ALCOEATS FRENCH PRESS COFFEE

Gaining much popularity in the present times, French Press Coffee is the most straightforward brewing method. Other names for the French Press include press pot, coffee press, cafetière, and cafetière à piston. Don't be deceived by the name: this coffee maker is named "French," yet it's used and enjoyed globally, not only in France. A French Press allows you to make delightful coffee fast and simply, experiment with different fragrances and flavours, is inexpensive, and requires minimal maintenance, which is why it can be spotted in millions of modern kitchens. However, before you begin, you must be equipped with the necessary equipment and brewing procedure.

Let us tell you more about the most loved brewed coffee and the recipe for the French Press Coffee.

What is French Press Coffee?

The French Press is a manual brewing system that uses hot water to soak coarse grinds. There are several French Press designs and sizes to pick from.It works similar to the cold brew technique, the only difference is that it uses hot water instead of cold, and the immersion period is 4 minutes rather than 12 hours. It is a classic for a reason, and it couldn't be simpler to use. It's as simple as preparing a cup of tea to determine how long it takes for water to travel through the coffee bed. You only need to determine the proper water temperature, liquid-to-ground ratio and brewing time to make that aromatic cup of coffee. 

History of French Press Coffee

The Coffee technique has been around since the 1850s and its discovery is dedicated to a happy accident. According to legend, a Frenchman was heating water when he noticed he had forgotten to add the coffee. Nonetheless, he chose to add the coffee grounds to the boiling water. When the coffee grounds reached the top, he used a metal filter and a stick to push the screen down with the beans. As the result, he got the finest cup of coffee he'd ever had.But, In 1929, a Milanese designer called Attilio Calimani patented the brewer. It was perfected in 1958 by a Swiss man named Faliero Bondanini, who manufactured his invention under the brand name Melior at an old French clarinet plant.

What is the difference between French Press and regular coffee?

The difference between French Press and regular coffee resides on different parameters, 

• In French Press Coffee, the brewing time necessary to create a cup from a press is 5-8 minutes. This involves heating the water and steeping the brew for 3-4 minutes. While in regular Coffee, it takes around 8-10 minutes for the drip to be ready. 
• The oils contribute significantly to the flavour of your coffee. The paper filter in a drip machine traps the majority of these oils, which never get to your cup. A French Press, on the other hand, does not use a paper filter and thereby maximizes flavour potential.

Health Benefits of French Press Coffee

Now, let's look at the health benefits of coffee.

Instead of passing via a paper filter, French Press machines enable raw grinds to come into direct touch with the water. This permits the essential oils to drift rather than being collected before you consume them. As a consequence, instead of only flavour, antioxidants and nutrients also wind up in your cup.

Following are some of the health benefits of French Press Coffee-

• It Coffee is a powerful protectant - It includes methyl pyridinium, a strong anticancer chemical that has been demonstrated to lower the risk of some cancers. This chemical is abundant in French Press Coffee and may help reduce your risk of oral, pharyngeal, and throat cancer.

• In Coffee benefits Neurologically - In the long term, coffee helps decrease the risk of Parkinson’s disease and even dementia. The lipophilic antioxidants in coffee defend your cardiovascular system, which is densely packed with muscle fibre and vital neurons. French brew coffee contains most of these critical building blocks of the human nervous system. It also benefits patients with cirrhosis and helps to avoid hepatocellular cancer. Studies are in progress around the fact that French Press Coffee not only preserves your ongoing health but also aids in the repair of harm.

• Coffee helps to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes - Coffee lowers the incidence of gout, dental cavities caused by tannins, and even Type II diabetes. Naturally, the caffeine in coffee has extra advantages. Caffeine is found in over-the-counter medications due to its favourable influence on the human body's perception of pain. Caffeine in migraine and headache medication helps migraine and headache sufferers cope with inflammation and exhaustion.

• Coffee improves reflexes - Coffee has been demonstrated to boost short-term recollection and reduce reaction time. French Press Coffee is an antioxidant-rich choice for boosting focus and memory in the morning. Coffee, in general, has been shown over time to help protect the mind from Alzheimer's and even the progressive cognitive ageing that we all face.

 Other French Press Benefits 

• A It's Cost Effective - A French Press can cost in the range of $7.99 to $129+. There are several types, sizes, and prices to select from, as with other brewing processes.

• Gives a Rich Taste - Because a French Press does not include a paper filter, more of the oils found in coffee beans make it into the brew. The oils give the coffee its flavour and hence help you differentiate one kind from another.

• Portability Feature - A French Press may be taken almost anyplace. It comes in one piece, is simple to pack in baggage, and can brew excellent coffee wherever you go.

• Control the taste of your coffee - Unlike a drip machine, you have complete control over the water temperature and brewing duration. This means you may experiment to find out how you want your coffee to taste.

French Press Coffee Recipe 

When we now know about the history and benefits let’s move on to know the French coffee press recipe. 

