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Roast level explained: Which coffee is suitable for a French press?
For French Press, light, medium-light, and medium roasts are particularly well-suited. Light roasts bring more fruit, freshness, and complexity to the cup. Depending on their origin, they exhibit notes of berries, stone fruit, citrus, flowers, or tea. Due to the longer contact time in the French Press, these aromas appear fuller and rounder than with many other brewing methods. At the same time, the cup profile remains lively and aromatic.
Medium-light roasts are an excellent compromise between clarity, sweetness, and body. They bring fruity notes but are less acidic than very light roasts. In the French Press, this results in soft, balanced coffees with a pleasant sweetness, a little more fullness, and a harmonious mouthfeel.
Medium roasts deliver a particularly accessible and rounded cup profile. Acidity takes a back seat, while chocolate, nut, caramel, and mild fruit notes become more prominent. These coffees are especially suitable if you like French Press coffee strong, soft, and full-bodied, but without harsh bitterness or dark roast flavors.
The lighter the roast level, the fruitier, clearer, and livelier the coffee tastes. The more medium the roast, the rounder, sweeter, and fuller-bodied the cup profile. We only conditionally recommend very dark roasts for French Press, as they can quickly become over-extracted, bitter, or dry with long contact times.
Here's how to do it best!
The Right Way to Prepare Coffee with a French Press
For good coffee from a French press, a coarse grind is crucial. The coffee grounds should be noticeably coarser than for filter coffee and definitely not as fine as for espresso or a moka pot. If the grind is too fine, more fine particles will end up in the cup and the coffee can taste bitter, muddy, or dry. If the grind is too coarse, the coffee will be thin, flat, or lack aroma.
A good starting point is a ratio of about 60 grams of coffee to 1 liter of water. For a smaller amount, you can use, for example, 30 grams of coffee to 500 milliliters of water. The water should not be boiling, but about 92 to 96 degrees Celsius. Pour all the water over the coffee grounds, stir briefly, and let the coffee steep for about 4 minutes.
After the steeping time, slowly and evenly press down the plunger. Important: The coffee should be poured out as directly as possible afterwards. In a French press, there is no clear separation between water and coffee grounds. Even when the plunger is down, the coffee remains in contact with the coffee bed and continues to extract. This makes it more bitter, stronger, and heavier over time.
If you don't drink everything immediately, it's best to transfer the coffee to a separate pot or cup. This stops the extraction and gives you a clean, balanced result. If your coffee tastes sour or thin, grind a bit finer or slightly extend the steeping time. If it tastes bitter, harsh, or too heavy, grind coarser, shorten the steeping time, or pour off the coffee earlier.
Special features of the French Press
The French press differs significantly from the pour-over, drip coffee machine, or portafilter. With a pour-over, a paper filter separates the coffee grounds from the finished coffee. With a portafilter, water is forced through the coffee grounds under pressure, and extraction ends as soon as the brewing process is complete. With a French press, however, the coffee grounds remain in the water for the entire brewing time.
This so-called immersion brewing method results in a full body, soft texture, and intense aroma. At the same time, it means that the coffee must be terminated in a controlled manner. While the plunger retains most of the coffee grounds, it does not completely separate water and coffee. Fine particles and dissolved solids remain in contact with the beverage.
This is why French press coffee often tastes stronger, oilier, and fuller than filter coffee. The natural coffee oils enter the cup without a paper filter, providing a rich mouthfeel. At the same time, the coffee can quickly become heavy or bitter if the grind size, brewing time, or roast level are not suitable.
For the best cup, the following applies: grind coarsely, brew not too hot, let it steep in a controlled manner, and pour promptly after pressing. This way, the coffee remains aromatic, sweet, and full-bodied, without becoming unpleasantly bitter.
From fruity and lively to rich and chocolatey
The perfect Kaffanero coffee for every French Press
Kaffanero coffees are very well suited for the French Press because they offer clean cup profiles, natural sweetness, and careful roasting. Light to medium roasts are particularly exciting, as they develop more body in the French Press while retaining their individual aromas.
For fruity and vibrant French Press coffees, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Colombia are particularly suitable. Ethiopia brings notes of stone fruit, apricot, and green tea, and in the French Press, it tastes aromatic, soft, and complex. Rwanda combines fruity notes like blackcurrant with chocolatey sweetness and a round body. Colombia shows red fruits, mildness, and a sweet cup profile – ideal for those who like a fresh but not too light coffee.
For a more classic, rounded, and chocolatey cup profile, Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador, and India are especially good. Brazil brings hazelnut, caramel, and a creamy texture to the cup. Guatemala tastes mild, soft, and nutty with notes of hazelnut and milk chocolate. El Salvador combines chocolate, caramel, and pleasant sweetness. Nicaragua is mild and brings a slight sweetness and notes of milk chocolate with low acidity to the cup, making it suitable for those who particularly enjoy full-bodied French Press coffee.
This way, you can use Kaffanero to prepare your French Press exactly to your taste: fruity and aromatic with lighter coffees or round, nutty, and chocolatey with medium roasts. Thanks to the long contact time and the full body of the French Press, the coffees reveal their origin profiles in a particularly soft and intense way.
Whether in the morning as a strong pot for everyday use or consciously brewed as an aromatic cup: with the right Kaffanero coffee beans, the French Press becomes a simple, honest, and flavorful brewing method for really good coffee at home.