You don't find that you miss what the paper filter removes, Lance? French press is one of my favorite brew methods as it makes incredibly tasty coffee with a mouthfeel I appreciate very much... but I often miss some of the other flavors you get with a usual extraction. I do use one of the "don't press it all the way" methods you mentioned and it works okay, but definitely not as clear as when paper is involved. Anyway, thanks for the video. It's nice to see I am not crazy for trying paper filters before.
Hey Lance, I’ve been using James Hoffman’s french press recipe for my press coffees up until I saw this video. I imagine that because you used a paper filter, the coffee ends up cleaner, but does one method give a superior taste compared to the other?
This has been my go to method for a while. It makes a great cup! I will try finer as you mentioned. I got a whole puncher to punch a hole on my Aeropress filter. Helps the process.
Was totally my gateway too. I remember being in Germany at the age of 17 back in 2000 and I found an authentic little press and I was so enamoured with it that I made this huge space in my suitcase and used every sock possible to be able to bring that thing home to Canada. I'm 41 now, live in Chicago and still have it.😅
@@thovenpixel3740 haha thanks for the laugh! 😁. To be honest, my Breville Barista Express really upstaged everything over the past four or five years and I don't think I have busted that little guy out there since! Well, no time like now. And my feet happen to be cold so perhaps that will be what I do in the morning. 😆 Cheers!
When I first got into "alternative" brewing, I enjoyed french press but really was not a fan of the silt in the cup. I ended up deciding to try to "hack" the process and add a paper filter. it would be my dirty little secret. I actually bought filters sized to fit the diameter of my french press and I would sandwich them between the cross plate and the mesh filter and it worked phenomenally. I had no idea that coffee enthusiasts did this or admitted to this out loud 😂 I stick primarily to pour overs and espresso as there is a little less friction and clean up, especially for that pre-work cup, but I periodically come back to this method. I have not, however, deviated from the coarse grind paradigm. It makes sense to go finer, but I may have to do this external "wrap around" with a larger filter outside the cross plate to prevent ingress of the grinds. I get a solid seal with my current method and brewer, but I suspect the finer grinds may find their ways around the filter. Hackery destigmatized by everone's favorite coffee scientist and educator (you may have to share a little of the educator title with James, of course 😉) Thumbs up for the algorithm, people 😁
I'm even more of a brute and just used paper towels. The filters were a bit too pricey and too big. Just tear required amount (or use scissors if you're feeling not that brutish) and it works just as well. I tried it with plain water first, because I was worried towels would affect the taste, but they didn't. And they're food grade, suitable for drying dishes, so I guess they shouldn't have some toxic bleaching/colourants.
Cleaning up a French press is easy. Get a second small, double screen colander, and rinse pour (through the colander) into it the sink. Tap the colander into the garage. Coffee grains will plug up your plumbing system. Great show my friend
Many people don't know this but Alessi makes a French Press by Aldo Rossi, the 9094. There are a couple of advantages to this press. First, it's made entirely out of metal and glass. No plastic anywhere. Second, and most importantly, most plungers are plunged down completely, sit above the coffee grounds, allowing for continued extraction. The plunger in the Alessi plunges all the way down to the bottom of the press, squeezing out excess water and halting coffee extraction. No bitter coffee. No need to decant your coffee to another pot. I wrote a detailed review of the Alessi on Amazon. If I were on a desert island and had to choose one way of brewing coffee, it would be with a French Press.
I used to brew a French Press whenever I got bored of espressos, and for some reason, the Press made me want to read a newspaper. AND NOW, finding out I could actually use the newspaper to make better coffee with it? It was never a coincidence! 🙈
The French press reminds me of bad dinner parties at my parents and them getting an already opened old bag of ground coffee from the back of the fridge.
A absolute beginner here, that also started with French press and recently, past year, have gone into coffee madness (thanks Lance). I've a totally uneducated palate, but there are some specific coffees I sometimes get, that I like very much in French press and, what I've done lately, is to serve my liquid from the press to the cup putting an able kone steel mesh brewer/filter. It's just one additional step, an easy quick one, that brings a lot of clarity to my cup.
I grew up with the French Press, my recipe was Peet's Arabian Mocha Java, brewed, very coarse grind, 4 minutes, bloom (of course), and whole whipping cream. My brother and I would brew pots of the stuff. We both agreed that even though we always brewed the same way it was maybe one out of 10 times you'd get the "God Cup". I'm currently mostly an espresso/flat white drinker..."God Cup" comes two or three times a week, and even though I think the "God Cup" is mostly psychological, it's what got me really interested in coffee. Thanks Mr. Peet ( I grew up in Berkeley and we used to see him walking around the shop sometimes when our mom was buying coffee and us candy canes), and thanks Lance!
One very underated method IMO is the reverse french press. you put the plunger in but not fully, rest it to the side so you can pour the coffee in and afterwards water on top of it. once done you pull it out instead of pushing it down, pulling the coffee up with it. It filters fines really well without a paper filter, my theory is that the ground coffee itself acts as a filter itself, catching the fines and sticking to the bigger ground coffee pieces.
