How To Make The Perfect French Press

Heat fresh water to 200° F.

Weigh out 55 grams of freshly roasted coffee beans. Preheat the French Press with hot water and let it sit.

Peet's tip: No scale? Measure out 5 1/2 standard coffee scoops—or 11 tablespoons—of beans. Preheating helps the temperature stay more consistent throughout the brewing process.

Grind coffee to the consistency of coarse sea salt.

Peet's tip: A consistent grind enables even extraction. If the plunger is difficult to push down at the end of the brew, try a slightly coarser grind next time.

Discard hot water and place the French Press on your scale. Add coffee grounds and then zero out or “tare" your scale. Set your timer for four minutes and pour in just enough water to saturate the grounds. (110 grams, or twice the weight of the coffee). Give the French Press a quick swirl, and then wait 30 seconds.

Peet's tip: When hot water meets coffee grounds, CO2 escapes and expands, creating a "bloom." Once the offgassing is complete, the grounds are more receptive to absorbing water, resulting in a better extraction of flavors.

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Resume pouring hot water over the grounds until the scale reaches 880 grams (or the water reaches the middle of the metal band, about 1 inch below the rim).

Peet's tip: The secret to perfect coffee is the right ratio of coffee to water—1:16, or 1g of coffee for every 16g of water.

Place the plunger on top of grounds, then slowly push it halfway down and pull back up to just below the surface.

Peet's tip: Plunging halfway keeps the grounds fully saturated, enabling even extraction. It also helps prevent a surface crust of dry grounds from forming, making the final plunge easier.

Once four minutes have passed, press the plunger to the bottom. your coffee is ready to be poured and savored.

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