A classic for a reason. One of the simplest brew methods out there, and one that many people have in their cupboards. Just add coffee, pour hot water, wait, plunge, and enjoy. The cafetiere (also called the French press) is an immersion brewer, meaning that the coffee and water are in full contact during extraction, so cups made this way tend to have a full body and rich texture.
What you’ll need:
- A cafetiere
- Ground coffee (coarse)
- Scale
- Timer
- Hot water just off the boil (or roughly 96°C)
- Spoon or stirrer
We recommend a 1:16 ratio (but as always, adjust to your personal taste), and a coarse grind setting.
Method:
- Start by pre-heating your cafetiere (remember to discard the water!)
- Put the cafetiere on the scale, tare, and add your ground coffee. Cafetieres come in different sizes, so you’ll need to adjust your measurements to your situation and taste. A 500ml cafetiere, for example, would need about 31g of coffee. Tare the scale again.
- Start the timer and add the hot water. Stir. Place the lid on top of the cafetiere but don’t plunge.
- At 3:00, slowly push the plunger down to the bottom. Serve and Enjoy!
Notes:
- This is the classic cafetiere brew method. For those looking to try something different, or those who prefer a cleaner cup, you can try James Hoffmann’s method.
- See here for our full collection of recommended cafetiere coffee beans and cafetiere brew kits.
Brewing using a different method? View all of our brewing guides here.