@@CarrerasCorradosCoffee very carefully, you'll still get some coffee debris left over, so no need to sweat the small stuff, but they'll sink, unlike the fines you pull out that would linger in your cup even after 15 minutes You'll want to dispose of the coffee and wash the plunger, before plunging it back down to catch any that fell
As someone that loves different kinds of coffee makers more so drip over coffee makers now, i will still use the french press to make a strong froth because it just HANDS DOWN........works and it's super effecient for even making the strongest brews of teas as well and again it's definitely a life saver for sure indeed
I've never tried this, but the technique makes sense. However, the reason I started brewing with a French Press is because I don't have to remember to buy paper filters :(
As someone who recently had a baby, I find myself reaching for a filtered french press more often than a pourover for my morning cup for the flexibility of a "dump it then forget it" brewing method. Cheers for this! Ps: an Aeropress filter fits perfectly for a singe cup french press 👍
I’ve been making French press for a looooong time. I’m confused as to why the espropress never comes up when French press is discussed… fixes a lot of the issues with temp loss, and filtering out fines. In all cases, great video! I’m a big fan, I learn so much from all of your deep dives into all things coffee! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I just ordered one of those after reading reviews from several different sites. I make Aeropress for my own coffee but needed something bigger for when I have guests. My electric drip makes awful coffee so decide to get a French press.
I always really enjoyed french press brewed coffee. Used James Hoffmans recipe for years, where you don't plunge, and I've never really had any issues with silt since. Never thought of using a paper though, must give that a try!
This is great. I use a french press when I can't make coffee at work and I pour it through a metal pour over filter, but this is much faster and probably leaves less silt too. Thanks!
I always just poured it through a regular Melitta paper filter after brewing. I tend to have non-silty FP brews anyway following the old Hoffman method, but I like that the paper filters out certain oils and helps clean up the taste further. The only problem is that sometimes if there is a little salt left, it stalls out the paper filter and it could take several minutes to fully drain out. Not sure if there is a "coarser" paper filter out there that would work better. It's definitely less fuss than cutting filters to size, although I do that for just about every other brewing method anyway (moka, phin, espresso) so why not.
The recommendation makes a lot of sense but the main reason I'm using french press because that's the only thing you need to make good coffee. Hoffman's method works well for what I prefer. This is a good use of free time however.
just learned the paper filter trick with the FP couple wks ago... 💥GAME CHANGER! 💥 no more need to decant thru a nylon filter. fruitier, more flavorful, less acidic. no sludge! brilliant & big fan! the only thing i do differently is when filling the FP with hot water while boiling/grinding, i ball up the filter & throw that in there too. when its wet it seems to definitely make a tighter seal as i push it into the glass press. i use good old mr coffee filters.. perfect. & it DOES def takes at minimum 1.5 mins min for me to press out 570g water (i like my tumbler FULL in the morning!). im impatient AF but i still just put enough pressure on it to keep it slowly moving.. its a patience tester but worth the wait! been FPing for 20+ years. def having the BEST cups ever now! (now to figure out this damn v60)
Oh wow! I just tried this with a Costa Rican natural ground medium fine and it was nothing short of spectacular. Hands-down the best French Press I've ever had (the Rao/Perger Lotus Drops recipe helped as well, but still ....). Nice to have a French Press without a mouthful of mud at the end.
I have a Secura stainless steel French press and I love it. It looks great sitting on the counter, keeps coffee hot while brewing, is indestructible but best of all, makes great coffee! Thanks for the vid!.
I was doing that for quite a while now and it was delicious with 1:15 with some dilution afterwards if having a tongue bite. And now when I got a refractometer I can see why. This method gives me 2.5-3 TDS but definitely delivers consistent and delicious cup 🙌🏻🤝🏻
When I first got into coffee, this was the first "hack" that I thought of for myself. I really enjoyed the cups, but ultimately moved on to using the clever because I hated digging the grinds out of the French press, or wasting more water just to get them out. What I've really been wondering, because everyone always seems to say only brew for 2 minutes in a clever, is why don't you just use the same recipe in a clever that you would use in a French press? I understand that the water draws down through the bed instead of getting decanted off the top, but like Lance said, it's solvency has already been reduced by being in contact with the grinds. I guess it's kind of a silly question. I could just try myself.
Love this! Genuinely an improvement to a much loved brewing device that doesn’t require breaking the bank like so much of coffee these days. Was piqued when you teased it in the Bird video and glad you gave it its own treatment. Can’t wait to add this to my rotation of brewing methods. Well done, Lance! Appreciate you and this channel.
I have tried the paper filter thing, and I do still prefer pouring through the mesh. It's also my typical daily brew, as it's the most convenient way to make my coffee at work.
I just tried this with my stainless steel french press from Amazon and using a cheap blade grinder, and even with that crappy setup the clarity and taste is a million times better. I'm looking forward to trying this with a burr grinder and perhaps with a glass french press to see if I can get it even cleaner.
