A French Press is coffee pouring system based on cylinder fitted with a plunger that is pressed down on a mixture of hot water and ground coffee in order to separate the coffee from the grounds.
The system was probably invented in France around the middle of the ‘800, however, it was patented by
Attilio Calimani in 1931.
The French Press goes by various names around the world. In New Zealand, Australia and South Africa the whole apparatus is known as a coffee plunger and coffee brewed in it as plunger coffee. Its French name is
cafetière à piston. In the UK, the Netherlands, and Ireland the device is known as a
cafetière, the French word for a coffee maker or pot.
The secret to preparing a good French Press coffee is to start with a consistent and uniform grind of coffee (medium grinding is better) in order to avoid the amount of suspended particulates. You can change to a coarser grind if you find the coffee too cloudy but a too fine grinding could clog the filter and could create high pressure into the pot.
How to pour the best French Press coffee:
- Place the pot on a flat and dry surface
- Hold the handle and pull out the plunger
- Put into the pot of coffee spoon (7-8 grams) for every 200 ml of water
- Pour hot water (not boiling) into the pot
- Reinsert the plunger and push down immediately, but slowly and gently (both for best results, both for not splashing out the liquid)
- After each use, wash the pot with water and a mild detergent
- NB French Press pots normally tolerate temperatures over 90 ° maximum attention. Never heat the coffee by putting the pot inside a microwave oven.