Brewing the Perfect Plunger Coffee

The plunger, or French Press, is a classic for a reason. It’s one of the easiest ways to brew a rich, full-bodied, and satisfying pot of coffee. But it’s also easy to get wrong, often resulting in a brew that’s muddy, bitter, or weak.

This guide will show you how to avoid those common pitfalls and brew a consistently clean, rich, and delicious cup every single time.

What You'll Need (The Essentials)

1. Plunger / French Press: Any size will do.

2. A Good Burr Grinder: Essential for getting the right grind size. A coarse, consistent grind is the secret to a great plunger coffee.

3. Digital Scales: The key to repeating a great recipe is to measure everything.

4. Kettle: To boil your water.

5. Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans: A plunger brew highlights the deep, rich flavours in a coffee.

6. Timer: Your phone's stopwatch is perfect.

The Plunger Recipe: Your Starting Point

This is a fantastic starting point for a full 1-Litre plunger, which will make about two large mugs of coffee. You can easily halve this for a smaller plunger.

• Ratio (IN/OUT): 60 grams of coffee to 1000 grams (1 Litre) of water. (A good rule of thumb is 60g of coffee per litre).

• Grind: Coarse. The particles should look like coarse salt or rough breadcrumbs.

• Time: 4 minutes.

The Step-by-Step Brewing Guide

Step 1: Prepare Your Gear

Boil your kettle. Pour some hot water into your empty plunger to pre-heat it. This stops the glass from sucking heat out of your brew, keeping the temperature stable. Swirl the hot water around and then tip it out.

Step 2: Weigh and Grind

Place your plunger on the scales and tare to zero. Weigh out 60 grams of whole coffee beans. Grind them to a coarse setting. Add the grounds to your pre-heated plunger and gently shake it to create a flat bed.

Step 3: Start Brewing

1. Take your kettle just off the boil (wait about 30-45 seconds after it clicks off).

2. Place your plunger back on the scales and tare to zero.

3. Start your timer and pour in about double the weight of the coffee in water (around 120g). You’ll see the coffee "bloom" and bubble up as gas escapes. Let this sit for 30 seconds.

4. After 30 seconds, give the coffee a gentle stir to ensure all the grounds are wet.

5. Now, pour the rest of your water in steadily until the scales read 1000g (1 Litre).

6. Place the lid on top, with the plunger pulled all the way up, to trap the heat.

Step 4: The Plunge

When your timer hits 4 minutes, it’s time to plunge. Don't force it. Press the plunger down slowly and steadily. If you press too fast, you'll stir up all the fine particles at the bottom, making your cup muddy.

Step 5: Serve Immediately! (This is the most important tip)

Do not let the coffee sit in the plunger after you’ve pressed it. The grounds at the bottom are still brewing, and your coffee will quickly become bitter and over-extracted.

Pour all of the coffee out immediately into your mugs or a separate server/carafe.

Taste and Troubleshoot

How does your brew taste? If it's not quite right, the easiest and most effective thing to change is your grind size.

The Golden Rule: Only change one thing at a time to see what effect it has.

• Is the coffee BITTER, harsh, or muddy/chalky?

• It means: Your coffee is over-extracted. The water has pulled out too much of the bitter compounds.

• The Fix: Make your grind COARSER. This will slow down the extraction.

• Is the coffee WEAK, watery, or a bit sour?

• It means: Your coffee is under-extracted. The water didn't have enough time or surface area to pull out the sweet flavours.

• The Fix: Make your grind a little FINER. This will increase the surface area and speed up extraction.

By making small adjustments to your grind, you can easily "dial in" the perfect recipe for any coffee bean and enjoy a rich, clean, and delicious plunger coffee every day.