How long to steep coffee in French Press? This is one of the essentials of making the perfect French Press coffee. Learn how to get your morning coffee correct!
If you have ever used the plunger in a French press coffee, you understand just how simple this is.
At first, it might seem complicated to use a burr grinder on your coffee beans to make French press coffee; however, by learning how long to steep your coffee in hot water, you can make the perfect cup of coffee without a traditional coffee maker!
I remember the first time I used coffee grounds with French Press brewing methods, I was concerned that I may not like the product. Fortunately, I was wrong! It took me a little while to get the perfect water temperature and prevent over-extraction with the right brew time; however, I fell in love with French press coffee!
So, what should your coffee steep time be! Take a look at our tutorial on making the perfect French Press coffee brew!
Understand the Basics of Making French Press Coffee
At first, making French press coffee could sound intimidating. There are a lot of factors that play a role in the quality of your cup of coffee, including:
- The coffee-to-water ratio
- The grams of coffee grounds you use
- The quality of the whole beans
- The grind size of your coffee
- How long you allow your coffee to steep
Even though using a French press coffee maker is one of the most straightforward ways to brew a good coffee cup, you still need to get the timing of these steps down.
In order to extract the right flavor from your coffee grounds, you need to allow them to steep in hot water.
The amount of water you use, as well as the water temperature, will play an important role. If you allow your coffee to steep too long, you may end up with bitter flavors. If you do not allow your coffee to steep long enough, you may end up with a thin taste.
Before diving into the timing of everything, you need to get the amount of water and amount of coffee correct.
The Ratio of Coffee To Water
In order to make the perfect brew with a French press machine, the ratio should be two tablespoons of coffee beans for every one cup of water (or eight ounces). If you wanted to make two servings, you would have to double this ratio. For four cups of coffee, you would need to quadruple this ratio.
Once you have your coffee beans, you need to grind them down to the right size.
Your grind size will influence how long you let your coffee beans steep. The finer you grind your coffee beans, the shorter the steep time will be. That is because there is more surface area for the water to extract flavors from your coffee grounds.
The Steep Time
Steeping is the process through which your hot water is going to extract flavor from your coffee beans. Therefore, you need to give this process enough time to pull as much flavor from your coffee beans as possible; however, if you allow your coffee grounds to stay too long, you could end up with a bitter taste. Ultimately, this is a matter of personal preference.
The longer you let your coffee steep, the more bitter your coffee will taste. This is called over-extraction, and you want to avoid it. Therefore, you need to find the perfect sweet spot.
This is going to be different for everyone.
Your sweet spot is probably going to land between three and four minutes. Make sure you give it a gentle stir as the steeping process unfolds. You may want to experiment before you settle on a final steep time.
The temperature of the water and the size of your coffee grounds will play a role.
A Longer Steep Time Does Not Always Mean Better
Some people believe that a longer steep time will contribute to bolder flavors in your coffee. This is only true up to a certain point. Eventually, you are going to reach the point of over-extraction.
Therefore, you are simply going to end up with a bitter taste.
A longer steep time will also increase the acidity of your coffee. Even though some people like coffee with a bite to it, coffee that is too acidic is not going to taste good. If you truly want a stronger cup of coffee, you should add more coffee grounds instead of increasing your steep time.
Final Word on How Long To Steep Coffee in French Press
If you want to make the perfect cup of French press coffee, you should allow your coffee to steep between three and four minutes. If you do not let your coffee steep long enough, your coffee is going to taste them. If you allow your coffee to steep too long, it is going to taste bitter.
The temperature of the water and the size of your coffee grounds will play a role and how quickly your coffee flavors are extracted. You may want to experiment with it a few steep times before you come to a final decision.
FAQs about How Long To Steep Coffee in French Press
Why does my French press coffee taste burnt?
There is a chance that your water may be too hot. If you pour boiling water over your coffee beans, you are going to scorch them. This will make your coffee taste burnt. After you bring your water to a boil, allow it to cool for approximately 30 seconds. Then, add it to your coffee beans.
Do I need to use a specific grinder for French press coffee?
A typical grinder is not going to be sharp enough to deal with whole beans. Instead, you want to use something called a burr grinder. This will efficiently grind your coffee beans to the right size.
