How To Make Coffee in a French Press

Most coffee purists consider the French press the only way to make coffee, and it beats paying 11 bucks at the coffeeshop.

Instructions

• TIP: Stir with a wooden spoon to avoid cracking the glass pitcher.
• Step 1: Slowly press the plunger into the pitcher, using light but even pressure. If you press the plunger too fast, hot coffee could spray out of the pitcher.
• Step 2: Immediately pour the coffee into a cup and drink it. Don't try to get another cup of coffee after it's been sitting -- the coffee continues to brew while it's in the press, and a second cup will be seriously bitter.
• FACT: Coffee is produced commercially in 82 countries worldwide.
• Step 3: Pour the water into the French press, but don't lower the plunger yet. Stir the coffee in the water and let it steep like you would a teabag. Give the coffee about four minutes to brew.
• Step 4: Put water on your stove to boil, but turn off the heat just as bubbles start to rise. Ideally, you want the water to be 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
• TIP: Clean your press with dish soap and warm water before each use. The oils from previous uses cling to the inside of the pitcher and will make the coffee from a second use taste bitter.
• Step 5: Use coarse-ground coffee. Coffee that is too fine, like espresso, will get through the filter and into your cup. Use a rounded teaspoon of coffee for each 4 ounces of water. Pour the ground coffee into the press pitcher.
• TIP: You can buy whole coffee beans and grind them in your own coffee mill.
• Step 6: Remove the plunger from your French press and pour hot water into the pitcher to warm it up. Be sure to discard the warming water before you add the coffee.