Brew guides · Plunger
How to brew coffee in a plunger
Also called a French press. The most forgiving method there is, and the one that shows off this blend’s body. Four minutes, no technique required.
At a glance
Coffee
30 gabout 4 tablespoons
Water
500 mltwo large mugs
Ratio
1 : 16
Temperature
94 °C30 s off the boil
Grind
Coarselike raw sugar
Time
4 min
You’ll need
- A plunger (any size; scale the recipe at 1:16)
- Whole beans and a grinder, or our ground coffee
- A kettle, a timer, and scales if you have them
Method
- Boil the kettle, then wait 30 seconds. Water straight off the boil scorches coffee; a short pause brings it to about 94 °C.
- Warm the plunger. A splash of hot water in, swirl, tip it out.
- Add 30 g of coarse-ground coffee. If you have no scales, four level tablespoons is close enough.
- Pour 500 ml of water over the grounds and start the timer. Pour in a circle so everything gets wet.
- At one minute, stir once. Break the crust of grounds on top and push it under. Put the lid on with the plunger raised.
- At four minutes, press slowly. Twenty seconds or so, all the way down. Pressing hard stirs up fine grounds and makes the cup muddy.
- Pour it all out. Coffee left sitting on the grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter. Pour into cups or a jug straight away.
Fixes
Weak or sour
Grind a little finer, or add a minute. Check the water was hot enough; a kettle that has sat for a few minutes is too cool.
Bitter or muddy
Grind coarser, press more gently, and pour it all out the moment it is done.
Grit in the cup
Normal for a plunger. A coarser grind and a slow press reduce it; leaving the last few millilitres in the pot removes most of it.
Using our ground coffee
It is a medium grind, a touch finer than ideal for a plunger. Cut the steep to three and a half minutes and press gently.