BREW GUIDE · No 04 / 06
Caffeine & Co · Brew Guides
French press,
done properly.
French press by the numbers: a 1:14 to 1:18 ratio, medium-coarse grind, near-boiling water and a four to six minute steep. Sourced, not guessed at.
Brew along
Watch it fill as you scroll.
The clock and the vessel track your place in the brew. Every step carries its moment on the timer, and the reason it matters.
in the vessel: 400g of a 400g target
Grind medium-coarse, boil fresh
Grind to a medium-coarse setting, somewhere between granulated sugar (Square Mile) and kosher salt (Counter Culture). Boil fresh water.
Immersion methods sit water and coffee together for the full brew, so Counter Culture's own ratio guide notes they need a slightly tighter ratio and a coarser grind than a drip method to avoid over-extracting.
Dose at 1:14 to 1:18, pour it all at once
For a two-cup batch: 45 g of coffee to 800 g of water (Counter Culture), or scale from Square Mile's 70 g per litre. Start the timer as you pour.
Counter Culture's broad standard for full-immersion brewing is 'closer to 1:15'; their own specific recipe runs closer to 1:18, Square Mile's closer to 1:14. All three are legitimate, published starting points.
Stir once, then let it sit
At 30 seconds, give the coffee one stir to break up any dry clumps, then leave it alone.
Counter Culture's recipe places this stir at exactly this point, right after the grounds have had a moment to fully saturate.
Four minutes is the floor
Let it steep at least 4 minutes. Square Mile plunges here; Counter Culture's own recipe runs the steep out to 6 minutes.
Longer immersion pulls more out of the grounds. Both are correct methods, the difference is intensity: use 4 minutes for a lighter, brighter cup and 6 for something fuller.
Break the crust, skim if you like it clean
Give the coffee a final stir to knock the crust back into the brew. For a cleaner cup, skim any foam off the surface with a spoon.
Square Mile recommends this exact skim step for anyone chasing a less muddy cup; it's the fastest fix if that's your recurring complaint.
Press slowly, pour immediately
Insert the plunger and press down gently and steadily. Pour the coffee off the grounds right away rather than leaving it sitting on the plunger.
A slow press disturbs the bed less, which means fewer fines in the cup. Leaving brewed coffee sitting on the grounds after pressing keeps extracting and pushes the cup toward bitter.
Dial it in
Turn the knob. The maths follows.
Drag the dial to how many cups you are brewing. Dose and yield update live, on the same ratio as the guide.
Half of Counter Culture's own two-cup recipe (45 g to 800 g), so one 12 oz cup runs 22.5 g of coffee to 400 g of water, a 1:17.8 ratio.
Troubleshoot by taste
The taste compass.
Tap what is wrong with the cup. Get the one move that fixes it.
Sour · under-extracted
Not enough time or heat pulled through the grounds.
- Grind a touch finer
- Extend the steep toward 6 minutes, Counter Culture's own recipe
- Confirm the water was fully boiled, not cooling in the kettle
Bitter · over-extracted
Too much time, too fine a grind, or the brew sat on the plunger after pressing.
- Grind coarser
- Plunge at 4 minutes instead of 6, Square Mile's own target
- Pour off the grounds immediately after pressing, don't let it sit
Weak · under-strength
The ratio is looser than it needs to be for full immersion.
- Tighten toward Square Mile's 1:14
- Dose up rather than steeping longer to compensate
- Full guide to French press ratio by strength and batch size
Harsh, muddy · sediment and fines
Too much fine particulate made it past the mesh filter.
- Read the full fix for muddy French press coffee
- Grind coarser, fine grounds slip through the mesh
- Press slowly and pour immediately rather than swirling the plunger
Common questions
French press FAQ.
What's the best coffee-to-water ratio for French press?
Counter Culture's broad standard for full immersion is 'closer to 1:15.' Their own specific recipe runs 1:18 (45 g to 800 g); Square Mile's runs 1:14 (70 g per litre). Any of the three is a legitimate starting point.
How long should French press coffee steep?
4 minutes is Square Mile's target. Counter Culture's own recipe runs the steep to 6 minutes for a fuller cup. Both are correct; longer means more extracted.
Why is my French press coffee muddy?
Usually a grind that's too fine for the mesh filter, or agitating the plunger and pour too much. There's a full, dedicated breakdown of the fix.
What grind size should I use for French press?
Medium-coarse. Square Mile describes it as similar to granulated sugar; Counter Culture compares it to kosher salt. Either texture is in the right range.
Should I stir French press coffee?
Once, about 30 seconds after pouring the water, per Counter Culture's recipe, to break up dry clumps. A second stir at the end, right before plunging, knocks the crust back into the brew.
Can I make French press coffee weaker without changing the ratio?
Shortening the steep time toward 4 minutes has more effect on strength than most people expect, since immersion brewing keeps extracting the whole time the grounds sit in the water.
Fits the recipe above
Gear for this method.
Transparency: the buttons below are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Fit notes come from manufacturer specifications read against this guide's recipe, not hands-on trials.
To-the-degree temperature control on a 0.9 liter gooseneck hits every window in our guides, from 80-85°C AeroPress water to the 92-96°C we specify for pour-over and French press.
The 34oz high-heat borosilicate glass beaker and stainless steel frame suit the 1:15 ratio, coarse grind and 4:00 steep in our French press guide, and work for overnight cold brew steeps too.
Fellow names espresso, pour-over, French press and cold brew directly among the Opus's supported methods on one 41+ setting dial, though the 110g hopper and catch bin fall short of the 125g per litre our cold brew guide calls for in a single load.
Baratza's own suggested settings place Hario V60 at grind 15 and French Press at 28 on the Virtuoso+'s 40 step dial, matching our pour-over and French press guides, though dosing runs by time rather than by weight.
One system, six methods
Every guide is this same skeleton wearing its method's numbers: the dials re-read, the vessel changes shape, the compass carries method-specific fixes. Design once, brew six ways.
What you need
- French press, 3 to 8 cup size
- Burr grinder set coarse
- Kettle
- Digital scale and timer
- Two cupping spoons for skimming