Steeping the Coffee

Once you have your water heated up and the right amount of coffee added to your french press coffee maker, you’re ready to start steeping your coffee.

Start pouring your water into your french press. Be careful as you pour as the steam that comes up is really hot and can scald you if you aren’t careful. As you’re pouring, move the stream of water around to splash the grounds up as much as you can. This helps to get all of the grounds fully saturated and helps pull the most flavor possibly out of the grinds.

Once you’ve poured the water in to the level you want (remember, 4 ounces of water for each tablespoon of coffee), go ahead and place the top and plunger back on top of your french press. After it’s securely placed on top, push the plunger down slightly so that the grounds are held about a 1/2″ below the top of the water. This helps keep the grinds fully soaked and will significantly add to the flavor of the coffee.

At this point, you get to play the waiting game. The ideal steeping time for french press coffee is 4 minutes. So go ahead and set a timer if you have one or just make note of the time and get ready to come back and press the coffee.

As the water is very very hot, you’ll want to set the french press down somewhere won’t get bumped or knocked down. It’s usually best to leave it to steep right near where you boiled the water.