Very similar to how an aeropress works…especially the inverted aeropress method that affords longer immersion time. Especially good for older French press that may have an iffy screen seal.
What do you think about leaving the crust of coffee on top while steeping? James Hoffmann did that in all of his immersion brew videos. He even claimed that stirring the coffee will stop the extraction. I always did that but seeing you not caring about it made me unsure.
Tried the coarse ground 30g aeropress trick and it works really well. I opened an expensive bag of coffee a month ago and hated it, so i tried this a few days ago, and i must say it's a good idea.
I tried this just based on what you did in the bird video. It worked really well but didn't go quite fine enough. I totally agree with the slightly dissatisfaction of not pressing the French press. It somehow felt so wrong not to press it with the Hoffmann method even if it was better for that brew!
I just tried it! 100x better than the way I did this yesterday: 900g water to 60g coffee. Much coarser. No filter. Had hardly any flavor. I was going to give up on this method altogether. You have indeed redeemed it.
I find going coarse and sticking to 5 mins of brew time gets me a consistently delicious cup. I find that a finer grind leads my French press to be bitter. I conceptualize this in my head with my experience with teas. Whole leaf teas in a mesh steeper give you more complex flavors than the the dust you’ll find in cheaper quality teas which lead to an acrid and astringent cup.
Great, need to try this out. Could you make a tasting test by comparing this method vs Aeropress different recipe vs Weber Bird vs Nomacano? Also what are the extraction levels.. that would be really interesting.
Dude, I like this. I’m sure I’ll give it a shot, but when I bust out the French press I’m usually wanting that gritty grimey cup, ya know what I mean. Just something about it
I love your new video style. The music and editing make this video so enjoyable! Thanks for your take on the French press. This is the best way to press for sure. :)
The best thing about the french press is that I'm not just making coffee with it. I can make all sorts of infusions and I can do it right after I rolled out of bed when I my motor skills still have to return. The suggestion to use coarse grounds is in order to have a clearer coffee, but you can really do any grind setting short of whole beans and it can even make horrible pre-ground coffee taste... not good but still way more decent compared to the suggested appliance to use (in my case, a moka pot). It's just so much harder ending up with garbage when you don't have to care nearly at all about channeling and temperature. Rinse the grounds out of the pot and into a siv to throw them away, much less effort than suffering with a spoon and still throwing a lot down the drain, as I've seen some people do.
@@michaelmerck7576 you mean the fines getting through the siv? I figure there's enough flow to flush them away past where they could be a problem, and in any case I installed the sink myself, I should be able to fo some maintenance on it if there's noticeable buildup in 10 years or so.
I've been doing it that way since I saw your last video. My cups are cleaner. Nearly as much as my pour overs. I cut some chemex filters I still have to size. The papers are thicker than my v60 ones, so that might be a factor.
what a timing for this video!, i just bought a titanium french press for camping, since is the easiest way of making a bunch of coffee, i will try this asap!
The French Press is MY first brewer (everywhere else in Brazil there is always a mellita or a cloth filter). It is still my favorite brewer and daily driver. I still need to improve my game in the Mellita and Moka. Espresso I mostly gave up. Cheers.
I love this! Thank you for guideline for grind sizes. Recently, I fell in love with this steep method. Could you tell us your thought about "percolation after steeping" vs "steep only or percolation only" in terms of your taste preference?
I just used this and it was a very nice happy medium, and there was no silt. Thank you, sir. I took a Chemex filter and cut it in half and used that doubled over.
Doesn't need to be an expensive Kalita filter! I was about to order Kalita filters, but they cost 13 euros plus shipping for a packet of 10 here (so like 15 c/filter). Before pulling the trigger, I tried this method with an ordinary conical brown paper filter, which can be had from the grocery store for less than 1 c/filter. It works perfectly. It doesn't mould itself to the strainer's shape as well, obviously, but it's big enough to wrap around it and doesn't seem to affect performance.
looking this up because I'm getting into Cezve right now and the extraction dynamics are kind of similar. Just need to say, by god lance your style is top tier. that shirt is so incredible
Fun trick, will try this. I kinda like the more dirty coffee from time to time. The FP is so nice as it is foregiving. You can let it brew for 10min and your still save. 😊
I like to use an espro, the one with the double ultra fine filters, with no filter when I don't feel like making a moka, and I grind basically as fine as I can without getting any grounds in my cup. I don't have to press it because there's no paper filter.
Starting it up` I wonder and hope he'll have that expensive version of the french press. That one that coems with a far stronger and double gap filters. I forget that fancy brand but they come with an actual puck sized filter cage instead of just the flat press. So it actually ha gaskets and such.
Just use a regular coffee filter. Crunch it up and put the filter in the press when you preheat it. The filter will become flexible and just fits over the screen, the excess paper is a non-issue.
I usually drink instant coffee. Then I saw my French press up in a cupboard. I used to think french press coffee was hard to do. Then a light bulb went off. ITS SO EASY!!!!! It's probably how I'll make my coffee from now on.
