French press recipe: 47 g of coffee to 700 g of water (1:15). For a 12 oz mug, use 24 g of coffee to 355 g of water. Coarse grind, 4 minute steep.
Why 1:15 works for a French press
A French press is an immersion brewer. Every gram of coffee sits in the water for the whole brew, and a metal mesh filter lets the natural oils and fine particles through. That is where the heavy, rounded body comes from.
Because extraction is so complete, a press can handle a slightly stronger ratio than drip coffee. Most brewers land between 1:12 and 1:16. We suggest starting at 1:15 because it gives body without tipping into harsh, and it is easy to adjust from there.
French press ratios by size
Most presses are sold by capacity, but you never fill them to the brim. These amounts leave room for the plunger and the crust that forms on top.
| Press size | Water | Coffee at 1:15 | Roughly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 oz (3 cup) | 350 g | 23 g | 4 tablespoons |
| 17 oz (4 cup) | 450 g | 30 g | 5 tablespoons |
| 34 oz (8 cup) | 700 g | 47 g | 8 tablespoons |
| 51 oz (12 cup) | 1,100 g | 73 g | 12 tablespoons |
Tablespoon measures are approximate, because a spoon of coarse coffee weighs less than a spoon of fine. A kitchen scale that reads in grams is the single best upgrade for a French press.
How to brew it, step by step
- Heat the water to about 200°F. If you do not have a thermometer, let a boiled kettle rest for 30 seconds.
- Grind coarse. The grounds should look like coarse sea salt. Too fine and the cup turns muddy and the plunger fights you.
- Add coffee, then all the water. Start a 4 minute timer as you pour, and make sure every ground is wet.
- Stir at 1 minute. Break the crust with a spoon so the floating grounds sink back in.
- Press at 4 minutes. Push the plunger down slowly and steadily, about 20 seconds.
- Pour it all out. Coffee left on the grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter. Decant anything you are not drinking now.
Adjusting the ratio to taste
Change one thing at a time, and judge the cup before you change the next.
- Tastes weak or thin: move toward 1:13 by adding a few grams of coffee.
- Tastes heavy or too strong: move toward 1:16 by adding a little water.
- Tastes bitter or dry: keep the ratio and grind coarser, or shorten the steep to 3 and a half minutes.
- Tastes sour or hollow: grind a touch finer, or check that the water was hot enough.
Why weigh water instead of measuring cups? One milliliter of water weighs one gram, so grams and milliliters are interchangeable. Fluid ounces and cups vary by mug, which is why two people following the same "cups" recipe end up with different coffee.
Common French press mistakes
- Using pre-ground drip coffee. It is too fine for a metal filter, which makes a silty, over extracted cup.
- Leaving coffee in the press. It keeps brewing. Pour it into a carafe instead.
- Pressing too hard. Forcing the plunger pushes fines through the mesh. If it resists, your grind is too fine.
- Skipping the stir. Dry clumps in the crust never extract, so the cup tastes weaker than the ratio suggests.
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