Following is a French coffee steps guide to making that aromatic coffee - 

• Preheat the French Press - Fill the French Press halfway with boiling water from a kettle. Whether you have a classic glass French Press or a stainless steel one, this step will ensure that the entire coffee pot stays warm during the brewing process, ensuring that all those delicious flavours come out of the grounds and into your cup. Because temperature is one of the most important factors in making consistently outstanding coffee, you don't want your hot water to strike a cold coffee machine and instantly cool down.

• Grind the beans - Now is a good time to grind your coffee while you wait around 30 seconds. Immersion brewing is accomplished with the use of a French Press. It means that the coffee is entirely submerged in water and remains in touch with it until the brewing process is complete; you want a very chunky, coarse grind size. The greater the surface area, the longer it takes for the water to extract the tasty stuff from the coffee beans. If you're using a burr grinder, which is highly recommended since it produces a much more equal grind size, you'll want the higher number settings. Before continuing, drain the hot water from the French Press; you'll be brewing with new water.

• Add Coffee Grounds - Whatever exquisite coffee you've selected to make, but that coarsely ground coffee into the carafe immediately. Remember to take measurements! The proper coffee-to-water ratio, regardless of brewing technique, is one of the secrets to a nice, consistent cup. We prefer to use about 15 grams of water for every gram of coffee in our French Press Coffee recipe. Here are some pointers to remember when measuring -

• One milliliter of water weighs precisely one gram, so if you have a scale, you can simply measure everything by placing your carafe on the scale before pouring.
• You may also use a measuring cup to measure your water. Just make sure you always use the same coffee scoops and measure them in the same manner.
• If you normally measure a level tablespoon but decide to measure a heaping tablespoon one day, just pay close attention to how high you fill the French Press to make your brews that much more consistently excellent.

• Blooming - The next step in a French Coffee press recipe includes blooming to enhance your coffee. Pour your water in a swirling motion, or any pattern that guarantees your water equally submerges all of the grounds. If you observe any dry areas on the top, attempt to aim your jet of water at them. You want to moisten all of the grounds at the same time, so the water can start extracting flavour from them all at once.The coffee will taste more balanced and tasty as a result of the uniform extraction. In the hot water, you may observe your grounds "growing" or bubbling. This is known as blooming, and it helps prepare the grounds for the ultimate brew.That first pour helps the coffee release gases like carbon dioxide, allowing the rest of the water to properly permeate the grounds and extract all of that yummy stuff more evenly. Allow the water to do its thing and wait till the timer reads 30 seconds before proceeding.

• Fill and Stir - Fill the carafe the rest of the way with hot water and gently swirl the Coffee. This ensures that the crust of grinds that has developed on top of your brew is incorporated into the water rather than remaining on top. However, stirring too vigorously can agitate the grinds and speed up the extraction, perhaps releasing some harsh tastes (plus, while variables like time and temperature are really easy for us to control, agitation is super hard to measure). Place the cover on the French Press and, if required, gently press the plunger down so that the mesh filter is just skimming the top of the hot water, which will assist keep all of the grounds immersed. But resist the desire to press down. In a French Press, brew at around fifteen parts water to one part coffee, which is somewhat stronger than the typical drip coffee brewing ratio. The metal mesh filter (in contrast to the paper filter used in many other brew techniques) does not prevent coffee oils from entering your cup, and that extra amount of power helps the flavours cut through those oils. However, according to the French coffee press recipe, if you brew your French Press at a fifteen-to-one ratio and the coffee tastes stronger or weaker than you like, feel free to add more or less water the following time. It's part of the joy of making coffee at home to experiment. You may like a lighter coffee on certain days and a stronger coffee on others. If the coffee seems too strong for you, simply add a little water to your finished morning coffee cup after the fact (unfortunately, you can't take water out after the fact if the coffee seems too weak).

• Press the plunger - When the timer goes off after four minutes, your coffee is ready! Finally, push the coffee plunger all the way down until the coffee grounds are compacted at the bottom. Take care not to press too hard — it's best to press softly to avoid over-agitating the coarsely ground coffee, which might result in a few extra-bitter notes in your brewed coffee. Don't push down on the grounds at the bottom as though you're trying to force every last drop of flavour out of them. You've previously ground the coffee to a precise size and utilized time and temperature to carefully extract the right tastes. It won't taste any better if you use brute force. Furthermore, even the strongest French Press can only endure so much power before breaking, and the last thing we want is a broken French Press.

• It's Ready! - Fill your cup or travel mug halfway with hot coffee from the French Press and you're ready to go. Even if you don't intend to consume all of the coffee right now, avoid leaving any surplus coffee in your French Press for later. While the plunger makes pouring coffee simpler, it does not entirely remove the coffee grounds from the liquid. Because the water is still in contact with the coffee grounds through the mesh filter, if the coffee remains in the French Press for too long, it will become bitter from overstepping. Pour it into a separate carafe or pitcher if you want to sip it slowly over the course of a leisurely brunch. If you have any leftovers that you won't be able to finish within an hour, put them in a cup or jar and store them in the fridge. You now have iced coffee ready for when you get back.

