French press guide: ratio, grind and steep time
Updated:
The ideal French press ratio is around 1:16 – 30 g of coffee to 500 g of water. This guide shows you how to combine it with a coarse grind and a four-minute steep for a rich, rounded cup.
Recipe at a glance
- Coffee
- 30 g
- Water
- 500 g
- Ratio
- approx. 1:16.7 (60 g per litre)
- Water temperature
- 93–96 °C
- Grind
- coarse, like coarse sea salt
- Steep time
- 4 min
Why the French press is so popular
The French press, also called a cafetière or plunger pot, is a full-immersion method: the grounds stay in the water for the entire brew, and a metal mesh separates them at the end. Because the mesh lets the coffee's natural oils through, the cup tastes fuller and rounder than coffee brewed through paper. The method forgives small inaccuracies in pouring – what matters are ratio, grind and time.
What you need
- A French press (the quantities here are for a 500 ml press)
- A grinder that produces an even coarse grind – or coarsely ground coffee
- A scale and a timer
- A kettle
- A spoon for stirring and skimming
- 30 g of freshly roasted coffee
Step by step
- Preheat. Rinse the press with hot water and pour it away so the coffee doesn't cool down too much while steeping.
- Grind the coffee. Grind 30 g of coffee coarsely, roughly like coarse sea salt. A grind that is too fine makes the coffee bitter and hard to press.
- Pour. Add the coffee to the press, start the timer and quickly pour 500 g of water at 93–96 °C so that all the grounds are saturated.
- Steep (0:00–4:00). Put the lid on with the plunger pulled up and let the coffee steep for four minutes. A crust of grounds forms on the surface.
- Break the crust and skim. After four minutes, stir the crust briefly with a spoon. Most of the grounds sink to the bottom; skim off the remaining foam.
- Press. Push the plunger down slowly and evenly, stopping just below the surface. For an especially clean cup, wait another five minutes before pressing so the fine particles can settle.
- Decant straight away. Pour the coffee into cups or a carafe immediately. Left on the grounds, it keeps extracting and turns bitter. Leave the last mouthful with the sediment in the press.
How to adjust the recipe
Treat the basic recipe as your baseline. For a stronger cup, increase the dose to 33 g rather than extending the steep; for a lighter one, reduce it to 27 g. Light roasts often need a full five minutes and water close to 96 °C, while dark roasts taste smoother at around 93 °C and three to four minutes. Whatever you change, keep the grind coarse – the metal mesh can't hold back fine particles.
How to clean your French press
Don't pour the grounds down the sink – they build up in the pipes. Swirl them out with a little water into a sieve or your food-waste bin. Now and then, unscrew the mesh filter and wash the parts in warm water with a little washing-up liquid, because coffee oils collect in the fine mesh and turn rancid over time. A clean press is the key to a clean taste.
Troubleshooting
My coffee is cloudy and sludgy
Too many fines. Grind coarser, don't push the plunger all the way down and leave the last bit in the press. The extra five minutes of rest before pressing also help.
My coffee tastes bitter
It was extracted for too long or ground too fine. Grind coarser and decant the coffee straight after pressing.
My coffee tastes watery or sour
Use more coffee (around 33 g to 500 g of water), grind a touch finer or extend the steep to five minutes.
The plunger is hard to push down
The grounds are too fine and are clogging the mesh. Grind coarser and press slowly rather than forcing it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best French press ratio?
A ratio of 1:15 to 1:17 works well, which is about 60 to 65 g of coffee per litre of water. For a 500 ml press that means 30 to 33 g of coffee.
How long should coffee steep in a French press?
Four minutes is the classic. With a very coarse grind or light roasts you can go to five minutes; with dark roasts, three to four minutes are often enough.
What grind size suits a French press?
Coarse, roughly like coarse sea salt – see our grind size chart for comparison. If you don't have a grinder, choose “Coarse (French Press)” on our product pages.
Can I leave the coffee in the press?
Better not. As long as water and grounds are in contact, extraction continues. Pour the coffee into a thermos or carafe right away.
Which beans suit a French press?
Medium roasts and balanced blends with chocolate and nut notes work especially well. Fruity filter coffees also work and taste softer from a French press.
Coffees for your French press
Medium roasts and balanced blends with chocolate and nut notes suit the French press especially well.
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