French Press Brewing (Press Pot)
The Press Pot does not use a paper filter and therefore produces a brew which is perceptively thicker, deeper, and stronger than auto-drip or pour-over methods. In fact, at the bottom of each cup poured from a Press Pot, you may notice a small amount of sediment which is actually super- fine particles of coffee that have found their way through the Press Pot filter screen. Those who use the "blade" style grinders will encounter this more often than those with a good quality "burr" grinder. This is because the "blade" style grinders tend to pulverize a portion of each bean during the grinding cycle, whereas "burr" grinders tend to produce a much more consistent particle size which is crucial to proper Press Pot brewing.
Items Required
• grinder
• timer
• tablespoon
• filtered water (NOT distilled)
• press pot
• decanter/insulated carafe (if coffee is not entirely emptied from press pot when finished brewing)
Grind Setting Tips
• Coarser than auto drip but less coarse than cold extraction or percolator
• If coffee tastes weak, grind it finer and/or allow water to remain in contact with grounds longer. You can also attempt to use slightly more grounds per tablespoon.
• If it tastes too strong or bitter, grind it coarser and/or decrease contact time
Amount
• one tablespoon per 4 ounces water
Contact Time of Water With Grounds
• 4-6 minutes
Process
• Pre-heat press pot with boiling water for at least 60 seconds. If you do not intend to pour the completed brew promptly into cups after brewing, use a decanter. The discarded water from pre-heating press can be poured into decanter to pre-heat it as well.
• Grind coffee
• Remove water from boiling source and set aside. Ultimate brew temperature is approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add grounds to press pot
• Start timer for 5 minutes and begin slowly pouring water over grounds while simultaneously swirling press pot to ensure full saturation of grounds
• Fill approximately 1/4 full and allow to sit and swell for 30 seconds. Then, promptly add remainder of water while gently swirling. Place plunger into pot, above grounds, and depress when timer sounds.
• If resistance keeps you from plunging completely, gently lift up on plunger one half inch then continue plunging. Note: This may happen more often with "blade" ground coffee and next time you should attempt to grind the coffee coarser to avoid this excessive resistance.
• Promptly remove brew from press pot and serve or decant into thermal carafe for near future enjoyment. Note that coffee quality, after it is brewed, has a life of approximately 30 minutes before it becomes noticeably less enjoyable, assuming the coffee is preserved in a pre-heated vessel.
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