The French press coffee maker, or cafetiere, is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to make coffee.
We’ll help you find the best coffee for cafetiere, and share the brands that we think make the best French press coffee.
Finding the Right Coffee for Your Cafetiere
There’s no perfect coffee for the French press. Finding the right coffee for your cafetiere depends on your taste and desires.
Coffee Beans vs. Coffee Grounds
When making French press coffee, you need to consider whether you want coffee beans or ground coffee.
Ground coffee makes a cup of coffee in less time than coffee beans. However, if the coffee is finely ground, your coffee will suffer from over-extraction.
When you over-extract, the water absorbs more than the grounds have to give. It takes the coffee beyond that optimal flavour and into the world of murky horror.
Coffee beans offer the opposite problem. If you use them whole, the water can’t reach as much of the bean and it won’t reach that optimal flavour.
The solution? Buy whole beans and grind them yourself. Freshly ground coffee with a coarse grind is most likely to offer a delectable brew.
Top Tip: Pre-ground coffee loses goodness to its surroundings. Freshly ground coffee contains more flavour, aroma, and endorphins.
Roast Level
When buying fresh coffee beans, you need to know which level of roasting you like. There are four main levels:
- Light
- Medium
- Dark
- Darker than dark
The longer coffee roasts, the less moisture it contains. Roasting increases the traditional coffee-like flavour, brings the oils to the surface, and gives the cup more body.
Some people prefer light roast, which has a higher caffeine and moisture content. It also has more herbal flavours.
For a French press, we suggest using medium or dark roast coffee.
Since the roasting process brings the bean’s oils to the surface, the cafetiere can extract all the rich coffee flavour.
