Proper Coffee Press Time
Hey guys!
Whenever I am not at the coffee shop I always make myself a cup of coffee usually in the morning using my French Press. However one thing I have never really figured out is how long the coffee should steep before extracting it. I usually let it steep for roughly 5mins because I know that is how long tea should steep, but I'm never really sure. This morning I don't I let it steep long enough. Is there a proper steep time? I know there is but I'm not sure what. If someone could let me know how to better my coffee with the french press my tongue and I would be internally greatful.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jason on
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We give it 4 minutes then press. Maybe you can find some more info on Bodum's Web site.
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Permalink Reply by Alex Stoffregen on
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Its best to let it steep for 4 minutes. Stirring after the first minute to break the crust and get the grounds moving a bit (i use a chopstick to stir, but i'm sure a spoon will do fine) Enjoy!
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Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on
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It's slightly more complicated than that, though. You can certainly throw out a blanket statement like "4 minutes," but truth be told, there are other factors that come into play.
Dwell time is going to be directly related to grind size and how much coffee you are using. If I put 20 grams of coffee in a 48oz press I could let it sit for 10 minutes and it would still taste weak. 80 grams in the same press and I could let it sit for 3 and it would taste too strong. In each of those scenarios it's going to depend on how fine you're grinding.
At our shop I usually go between 3-4 minutes, but that depends on the coffee and the grind.
Start recording your results with different times and train it to your tongue.
-bry
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Permalink Reply by Joona Suominen on
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Bryan Wray said:
Dwell time is going to be directly related to grind size and how much coffee you are using. If I put 20 grams of coffee in a 48oz press I could let it sit for 10 minutes and it would still taste weak. 80 grams in the same press and I could let it sit for 3 and it would taste too strong. In each of those scenarios it's going to depend on how fine you're grinding.
Wouldn't it be the easiest way to create as many constants as possible? Like keeping the dwelling time at 4 minutes and stick with the tried and true 60g/l brewing recipe, and adjust the grind size accordingly.
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Alex Stoffregen said:Its best to let it steep for 4 minutes. Stirring after the first minute to break the crust and get the grounds moving a bit (i use a chopstick to stir, but i'm sure a spoon will do fine) Enjoy!
The idea behind stirring is to saturate the ground coffee, not to create movement. Creating turbulence will extract more solubles from the ground coffee and this will probably lead to over-extracted cup of coffee unless it is done exactly the same way time after time and that is amazingly hard.
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Permalink Reply by Adam Wilson on
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for all the math nerds among us, here's a simplified formula: S = (mT+v)/dV
where:
S = amount of dissolved solids (a.k.a., strength of the cup)
m = mass of ground coffee
T = temperature of the water
v = average velocity of the grinds through the water during the steep
d = average diameter of the grinds (a.k.a, how find or coarse the grind is)
V = volume of water used.
that all you need to know. now start experimenting. :P
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Joona Suominen said:Bryan Wray said:
Dwell time is going to be directly related to grind size and how much coffee you are using. If I put 20 grams of coffee in a 48oz press I could let it sit for 10 minutes and it would still taste weak. 80 grams in the same press and I could let it sit for 3 and it would taste too strong. In each of those scenarios it's going to depend on how fine you're grinding.
Wouldn't it be the easiest way to create as many constants as possible? Like keeping the dwelling time at 4 minutes and stick with the tried and true 60g/l brewing recipe, and adjust the grind size accordingly.
Yes, but there are different things you can adjust. As long as you are only changing one variable at a time you should be able to come to conclusions.
You can keep time and ratio the same and change grind, or you can keep time and grind the same and change ratio, or you can keep ratio and grind the same and change time.
It's like saying that every shot should have a 16 gram load, be pulled using 200F water to 1.5 ounces/double with a 30lb tamp over the course of 28 seconds. It's just not true for all coffees.
The same thing applies to a press pot, though the differences may be more subtle, that's all I'm saying.
-bry
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Soeder on
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I love this.
Adam Wilson said:for all the math nerds among us, here's a simplified formula: S = (mT+v)/dV
where:
S = amount of dissolved solids (a.k.a., strength of the cup)
m = mass of ground coffee
T = temperature of the water
v = average velocity of the grinds through the water during the steep
d = average diameter of the grinds (a.k.a, how find or coarse the grind is)
V = volume of water used.
that all you need to know. now start experimenting. :P
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