Lesson 2 of 5 · Home Barista Basics

French press

  • Free video
  • Beginner
  • Coffee, Tea & Barista Skills
  • 9 min
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Video by Feind coffee on YouTube: “How to Make a French Press Coffee (that tastes good)” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 2 of 5

Make clean, full-bodied French press coffee with less sludge, using a coarse grind and a gentle finish.

  • Use a coarse, even grind
  • Steep about 4 minutes, then skim
  • Pour gently instead of plunging hard

Ingredients for this lesson

Breakfast Blend CoffeeCoarse / 12oz · VanillaGoods$24.99
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Sumatra Single-Origin CoffeeCoarse / 12oz · VanillaGoods$25.99
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

A starting recipe

  • 30 g coffee to about 500 g water (roughly 1:16)
  • Coarse grind, like breadcrumbs
  • Water just off the boil
  • Steep 4 minutes, then stir the crust and skim off the foam

The cleaner method

As shown in this video, waiting a few more minutes lets fine particles settle. Then lower the plunger only to the surface and pour slowly; pressing it to the bottom stirs the sediment back into your cup.

Watch for

Decant all the coffee right away. Left in the press, it keeps extracting and turns bitter.

← Lesson 1Next: Espresso basics →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

Find vanilla latte recipes

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