How to Make a Delicious Bodum French Press Coffee

Marcin Lisewski
How to Make a Delicious Bodum French Press Coffee-Alternative Brewing

Ever wondered how to make coffee with Bodum’s French press coffee maker? Not only is it easy to make French press coffee with, Bodum’s Copper Press makes a stunning accent piece in any modern kitchen. Today, we're going to be brewing delicious French Press coffee with the lovely Bodum 8 Cup Copper Press. Check out our video for a full demonstration!

 

Now, Bodum French presses come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. The main similarities are that they use a mesh filter that presses down the coffee to the bottom of the container, separating the brewed coffee from the grounds. So French press coffee is an incredibly popular method around the world for its simplicity to use and its ability to make pretty good coffee. You can easily make a few cups at a time, perfect for a large family.

What's more is, if it's just the coffee you want, without too much fuss and preparation, well, you could eat coffee beans but I've got to say the French Press is pretty much the most straightforward way to brew coffee, period. And there is a good way to make French press coffee that's not too intense or results with a mouthful of grounds in your cup. Keep reading and I'll show you how.

Bodum French Press Coffee: Coffee Beans And Grind Size

I would recommend using a filter coffee, one that's been specifically roasted for this type of brewing, instead of an espresso roasted coffee, for example, simply because the filter coffee will offer you a more balanced flavor in the cup. The first thing you want to work out is how many cups of coffee you're going to be drinking as you want to be using around 12 to 15 grams or 2 tablespoons per cup or 250 grams of water. I'm going to be brewing 1 liter, so I'm going to be measuring out 50 grams of coffee.

Now, I'm grinding my beans to be between a medium or coarse grind but there's really no right or wrong at the coarser end of the grinding scale when you're brewing with a French Press. It's really up to your taste, but note that by changing the grind size, you can have the biggest impact on the flavor of your coffee. So if your coffee does taste a little too bitter at the end, perhaps try grinding coarser. Or if it's too weak or even sour, grind finer.

Bodum French Press Coffee Instructions

  1. Place your grinds into the cafetiere and with water straight off the boil.
  2. Pour it in and make sure that you get all your grinds wet.
  3. Once you've added all your water, this is when the brewing starts.
  4. Place the lid on to keep as much heat in as possible.
  5. Start your timer for four minutes and wait.
  6. Remove the lid and scoop off the crust off the top.
  7. Remove most of the floating grounds with a spoon.
  8. Place the lid back on and press down slowly, almost to the bottom.
  9. Pour your coffee and enjoy that delicious cup!

 

Tips For Great French Press Coffee With Your Bodum Press

Now, four minutes to me is about as much time as I want to be waiting for a hot coffee in the morning. And it does make a really consistent brew at this duration. So that's why I would suggest keeping the time at four minutes. If you're finding your coffee is still a little unsavory, then exploiting the change in the grind size for your next brew, may just make the best French Press coffee you've ever had.

It's a little bit of extra time and effort but removing the crust and floating grounds definitely makes a significant difference to the cleanliness of your final coffee. Then all you want to do is place the lid back on and press down nice and slow, almost to the bottom, and then pour your coffee out.

A faster alternate way to brew your Bodum French press coffee is, once those four minutes are up, you can very slowly press the plunger down to the bottom, again not pushing all the way down, and also ensure you don't press too fast. Otherwise, this will allow grinds to pass through the filter. Once it's down to the bottom, pour all your coffee out immediately.

 

It's key to remember not to leave the brewed coffee sitting in the cafetiere too long if you want to avoid any astringency or bitterness in those last few cups, as the water and coffee are still brewing away in there, even after you press it down.

By decanting the coffee out, you can stop the brewing process there and then enjoy a consistent flavor throughout each cup. Either way, you will end up with a very rich and full-bodied cup of coffee that's easily enjoyed black, or by adding just a dash of milk makes the ideal morning brew.

Cleaning Your Bodum French Press

In cleaning the French Press, you do want to hand wash the cafetière and make sure you give that metal mesh a thorough rinse, perhaps even using some boiling water to rinse it out so you remove any of those oils or trapped grinds inside the filter but it's pretty straightforward. Otherwise, just make sure you dry it thoroughly before using it again.

So that's how you make a delicious French Press coffee with a small amount of care and attention - with a coffee maker which can be a great addition to your home brewing setup. The Bodum French Press should not be a brewer that's kept in the cupboard, but it should be loved and explored for its full potential to make a great cup of coffee to be enjoyed by everyone. If you have any questions on the Bodum French Press or French Press brewing tips in general, throw them in the comments section below and we'll get straight back to you. Check out Alternative Brewing's full range of coffee makers and pick the perfect one for your needs.