How long should you brew your French Press Coffee?

The best part of a French Press Coffee recipe is the timing to brew your coffee. You may use a French Press to create a lot or a little amount of coffee, grind your coffee whatever you like, and stop the brew in 10 seconds or 10 days. None of these factors influences the others. This doesn't guarantee that the final brew will be great, but it does imply that you may approach a French Press in a new way. For a great taste, you can brew your French Press for 4 to 8 minutes depending on your preference of the coffee taste. This will result in a delicious, rich cup of French Press Coffee. In the further steps of the recipe for French Press Coffee, set your coarse grinds at the bottom of the glass beaker and fill it halfway with hot water. 

Allow the grinds and water to settle for 1 minute. After one minute, mix the coffee and add the remaining water. Allow brewing for three minutes more. The ideal duration for a French Press to brew coffee may not be 4 (four) minutes depending on the type of coffee you're using. If your coffee is excessively weak and watery, try adding additional grounds or increasing the steep duration by 30 seconds to a minute. If your coffee comes out excessively bitter, coarsen the grind or reduce the brew time by around 30 seconds.

Don't panic if you haven't yet brewed the ideal cup of French Press Coffee! Four minutes is an average brew time for French Press Coffee, although it may not be ideal for your preferences.

Have fun experimenting with your favourite coffees and learning how long to let your French Press Coffee brew.

Is French Press Coffee bad for you?

Due to its caffeine content, coffee has its disadvantages as well. Caffeine is found in coffee, and too much caffeine — more than 300 mg per day — can cause sleeplessness, anxiety, heart palpitations, and jitters in some individuals.

Caffeine consumed after midday is most likely to interfere with sleep. If you consume coffee and get less sleep every night, you may be putting yourself at risk of developing additional chronic problems in the long run. Caffeine may also elevate blood pressure. 

When you make French Press Coffee, there is no filter to restrict coffee grounds from entering your cup; instead, you strain the liquid and trap the coffee grounds by pressing an attached mesh plunger from the top of the pitcher to the bottom. And it's the lack of a filter that distinguishes pressed coffee and makes it potentially dangerous if consumed in excess.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, unfiltered brew includes diterpenes, which are fatty compounds present in coffee beans that might elevate your LDL cholesterol. High cholesterol levels can also raise your risks of developing heart disease, having a heart attack, or having a stroke.

How do you clean a French Press after use?

The French Press requires special cleaning measures to be in its best form always, the French Press steps to clean are as follows, 

1. FInish your Coffee - After you drink your coffee and let the French Press cool
2. Empty the coffee grounds - Dig out the grounds with your hands or a spatula, and dump them in the compost or garbage. 
3. Add cleaning liquid and water - For a quick, daily clean, add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the carafe with some water, then plunge the plunger up and down until the bubbles start forming. 
4. Rinse, scrub and rinse - Dump out the soapy water, rinse and plunge again, then scrub the plunger and the inside of the carafe with the soft part of your sponge or bottle brush; rinse it thoroughly. 
5. Disassemble - For a weekly clean, do the above steps and then disassemble the plunger.
6. Clean with baking soda - Clean each piece individually with a mix of baking soda and water, and add just enough water to the soda to make a paste. Use your bottle brush or sponge to scrub the pieces with the paste and rinse thoroughly.
7. Clean with vinegar - If you get hard water buildup, Make a ratio of 50 solutions of vinegar and water, then use that to scrub the inner and outer surface of the French Press and disassembled components; rinse thoroughly.
8. Reassemble - Keep the press to dry, and put the pieces back together. 

Conclusion

French press coffee is strong. It is coffee in its most pristine form. The French Press employs pressure to force coffee into an elegant pot's base after brewing and grabbing the concentrated flavors. The results are deep, dark, and fully flavored. French Press Coffee is better than drip because no paper filter absorbs flavorful oils. It results in less trash than a drip coffee maker because no paper filters exist. When making your morning cup, you can manage the variables to get as nerdish as you want.

Often coffeeholic wonders which is the best coffee for French Press. Here is the answer. Medium to dark roasts is excellently suited to brewing with a French Press. 

If you love having flavored coffees, do try the coffee french vanilla.

French vanilla coffee is something you will never regret having another cup of. French vanilla coffee uses vanilla syrup, vanilla extract, or vanilla coffee creamer to savor the coffee with vanilla. The French vanilla flavor also comes imbued with coffee beans, giving you a vanilla-flavored coffee earlier brewed.

French Press Coffee drinkers praise this method of brewing because of its superior taste and drinking quality, especially when made with an even coarse blend.

When you drink coffee that’s been brewed with a French Press, you’re getting the full taste of the coffee as nature intended- pure. French Press Coffee brewing is also more earth-friendly. You don’t have to process your coffee through bleached filters and there’s absolutely no waste. You can use your Coffee grounds as fertilizer in your garden. 

Overall, you also require fewer grounds to achieve the same taste for the same size of brew. French Press Coffee is the best way to drink your favourite coffee blend.