In this brewing guide you will learn how to get the best results from your coffee Plunger. The Plunger also known as a French Press is a simple brewing device that allows anyone to access great freshly brewed coffee without the need for any complicated or overly expensive equipment.
The plunger method of brewing coffee is an infusion style of extraction, this produces a larger volume of liquid that is less concentrated. This is opposite to that of quick, pressurised extractions such as espresso where less volume is produced but it is highly concentrated.
A plunger provides coffee drinkers with the ability to enjoy the subtleties and characteristics of a coffee that espresso preparation often disguises. Plungers are especially suited to single origin and medium roast coffees.
How-to Brew
Begin with a good quality freshly roasted coffee and preheat your drinking cup as well as the plunger itself. Start by heating fresh, filtered water. The desired brewing temperature is just off the boil so aim for 95℃.
Grind the desired quantity of coffee beans at a coarse setting. The coarse setting is for two reasons; to prevent unnecessary sediment passing through the mesh filter; and to obtain correct extraction of coffee as this is a longer type of brew taking 4 minutes.
Empty the water used for Pre-Heating from the plunger. Measure 10 grams (approximately 1 heaped dessert spoon) of ground coffee into the plunger for every 150mls of water. 20gms and 300mls would make enough for 1 persons 'mug' of coffee.
Now pour the required amount of hot water over the coffee, stop once the coffee is fully saturated to give it a gentle stir. Then continue to fill the plunger. Place the lid on top, at this stage do not plunge the coffee - allow it to steep for 3-4 minutes.
Once the 3-4 minutes have passed, gently press down on the plunger until it can't be pushed down any more. This must be done slowly to ensure you keep the ground coffee separate from your drink.
If you encounter too much pressure when plunging your coffee, do not use excessive force as it may cause your plunger to break leading to injuries - if this is happening you may need to make your coffee grind coarser.
You can now pour the coffee into the serving cups, depending on your tastes it can be served black - as is, with milk or pouring cream. The coffee should be served immediately, if it is left sit it will over extract and taste astringent.
If you find that the coffee is too strong, you can do the following:
Reduce the brewing time
Make the grind coarser
Use less coffee for the same amount of water
If you find that the coffee is too weak or watery, you could try the following:
Make the grind finer
Add more coffee for every cup being brewed.
Increase the brewing time
As with most methods of preparing coffee, your individual tastes and preferences will mean you need to experiment a little to find your perfect cup. Now you can go forward and brew a delicious cup of coffee using your Plunger - if this guide has helped you out, we would love to hear from you in the comments below & feel free to share with your fellow coffee loving friends using the share buttons below.