French press (cafetière)
Full immersion of coarse coffee in hot water followed by a mesh plunger that holds the grounds back. It gives a heavy-bodied cup with fine sediment and is the simplest way to brew a good litre at home.
Immersion4 published standards
- Ratio
- 1:13.3to 1:18.2
- Temperature
- 92–96°C
- Time
- 4–5 min
- Grind
- Coarse
How it works
Cut away, step by stepRest the plunger on top, mesh above the coffee; steep 4 minutes
Parameters
Working ranges- Ratio, coffee to water
- 1:13.3 to 1:18.255–75 g per litre
- Dose
- 15–60 g
- Water
- 250–1,000 ml
- Water temperature
- 92–96 °C198–205 °F
- Contact time
- 4–5 min
- Grind
- Coarse
- Pressure
- Atmospheric
- Filter
- Metal mesh plunger
Ranges are this atlas's summary of common practice, not a standard. Published standards are listed separately below, with their sources.
Where it sits among 29 methods
Pale bars are the other methods; strength is grams of coffee per litre of water.
Published standards
Numbers as facts, with their source| Body | Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCA Golden Cup, as restated by licensee Moccamaster | brew strength (TDS) | 11.5-13.5 g/L, i.e. 1.15-1.35% | support.moccamaster.com |
| SCA Golden Cup, as restated by licensee Moccamaster | extraction yield | 18-22% | support.moccamaster.com |
| SCA Standard 310 (2021) home brewers, text via search | test brew ratio | 55 g coffee per 1.000 kg water | sca.coffee |
| SCA Standard 310 (2021) home brewers, text via search | target brew strength at standard ratio | 1.15-1.55% | sca.coffee |
Origins and brewers
Origins of the method
- Year
- 1852
- Where
- France; Italy for the 1929 design
Mayer and Delforge patent (per Wikidata inception); the familiar mesh plunger design is credited to Attilio Calimani's 1929 patent (not verified)
Not confirmed by an accepted source
Brewers
Immersion