Hey Lance, will definitely try this out. Out of the back of my head though: would there be an objective difference in taste between this recipe and a similar one without a paper filter BUT filtered at the end (poured) through a cone filter? (Without the grounds obviously) Just curious. Thanks again!
Years ago, I was gifted a 1 L stainless steel Mueller French press, which served me well at the beginning of my coffee journey. Since then, I’ve moved onto to AeroPress and the Hario Switch, but I sometimes still bust out the French press when I’m hosting guests. Coffee Chronicler recommends using V60 filters for French press, but I think Kalita filters make more sense given their shape. For my French press, which size Kalita filters makes more sense: 155 or 185?
Great “not new but new to me” idea, Lance. On grind size, I could use some guidance. I have a Baratza Sette. Do you recommend somewhere between an espresso grind and a pour over grind?
I'm curious, have you had any success with this method using an Espro fench press? The only thing I can think that it would noticeably do differently (better) is filter oils. Love the vids as always. It's nice to see someone always trying new things and pushing boundaries/changing standards. Keep up the great work! PS I think more people need to hit up the unfiltered channel, it gets bonkers!
Espro actually makes a perfectly sized filter for this exact method! It fits in between the 2 mesh screens. I have them and have always used them with my Espro for years. The stock mesh screens are quite fine already, but there's a lot of fines that still make it through. The body is noticeably cleaner, sort of in between regular French press and a pour over. You need to align it just right so all the coffee goes through the filter, otherwise it follows the path of least resistance and doesn't give you the really polished clean body, even though the paper would get a lot of the oils. I have not tried to use a bigger filter on the Espro. I'm not sure it would be able to fit in between the mesh screens since it would get in the way of the locking mechanism. Fitting it around the entire screen bottom would prevent the side gaskets from sealing against the sides. But, I haven't tried these myself so I can't say for sure.
100% works, I just cut a melitta/clever style filter and plunged it. zero silt, clear brown beauty. I was using very old beans to experiment with, but what a sweet immersion hack! EZPZ
Been doing it this way for years. Always gave me cleaner cups. Got tired of the soot at the bottom of my cup and figured "well this coffee filter fits quite perfectly on this plunger". Never knew I wasn't the only one doing this
Slow press = keeping those polyphenols in there. Love it. Same basic principle as the long steep/slow press Aeropress. Tried it this afternoon after the long steep Aeropress recipe and found myself liking Aeropress mire
Pls french PRESS that like and sub if you haven't. Helps loads. and lmk your experience with this recipe!
i used my tongue to hit like so that counts i think
bien sûr!
You don't find that you miss what the paper filter removes, Lance? French press is one of my favorite brew methods as it makes incredibly tasty coffee with a mouthfeel I appreciate very much... but I often miss some of the other flavors you get with a usual extraction. I do use one of the "don't press it all the way" methods you mentioned and it works okay, but definitely not as clear as when paper is involved.
Anyway, thanks for the video. It's nice to see I am not crazy for trying paper filters before.
Hey Lance, I’ve been using James Hoffman’s french press recipe for my press coffees up until I saw this video. I imagine that because you used a paper filter, the coffee ends up cleaner, but does one method give a superior taste compared to the other?
This has been my go to method for a while. It makes a great cup! I will try finer as you mentioned. I got a whole puncher to punch a hole on my Aeropress filter. Helps the process.
Was totally my gateway too. I remember being in Germany at the age of 17 back in 2000 and I found an authentic little press and I was so enamoured with it that I made this huge space in my suitcase and used every sock possible to be able to bring that thing home to Canada. I'm 41 now, live in Chicago and still have it.😅
Haha that's so cool that you still have it. I just imagine you wearing 5 pairs of socks, drinking coffee 😆😄
@@thovenpixel3740 haha thanks for the laugh! 😁.
To be honest, my Breville Barista Express really upstaged everything over the past four or five years and I don't think I have busted that little guy out there since! Well, no time like now. And my feet happen to be cold so perhaps that will be what I do in the morning. 😆
Cheers!
First time I used a French press was on a trip to Chicago. Totally wanted to bring it home lol.
@@kyleb2044 best use of socks, ever!
@@thovenpixel3740the socks cushioned the glass carafe while traveling
When I first got into "alternative" brewing, I enjoyed french press but really was not a fan of the silt in the cup. I ended up deciding to try to "hack" the process and add a paper filter. it would be my dirty little secret. I actually bought filters sized to fit the diameter of my french press and I would sandwich them between the cross plate and the mesh filter and it worked phenomenally. I had no idea that coffee enthusiasts did this or admitted to this out loud 😂
I stick primarily to pour overs and espresso as there is a little less friction and clean up, especially for that pre-work cup, but I periodically come back to this method. I have not, however, deviated from the coarse grind paradigm. It makes sense to go finer, but I may have to do this external "wrap around" with a larger filter outside the cross plate to prevent ingress of the grinds. I get a solid seal with my current method and brewer, but I suspect the finer grinds may find their ways around the filter.
