Category: 
October 17, 2011
We walk you through a step by step advanced (and still experimental) press pot technique that results in a cleaner, more delicate cup of coffee. Very useful for exploring the more fragile, finer tastes in coffee, and with less sediment than a normal press pot.
Horaayy..there are 25 comment(s) for me so far ;)
@teakbridge101 Well, cupping involves accessing everything about the coffee – the brew, the grinds, etc. Breaking the crust during cupping releases a large portion of aromas in one go, allowing evaluators a better chance to evaluate and judge aromas. Because there is relatively little disturbance of the cup after crust is broken and scum cleared off, it lets you test the cooldown of the coffee more accurately as well.
@CoffeeGeek Well, cupping obviously is a less common technique. In doing it, does it ‘do’ something to the coffee (be it the flavor, texture, etc) that is different from simply pressing it?
@teakbridge101 I’m not sure I understand this question.
@IgnatiusForYou this is Bodum’s 4 cup presspot. IIRC, it can hold up to 425-450g (ml) of water with ground coffee added as a maximum.
@teakbridge101 I recommend using 8 or 9g per 100ml, if using the method shown in this video.
@idiaz001 very much disagree. The purpose of a press pot is to provide a FULL IMMERSION brew. In other words, all the brewing water is contact with all the coffee for a set time. The plunging afterwards doesn’t play anywhere near as great a role as the immersion does in the overall extraction. That said, it does play some role, and this is the reason why I use 1g more coffee per 100ml.
@bhdrkrc Do you press regularly? I do everyday, and I have NEVER had a problem with my coffee being anything but PIPING HOT after those four minutes of brewing. I kid you not. I usually have to wait a few minutes after I pour from the press into my cup to take a sip because it’s so darn hot. Heating the press is a waste of time and possibly dangerous (i.e. you may burn yourself).
CoffeeGeek, I have got a 12oz pot, just enough for two 6oz cups max. What amount of coffee should I add?
Hi,
How much coffee does the plunger pot in your video make? As in volume wise, as I refer to your instructions of 7g+2extra Grams per cup. You made 35, so that is about 4 cups? Am I right? And how much should 7g of coffee in volume liquid produce?
I am a coffee newb, pardon my questions if they seem really newby.
CoffeeGeek, what exactly does cupping add to the taste, texture, etc. of the coffee that the lack there of does not?
Thanks for sharing the info. I have been home roasting for 3 years,and allways in persuit of the ultimate cup ! Believe it or not the best coffee I ever had was done wrong in every step of the process. Uganda coffee roasted on the stove top in a stainless skillet,ground witha blade grinder,brewed in a Bunn pour o matic. I have invested several hundred bucks and cannot duplicate the results. It had to be a fluke ,and I think the credit goes to the Uganda beans alone !!!!
Removing the grounds before plunging defeats the purpose of a french press. This technique can be done using any old container and filer. It is misleading to call it a press technique since the french press in meant to press the coffee grounds in the hot water so as to force out the yummy caffeine and lipids from the beans. Not to bash your technique…to each his/her own I guess.
@simonsays525
Have you tried using this technique? In my experience, the filter hasn’t been able to get all of the grinds unfortunately. I’ve been using a similar technique for a while and removing the grounds before plunging has resulted in a cleaner cup, while still retaining the body you get with a press pot.
@GeoDreamR
I have heard of people using the press pot to make iced coffee, but it seems the most common way (that I’ve seen anyway, please someone comment if you know better!) is to use cold water and leave it in the fridge for a few hours before plunging. Never tried it myself, although it’s been something I’ve been meaning to for a while.
p.s. Just realised you posted this 6 months ago!!! Sorry.
@coffeegeek you are crazy removing the beautiful coffee froth, in the best coffee’s of the world the froth is the key for example,
the turkish coffe, expresso even americano should haf a nice froth
and in the coffee drinks capochino ,late …..
The froth gives the richness of the coffee a beautiful light top.
Love BenjamÃn
@CoffeeGeek Thanks. I typically have my Baratza set at 32 for press pot and I use 55 grams ground coffee for a 32oz press pot.
@TheJferg74 Visit Baratza’s website (I can’t post the link in comments here); click the link for their blog, and download the technical paper I wrote on their grinders – in it, you’ll find suggested settings for all their grinders, for all major types of grinding from espresso to press pot. Hope that helps.
What setting do you use on the Baratza? Also, what is your grams of ground coffee to ounces of water ratio? I have a 32 oz press pot.
@CoffeeGeek Great video. I’ve been looking at different techniques to get the most out of my french press. Some chefs say not to spoon out the grounds or remove the bloom and to actually try to get the bloom into your cup with a slow pour. Their rationale is that the bloom holds the oils from the bean and that these oils are a source of rich flavor that should be preserved. Any thoughts?
@simonsays525
Just try it, I certainly noticed a difference.
Can pressed coffee later be used for iced coffee ? Or is that defeating purpose ?
i think before adding the coffee heating the press will be helpfull to serve a hot coffee otherwise if u dont heat up the press your coffee will be really cold because waiting 4 mins is enough time to have a cold coffee
What is the point of removing the coffee from the pot? The press pot is going to catch those ground anyways and you are using a small enough press pot that you are almost going to pour all the coffee in one cup. Why don’t you just leave it all in there?
@CoffeeGeek Interesting. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the vacpot. Now you have me considering purchasing one. Does the brewing yield a reasonably different cup of coffee from a press pot or?
@TheWanderingWayfarer That’s a good question, and unfortunately, I don’t have a definitive answer. I’ve struggled with this very Q regarding siphon brewers (ie, brewing 3 cups in a 5 cup pot, or 4 in an 8 cup) and found, if I REALLY delved into it, that underbrewing the volume will result in a lesser cup, but just barely. Press, I just don’t know.