Step-by-step instructions for preparing coffee in a French press according to the standards of the most authoritative international association SCA - specialty coffee association.
Brewing coffee in a French press is not difficult, even if it is the high SCA standards.
How to prepare:
1. Coffee. Better - fresh, that is, freshly roasted. Freshly roasted coffee is considered to be the one that has passed no more than a month from the moment of roasting. Coffee that has been roasted for more than a month is considered stale; it can also be brewed, but the result will be very, very far from what is intended and should be. Almost all the coffee that is sold in stores, on the shelves of large retailers, is all so-called factory coffee, that is, stale. Look for fresh coffee from roasters in your city, or become a roaster yourself by buying green beans and roasting at home for yourself.
2. Coffee grinder. The correct grinding for correct extraction of coffee in a French press is like granulated sugar. It is great if you have a manual coffee grinder, ideally if it is ceramic, not iron, because ceramics do not overheat and do not burn part of the coffee even at the preparation stage.
3. High quality drinking water. The quality of the water plays a huge role in the preparation of any coffee drink, and the French press is no exception. If you have a home water filter - use this water, if not - buy non-carbonated mineral water, but it is important that it is as pure as possible, that is, the total mineralization should be within 70-150ppm (all information on the bottle label).
4. French press. In general, any will do.
5. Libra.
6. Timer / stopwatch.
How to brew:
a) bring water to a boil. It is advisable to turn off the kettle a little before the water boils or let the water cool down a little. The optimum temperature for making coffee in a French press is 92-95 ° С;
b) grind the required amount of coffee (according to SCA standards, they brew 33 grams of coffee in half a liter of water);
c) pour coffee into a French press;
d) zero the scales and time the time;
e) fill in the entire required volume of water from the kettle;
f) the so-called "coffee cap" is formed by 3-4 minutes, stir it with a spoon. Cover with a plunger and leave for another 5-6 minutes;
g) after 9-10 minutes, slowly lower the plunger. Be careful! If the plunger does not lower with medium force, this indicates that you have selected too fine a grind. Never push down on the plunger with full force. Otherwise, you can get burned with boiling water. Just raise the plunger again and lower it slowly until it hits the bottom;
h) immediately pour the drink into another container, Important: if you want to keep warm, drink coffee hot. If you want to taste the taste, let your coffee cool down. It may seem unusual, but this is how experienced people try coffee - they order an espresso, let it cool completely, or drink it later. In cooled coffee, its taste properties and the whole profile in general are most clearly manifested: if the coffee is good, it will be as good and tasty as possible when cold.