Hackery destigmatized by everone's favorite coffee scientist and educator (you may have to share a little of the educator title with James, of course 😉)
Thumbs up for the algorithm, people 😁
I'm even more of a brute and just used paper towels. The filters were a bit too pricey and too big. Just tear required amount (or use scissors if you're feeling not that brutish) and it works just as well. I tried it with plain water first, because I was worried towels would affect the taste, but they didn't. And they're food grade, suitable for drying dishes, so I guess they shouldn't have some toxic bleaching/colourants.
Busted out my never-used Ikea French press for this. Used a light roast Ethiopia natural. Delicious and clean!
Cleaning up a French press is easy.
Get a second small, double screen colander, and rinse pour (through the colander) into it the sink. Tap the colander into the garage.
Coffee grains will plug up your plumbing system.
Great show my friend
Many people don't know this but Alessi makes a French Press by Aldo Rossi, the 9094. There are a couple of advantages to this press. First, it's made entirely out of metal and glass. No plastic anywhere. Second, and most importantly, most plungers are plunged down completely, sit above the coffee grounds, allowing for continued extraction. The plunger in the Alessi plunges all the way down to the bottom of the press, squeezing out excess water and halting coffee extraction. No bitter coffee. No need to decant your coffee to another pot. I wrote a detailed review of the Alessi on Amazon. If I were on a desert island and had to choose one way of brewing coffee, it would be with a French Press.
Learned the paper filter FP trick this past year from The Coffee Chronicler
I used to brew a French Press whenever I got bored of espressos, and for some reason, the Press made me want to read a newspaper. AND NOW, finding out I could actually use the newspaper to make better coffee with it? It was never a coincidence! 🙈
I know this is a joke, but just in case someone doesn't get the joke: newspaper ink is carcinogenic in high amounts so definitely don't do this 😂
The French press reminds me of bad dinner parties at my parents and them getting an already opened old bag of ground coffee from the back of the fridge.
A absolute beginner here, that also started with French press and recently, past year, have gone into coffee madness (thanks Lance). I've a totally uneducated palate, but there are some specific coffees I sometimes get, that I like very much in French press and, what I've done lately, is to serve my liquid from the press to the cup putting an able kone steel mesh brewer/filter. It's just one additional step, an easy quick one, that brings a lot of clarity to my cup.
I grew up with the French Press, my recipe was Peet's Arabian Mocha Java, brewed, very coarse grind, 4 minutes, bloom (of course), and whole whipping cream. My brother and I would brew pots of the stuff. We both agreed that even though we always brewed the same way it was maybe one out of 10 times you'd get the "God Cup". I'm currently mostly an espresso/flat white drinker..."God Cup" comes two or three times a week, and even though I think the "God Cup" is mostly psychological, it's what got me really interested in coffee. Thanks Mr. Peet ( I grew up in Berkeley and we used to see him walking around the shop sometimes when our mom was buying coffee and us candy canes), and thanks Lance!
For me, the difference between a good cup and a god cup may be one tiny hole in the puck after extraction.
@@TomJones-tx7pbhole being a negative? Or a positive?
The hole shows channeling, so is a negative.@@MrWiseinheart
You knew the Mr. Peet? I used to get the fresh roasted Dickisons blend all the time and French press it. Delicioso.
One very underated method IMO is the reverse french press.
you put the plunger in but not fully, rest it to the side so you can pour the coffee in and afterwards water on top of it. once done you pull it out instead of pushing it down, pulling the coffee up with it.
It filters fines really well without a paper filter, my theory is that the ground coffee itself acts as a filter itself, catching the fines and sticking to the bigger ground coffee pieces.
How do you avoid getting coffee grounds into the liquid once fully pulling out the plunger?
@@CarrerasCorradosCoffee very carefully, you'll still get some coffee debris left over, so no need to sweat the small stuff, but they'll sink, unlike the fines you pull out that would linger in your cup even after 15 minutes
You'll want to dispose of the coffee and wash the plunger, before plunging it back down to catch any that fell
Now you got to try the reverse french press, with the paper filter 😂
Can use two stage french press to aeropress and wash the paper filter, more work
As someone that loves different kinds of coffee makers more so drip over coffee makers now, i will still use the french press to make a strong froth because it just HANDS DOWN........works and it's super effecient for even making the strongest brews of teas as well and again it's definitely a life saver for sure indeed
The freakin continuation of “Sit and Steep” in the background is prime editing 😂
I've never tried this, but the technique makes sense. However, the reason I started brewing with a French Press is because I don't have to remember to buy paper filters :(
That isn't why I got into it but less disposables is a good thing. As long as you have coffee and water you're good.
As someone who recently had a baby, I find myself reaching for a filtered french press more often than a pourover for my morning cup for the flexibility of a "dump it then forget it" brewing method. Cheers for this!
Ps: an Aeropress filter fits perfectly for a singe cup french press 👍
I’ve been making French press for a looooong time. I’m confused as to why the espropress never comes up when French press is discussed… fixes a lot of the issues with temp loss, and filtering out fines.
