Coffee Brewing : The Plunger Method

Hey there.

Welcome to my coffee brewing blog series. In this entry we will look at the coffee plunger/ French Press Method.

Coffee Dosage
Dosage, though a subjective medium, is at a ratio of 1:15. So for every 1 gram of coffee : 15 grams/Ml of water. Personal preference : more intense flavors and concentration, thus I increase the dosage of coffee.

Coffee dosage may vary due to different factors, such as :

• Types of coffee beans (robust beans are often dosed in smaller amounts due to their intense coffee flavor and aromas.)
• Personal preference. Some prefer intensive bodied flavors , while others prefer a smoother, crisp flavor.

Disadvantage of French press brew method:
If you are using pre-ground coffee, some insoluble particles may remain behind. The resulting texture feels sandy on the tongue and is not very enjoyable.

Solution to disadvantage
A courser grind to the coffee beans should alleviate the issue of grainy, insoluble, sandy texture. In grinding the coffee beans with a courser grinder setting , a longer brew time would be ideal.

• The Courser the grind, the longer the brewing time.
• Courser coffee granules can be filtered out easier than fine grounds, thus it will improve the texture of the drink.

Temperature
Extremely hot coffee is not always ideal for tasting flavor... In fact , hot coffee can burn or damage ones taste buds.

• Ideal coffee temperature is from 68°C to 78°C.

My personal experience is that coffee taste tends to vary slightly across different temperatures ranges.

Freshness of coffee
Generally, the fresher the coffee is the more of a crema type of swelling and bubbling will occur upon the addition of boiling water.

The longer your coffee sits for, the more it begins to lose its flavor, notes and aroma.

Let me know in the comments about your favorite brew methods.

Thanks for reading.