Good coffee from the stamp pot

Reading time: 4 minutes. This article is a short blog. You can find the detailed blog article here on our Swiss site.

The working principle of the French press is simple: pour coffee into a metal or glass stamp pot, pour hot water after it and after a certain time press down the central rod with the filter sieve. It is brewed with a brewing ratio of 1:15 or 1:16, i.e. 60-70 grams of coffee powder per liter of water. We have summarized two tried and tested and delicious recipes for you:

French Press Recipe 1: classic, strong, good

• Add 60 to 70 grams of coffee powder per liter of water (for 500 grams of water 30-35 grams of powder) into the pot.
• Heat water to approx. 96°C. E.g. bring to the boil and wait 2 minutes.
• Stir twice so that everything is well distributed.
• Put the lid on and wait four minutes WITHOUT pressing down.
• Break the coffee crust with a spoon, then gently press down the stamp.

Since the coffee powder is still at the bottom of the pot, the coffee is extracted further. That's why we recommend pouring the drink into another jug ​​after pressing it down.

French Press Recipe No. 2: elegant, nuanced and championship-worthy

This method is often used in coffee tasting. The coffee powder is put directly into the cup, hot water is poured over it and the crust is skimmed off after four minutes. Then taste it from above with a spoon. This procedure can also be carried out in the stamp pot:

• The procedure for steps 1 – 4 is carried out as in recipe 1.
• Now skim off the coffee crust using one or two spoons.
• Put the lid on and wait four minutes WITHOUT pressing down.
• When decanting, make sure that not everything is decanted so that the heavy particles that have sunk to the bottom are not decanted.

The ratio of coffee quantity and water in the coffee press

You will be happy with between 60 and 70 grams of coffee per liter of water. The more powder you use, the stronger the drink will be. However, it also becomes more acidic. This is because the same amount of water cannot extract “more coffee” as well. The coffee tends to be under-extracted and therefore acidic.

To get around this, you should use a finer grind instead of more coffee. Here you get stronger, but still balanced coffee.

Which coffee goes with the French press?

The stamp pot is a so-called immersion brewer, meaning the coffee floats in the water for a while. In contrast to percolator systems (e.g. V60 ) in which the water only runs through the powder, there is a longer contact time between water and coffee powder.

The aim of the brewing should be a drink with approx. 1.2 - 1.5% dissolved coffee particles. Many filter coffees are ideal for this. Lighter roasts have wonderful flavor nuances and the acidity of these roasts is well integrated into the high amount of water (approx. 98%).

Darker espresso blends are less suitable. Their acidity is too reduced for the high amount of water. Like a good wine, acidity is important in a coffee because without it it tastes boring. Ideally, your brew should strike a balance between acidity, bitterness and sweetness.

Which water should be used for the French press?

As with any coffee preparation, the water should be soft. This means that the amount of dissolved minerals should be low and there should be no foreign bodies floating in the water. Hard water buffers the acid in your coffee and destroys the balance of the drink.

For filter coffee and French press, we recommend a water hardness of 2 to 5 German hardness. Ask your waterworks or simply test the water yourself ( water test kit ) and, if necessary, purchase a table filter or mineral water.

Who is the French Press suitable for?

The French press is well suited for beginners because it is inexpensive and forgives mistakes in preparation. Even with a less than optimal grind, you can achieve delicious results.

We recommend grinding the coffee freshly, as pre-ground coffee has already lost a lot of aroma. This is because the coffee bean's natural aroma protection layer is broken down by grinding. The powder reacts with the air and the aroma disappears. Buying an electric or hand mill is definitely worth it!

You can also prepare larger quantities of coffee quickly and easily, ideal for a larger coffee group.

Which grind level for the Fench Press?

The grinding level should be set a little coarser than for filter coffee. The degree of grinding should be somewhere between a grain size of 700 - 1000. This means that the recipes presented above are guaranteed to be successful!