In all cases, great video! I’m a big fan, I learn so much from all of your deep dives into all things coffee! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I just ordered one of those after reading reviews from several different sites. I make Aeropress for my own coffee but needed something bigger for when I have guests. My electric drip makes awful coffee so decide to get a French press.
My french press and electric kettle got me through nursing school. I need to play with using that paper filter technique. Thanks Lance!
I always really enjoyed french press brewed coffee. Used James Hoffmans recipe for years, where you don't plunge, and I've never really had any issues with silt since. Never thought of using a paper though, must give that a try!
This is great. I use a french press when I can't make coffee at work and I pour it through a metal pour over filter, but this is much faster and probably leaves less silt too. Thanks!
I always just poured it through a regular Melitta paper filter after brewing. I tend to have non-silty FP brews anyway following the old Hoffman method, but I like that the paper filters out certain oils and helps clean up the taste further. The only problem is that sometimes if there is a little salt left, it stalls out the paper filter and it could take several minutes to fully drain out. Not sure if there is a "coarser" paper filter out there that would work better. It's definitely less fuss than cutting filters to size, although I do that for just about every other brewing method anyway (moka, phin, espresso) so why not.
The recommendation makes a lot of sense but the main reason I'm using french press because that's the only thing you need to make good coffee. Hoffman's method works well for what I prefer. This is a good use of free time however.
I started doing this after watching your Bird review, my cup is so much cleaner now. Really enjoying it.
just learned the paper filter trick with the FP couple wks ago...
💥GAME CHANGER! 💥
no more need to decant thru a nylon filter. fruitier, more flavorful, less acidic. no sludge! brilliant & big fan!
the only thing i do differently is when filling the FP with hot water while boiling/grinding, i ball up the filter & throw that in there too. when its wet it seems to definitely make a tighter seal as i push it into the glass press. i use good old mr coffee filters.. perfect. & it DOES def takes at minimum 1.5 mins min for me to press out 570g water (i like my tumbler FULL in the morning!). im impatient AF but i still just put enough pressure on it to keep it slowly moving.. its a patience tester but worth the wait! been FPing for 20+ years. def having the BEST cups ever now!
(now to figure out this damn v60)
Oh wow! I just tried this with a Costa Rican natural ground medium fine and it was nothing short of spectacular. Hands-down the best French Press I've ever had (the Rao/Perger Lotus Drops recipe helped as well, but still ....). Nice to have a French Press without a mouthful of mud at the end.
Video quality, audio, background music, cuts and info were all superb here. Keep it up!
I just tried this and a complete game changer. So much better.
Continuing the "let it steep" in the background was fantastic
I have a Secura stainless steel French press and I love it. It looks great sitting on the counter, keeps coffee hot while brewing, is indestructible but best of all, makes great coffee! Thanks for the vid!.
I appreciate giving grind size in comandante clicks besides not being your favourite. It's still a reference for a lot of people
Thanks for the advice on making French press coffee slowly I tried it and it worked really well.
I appreciate the advice
Thanks
I was doing that for quite a while now and it was delicious with 1:15 with some dilution afterwards if having a tongue bite. And now when I got a refractometer I can see why. This method gives me 2.5-3 TDS but definitely delivers consistent and delicious cup 🙌🏻🤝🏻
When I first got into coffee, this was the first "hack" that I thought of for myself. I really enjoyed the cups, but ultimately moved on to using the clever because I hated digging the grinds out of the French press, or wasting more water just to get them out.
What I've really been wondering, because everyone always seems to say only brew for 2 minutes in a clever, is why don't you just use the same recipe in a clever that you would use in a French press? I understand that the water draws down through the bed instead of getting decanted off the top, but like Lance said, it's solvency has already been reduced by being in contact with the grinds. I guess it's kind of a silly question. I could just try myself.
Love this! Genuinely an improvement to a much loved brewing device that doesn’t require breaking the bank like so much of coffee these days. Was piqued when you teased it in the Bird video and glad you gave it its own treatment. Can’t wait to add this to my rotation of brewing methods.
Well done, Lance! Appreciate you and this channel.
I have tried the paper filter thing, and I do still prefer pouring through the mesh. It's also my typical daily brew, as it's the most convenient way to make my coffee at work.
Man you're a genius. I can still use my old french press and I only need to make my grind a tiny bit coarser than my vietnam drip setting.
I just tried this with my stainless steel french press from Amazon and using a cheap blade grinder, and even with that crappy setup the clarity and taste is a million times better. I'm looking forward to trying this with a burr grinder and perhaps with a glass french press to see if I can get it even cleaner.
Why would a glass french press be better than a stainless steel one?
It is allready 20h00 here. In South Africa. So have to try this out tomorrow. Can't wait... 🤩
Definitely gonna try this out! Ive thought about putting a filter in there but never actually tried it, always a joy to try new stuff
Very similar to how an aeropress works…especially the inverted aeropress method that affords longer immersion time. Especially good for older French press that may have an iffy screen seal.
