A french press of brewed coffee on a wooden table

French Press: Ratio, Grind and Timing

The 1:15 recipe, the right grind, and how to avoid the muddy cup. A four-minute method that works with any French press.

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Brew guide · 5 min read

The French press deserves better than this.

It is the most forgiving brewer ever made and the one most people ruin, usually by grinding too fine and plunging too hard. Two changes fix almost every bad cup.

The short answer

1 part coffee to 15 parts water. 30g of coarsely ground coffee to 450ml of water just off the boil. Stir at 1 minute, skim the crust at 4 minutes, wait until 8, then press gently and pour immediately.

The clean-cup method

30g : 450ml · 8 min · 94°C
Prep
Grind coarse. Really coarse.Like coarse sea salt or breadcrumbs. Finer than that and the fines slip past the mesh and keep extracting in your cup, which is exactly what makes French press taste muddy and bitter.
0:00
Add all the water at onceJust off the boil. Pour from a height so everything gets wet. Do not put the lid on yet.
1:00
Stir the crustA crust of grounds forms on top. Break it with a spoon — three or four gentle stirs. Most of the grounds will sink.
4:00
Skim the foamScoop the foam and floating grounds off the surface with two spoons and discard. This is the single biggest upgrade to a French press cup and almost nobody does it.
8:00
Press slowly, just below the surfaceDo not plunge to the bottom. Push the filter down until it sits just under the water line. Forcing it through the bed stirs up all the fines you just avoided.
Serve
Decant everything immediatelyCoffee left sitting on the grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter within minutes. Pour it all out, even what you are not drinking yet.

Ratios, if you want it stronger

Ratio Per 450ml Result
1:17 26g Lighter, more tea-like. Good for delicate single origins.
1:15 30g The standard. Balanced and full.
1:13 35g Strong and heavy. Good with milk, good for dark roasts.

Which coffees suit it

French press is a full-immersion brewer with a metal filter, so nothing is absorbing the oils. That gives you a heavy, textured cup that flatters naturals, honeys and medium-dark roasts — anything with chocolate, dried fruit or nut character. Very bright, delicate washed coffees can taste blunted; those are happier in a V60.

Common problems

Problem Cause Fix
Muddy, gritty, bitter Grind too fine Go significantly coarser. Skim at four minutes.
Weak and watery Not enough coffee, or water too cool Move to 1:15. Use water just off the boil.
Bitter by the second cup Left sitting on the grounds Decant the whole brew as soon as you press.
Hard to plunge Grind far too fine Coarser. You should never have to force the plunger.

Questions

French press, answered.

What is the best French press coffee ratio?

1:15 by weight — 30g of coffee to 450ml of water. Go to 1:13 for a stronger cup or 1:17 for a lighter one.

How long should coffee steep in a French press?

Eight minutes total, with a stir at one minute and the foam skimmed off at four. Four minutes is the traditional figure but it assumes you plunge straight through the bed, which is what makes the cup muddy.

Why is my French press coffee muddy?

The grind is too fine. Fine particles pass through the mesh and keep extracting in the cup. Grind to the texture of coarse sea salt, skim the surface at four minutes, and press only until the filter sits just below the water line.

Can I use pre-ground coffee?

You can, but most pre-ground coffee is medium-fine for drip and too fine for a press. If you order from us, choose the French press grind and we will grind it coarse.

Beans for the press

Heavy, sweet, full-bodied.

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