ritual and enjoy the gentle aroma that spreads during grinding.
As already mentioned, the coffee beans should be roughly ground. However, some simple household mills do not deliver a uniformly coarse grist, but often also many smaller particles that extract faster. In this case, you should perhaps deduct some time from the brewing time or think about purchasing a professional grinder. It always guarantees perfect coffee enjoyment, but the good old coffee grinder from grandma’s days also delivers better results than you get with pre-ground coffee.
Check the following article about grinders before buying:
Conclusion:
The environmentally friendly French Press also delivers optimal coffee enjoyment at home and is easy to use and clean. With a few tricks and the right tools, coffee is easy to prepare . What you need to enjoy your coffee :
- approx. 60 g coffee per 1 liter of water
- a coffee grinder
- a kettle
- a timer or a clock
- two tablespoons or cream spoons