What do you think about leaving the crust of coffee on top while steeping? James Hoffmann did that in all of his immersion brew videos. He even claimed that stirring the coffee will stop the extraction. I always did that but seeing you not caring about it made me unsure.
I recently used a siphon paper filter before the metal mesh screen 😄 it perfectly fits, and it made the workflow much easier.
That's absolutely genius! Ordering some now 😂
Cool! I've only seen the Coffee Chronicler do this before. Now if only I had a french press... :/
Tried the coarse ground 30g aeropress trick and it works really well.
I opened an expensive bag of coffee a month ago and hated it, so i tried this a few days ago, and i must say it's a good idea.
Could use aeropress for fine particle filtering and wash the paper filter if you want
Man, I'm really liking this opening music and montage.
Loved how at around 5:07, Lance sings live, but then background music Lance gets piped in! Nice edit.
Is there difference in using filter in french press vs using v60 and filter and pour coffee in to v60 and filter out coffee ground?
Pouring your french press coffee into a V60 will clog the filter and then take absolute ages to go through.
@@tonylagreve Thanks for answer. I never thought about clogging.
I tried this just based on what you did in the bird video. It worked really well but didn't go quite fine enough.
I totally agree with the slightly dissatisfaction of not pressing the French press. It somehow felt so wrong not to press it with the Hoffmann method even if it was better for that brew!
I just tried it! 100x better than the way I did this yesterday: 900g water to 60g coffee. Much coarser. No filter. Had hardly any flavor. I was going to give up on this method altogether. You have indeed redeemed it.
I find going coarse and sticking to 5 mins of brew time gets me a consistently delicious cup. I find that a finer grind leads my French press to be bitter.
I conceptualize this in my head with my experience with teas. Whole leaf teas in a mesh steeper give you more complex flavors than the the dust you’ll find in cheaper quality teas which lead to an acrid and astringent cup.
Great, need to try this out.
Could you make a tasting test by comparing this method vs Aeropress different recipe vs Weber Bird vs Nomacano? Also what are the extraction levels.. that would be really interesting.
Dude, I like this. I’m sure I’ll give it a shot, but when I bust out the French press I’m usually wanting that gritty grimey cup, ya know what I mean. Just something about it
Same here. On my way out to the shop or work I like it gritty and bold. Playing Xbox I like it cleaner in early evening.
I love your new video style. The music and editing make this video so enjoyable! Thanks for your take on the French press. This is the best way to press for sure. :)
The best thing about the french press is that I'm not just making coffee with it. I can make all sorts of infusions and I can do it right after I rolled out of bed when I my motor skills still have to return.
The suggestion to use coarse grounds is in order to have a clearer coffee, but you can really do any grind setting short of whole beans and it can even make horrible pre-ground coffee taste... not good but still way more decent compared to the suggested appliance to use (in my case, a moka pot). It's just so much harder ending up with garbage when you don't have to care nearly at all about channeling and temperature.
Rinse the grounds out of the pot and into a siv to throw them away, much less effort than suffering with a spoon and still throwing a lot down the drain, as I've seen some people do.
Those grinds can go in a garbage disposal but the sink will make you pay at some point
@@michaelmerck7576 you mean the fines getting through the siv? I figure there's enough flow to flush them away past where they could be a problem, and in any case I installed the sink myself, I should be able to fo some maintenance on it if there's noticeable buildup in 10 years or so.
Wow, brewed on a French press after a lifetime, thanks to you. I used the 20gm recipe, it came out so well, that I am still shocked. 😁
Check out the Espro press! Comes with paper filters out of the box.
What a helpful idea! Thanks so much for the advice on making French press coffee 🍮
Oh immersion brew coffee with a filter is something you like, you may want to check out the clever dripper. Very easy to brew with this.
I've been doing it that way since I saw your last video. My cups are cleaner. Nearly as much as my pour overs. I cut some chemex filters I still have to size. The papers are thicker than my v60 ones, so that might be a factor.
what a timing for this video!, i just bought a titanium french press for camping, since is the easiest way of making a bunch of coffee, i will try this asap!
Love the little jazzy editing vibe to this one!
The whole week waiting for a new video from Lance, happy Friday now it is!
When I first started getting into coffee 20ish years ago I would use a paper towel filter in my french press to help keep the grounds out of my cup.
The French Press is MY first brewer (everywhere else in Brazil there is always a mellita or a cloth filter). It is still my favorite brewer and daily driver. I still need to improve my game in the Mellita and Moka. Espresso I mostly gave up. Cheers.
I love this! Thank you for guideline for grind sizes. Recently, I fell in love with this steep method. Could you tell us your thought about "percolation after steeping" vs "steep only or percolation only" in terms of your taste preference?
I just used this and it was a very nice happy medium, and there was no silt. Thank you, sir. I took a Chemex filter and cut it in half and used that doubled over.
Any idea what grind setting would be comparable on a batatza encore? I typically grind between 28-32 depending on the bean. Your grind looks finer
More videos edited like this please! Love it
Doesn't need to be an expensive Kalita filter!
