Making a cup of coffee with a French press is a storied tradition, a delight to the senses, a simple treat for oneself or to share with a friend. The ritual builds anticipation, the method balances aromas and flavors into a wonderful, robust melange.
Rowan’s Royale is a perfect bean for french press preparations. Follow this simple recipe to make a perfect, elegant cup.
At a bare minimum you will need some whole beans (unsurprisingly we recommend Rowan’s Royale Organic Jamaican Blue Mountain beans), a coffee grinder, a kettle, a ceramic mug, and a French press. Some might want to engage their inner device geek and buy a specialized grinder, a thermometer, a coffee scale or a gram measure, and a specialized stirrer, though this is not strictly required to make a great French press cup.
Prepare to Prepare
First, take the french press apart and ensure it is fully cleaned. Use warm water and ensure any and all soap and grinds from previous uses is washed completely off. Old coffee grinds will have a sour flavor which will negatively impact the taste of the final product.
Make sure not to grind the beans too early as grounds begin to lose their flavor and aromatics quickly after being exposed to air. We recommend grinding the beans only after step two, below, or at least not before the French press has been cleaned.
Steps for the Preparation
- Measure Measure out the amount of coffee you will need. In general 1-2 teaspoons or 6-7 grams per cup measure of the press is the right amount, but a good rule of thumb is that the coffee fills up the space between the bottom of the press and the bottom of the plunger assembly. If you’re unsure, just fill the bottom of the press with whole beans and insert and depress the whole way – if there plunger goes all the way down and there isn’t an air-gap, you’ve got a good measure for your press. Put the coffee to the side.
- Rinse Boil some water. Once boiled, fill the press 1/4-1/3 full, enough to cover the plunger when it is fully depressed. Fully depress the plunger into the press and swirl the water in the press, coating the sides for about 10-20 seconds. Discard the rinse water and return the kettle to the stove or turn it back on.
- Grind Grind the pre-measured beans coarsely. Some grinders have a French press setting. If yours doesn’t have such a setting, just grind until the particles are about the size of sesame seeds or large coarse salt kernels.
- Brew Pour the grinds into the press and lightly shake or tap the press on a table to settle them. When the water boils remove it from heat and let it sit for 30 seconds or so for ideal temperature. The ideal temperature is about 205 degrees.
- Bloom Once the water is at the right temperature, pour some to fill about 1/3 of the press. The heat will begin to release the flavors and aromas of the coffee. This is called blooming. The smell here is a delight. The grinds will expand and float and should come to the top. After about thirty seconds, gently stir the grinds to mix them with the water.
- Steep Gently pour in the rest of the water to fill the press up to the point where the bottom of the plunger meets the water when the plunger is in the upper-most position. Let the coffee steep for 3-4 minutes.
- Preserve While the coffee steeps, pour some of the leftover boiled water into your mug to heat it. This prevents temperature shock when the hot coffee first meets the mug, and ensures less heat transfers from the coffee thus preserving the aromatics and extending the time to drink at perfect conditions.
- Serve Discard the heating water from your mug and pour the coffee immediately after it is finished steeping for perfect flavor, texture and aroma.
- Last but certainly not least…ENJOY!
Rowan’s Royale is a robust bean that can take a lot of abuse and still make great tasting coffee, but it’s also a delicate bean capable of producing unparalleled aromas, tastes and textures. There is nothing quite like enjoying a perfect cup of Rowan’s Royale, prepared in a French Press.