I was about to order Kalita filters, but they cost 13 euros plus shipping for a packet of 10 here (so like 15 c/filter). Before pulling the trigger, I tried this method with an ordinary conical brown paper filter, which can be had from the grocery store for less than 1 c/filter. It works perfectly. It doesn't mould itself to the strainer's shape as well, obviously, but it's big enough to wrap around it and doesn't seem to affect performance.
looking this up because I'm getting into Cezve right now and the extraction dynamics are kind of similar. Just need to say, by god lance your style is top tier. that shirt is so incredible
Love, love the editing on this one with the text layover. Awesome video!
Bro I literally just combed through your channel for this last night! Thank you for reading my mind.
Nonstop bangers from Lance lately!
Love how your singing continued in the background lol
Fun trick, will try this. I kinda like the more dirty coffee from time to time. The FP is so nice as it is foregiving. You can let it brew for 10min and your still save. 😊
Thanks for bringing up this recipe, I just brew one really tasty cup of coffee 😍😍😍
Awesome one to try! btw, what would be the grind size for a k-ultra?
I like to use an espro, the one with the double ultra fine filters, with no filter when I don't feel like making a moka, and I grind basically as fine as I can without getting any grounds in my cup. I don't have to press it because there's no paper filter.
kind of like a make shift aero press! love it!
Starting it up` I wonder and hope he'll have that expensive version of the french press. That one that coems with a far stronger and double gap filters. I forget that fancy brand but they come with an actual puck sized filter cage instead of just the flat press. So it actually ha gaskets and such.
Just use a regular coffee filter. Crunch it up and put the filter in the press when you preheat it. The filter will become flexible and just fits over the screen, the excess paper is a non-issue.
Looking forward to trying this method!
This solves so many problems I could have with my French Press!!!!
I usually drink instant coffee.
Then I saw my French press up in a cupboard. I used to think french press coffee was hard to do. Then a light bulb went off. ITS SO EASY!!!!!
It's probably how I'll make my coffee from now on.
Hi! Thanks for the video. Why will the extraction flat line after only a few minutes?
Hey Lance, will definitely try this out. Out of the back of my head though: would there be an objective difference in taste between this recipe and a similar one without a paper filter BUT filtered at the end (poured) through a cone filter? (Without the grounds obviously)
Just curious. Thanks again!
Nice work Lance & Hugo.
Years ago, I was gifted a 1 L stainless steel Mueller French press, which served me well at the beginning of my coffee journey. Since then, I’ve moved onto to AeroPress and the Hario Switch, but I sometimes still bust out the French press when I’m hosting guests. Coffee Chronicler recommends using V60 filters for French press, but I think Kalita filters make more sense given their shape. For my French press, which size Kalita filters makes more sense: 155 or 185?
Dig it!
Thanks for another banger with a classic Lance!
Hey Lance, you mentioned a few recommendations for grind setting on the EK, Ode, etc. Any rough ideas for the Niche 0?
thanks for all your content and expertise!
Great “not new but new to me” idea, Lance. On grind size, I could use some guidance. I have a Baratza Sette. Do you recommend somewhere between an espresso grind and a pour over grind?
I'm curious, have you had any success with this method using an Espro fench press? The only thing I can think that it would noticeably do differently (better) is filter oils. Love the vids as always. It's nice to see someone always trying new things and pushing boundaries/changing standards. Keep up the great work!
PS
I think more people need to hit up the unfiltered channel, it gets bonkers!
Espro actually makes a perfectly sized filter for this exact method! It fits in between the 2 mesh screens. I have them and have always used them with my Espro for years. The stock mesh screens are quite fine already, but there's a lot of fines that still make it through. The body is noticeably cleaner, sort of in between regular French press and a pour over.
You need to align it just right so all the coffee goes through the filter, otherwise it follows the path of least resistance and doesn't give you the really polished clean body, even though the paper would get a lot of the oils.
I have not tried to use a bigger filter on the Espro. I'm not sure it would be able to fit in between the mesh screens since it would get in the way of the locking mechanism. Fitting it around the entire screen bottom would prevent the side gaskets from sealing against the sides. But, I haven't tried these myself so I can't say for sure.
100% works, I just cut a melitta/clever style filter and plunged it. zero silt, clear brown beauty. I was using very old beans to experiment with, but what a sweet immersion hack! EZPZ
what woud you grind at on a Zerno? Also for your Aeropress recipe, which setting on the Zerno (CastV2 burrs)?
Ayo never been this early very excited to watch this as I only have espresso machine and French press and have been wanting a different style
I know it’s not good for me or whatever, but I lowkey love the “silt-iness” of a French press. Am I the only one?
Been doing it this way for years. Always gave me cleaner cups. Got tired of the soot at the bottom of my cup and figured "well this coffee filter fits quite perfectly on this plunger". Never knew I wasn't the only one doing this
but are they not totally different taste?
Slow press = keeping those polyphenols in there. Love it. Same basic principle as the long steep/slow press Aeropress. Tried it this afternoon after the long steep Aeropress recipe and found myself liking Aeropress mire