How do you use a coffee press?
By
Dr Tayse Ferreira F. Da Silveira PhD
| Reviewed by
Dr Tayse Ferreira F. Da Silveira PhD
The contents of this article are fact-based except otherwise stated within the article.
Author bio
Dr Tayse has extensive experience in Food Science, especially through studying the chemical composition and stability of foods, as well as their bioactive properties. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Tayse da Silveira´s Highlights:
- Lecturer at the State University of São Paulo (Unesp), Brazil, for Food Engineering students
- Post-doctorate in Food Science, with a one-year training period at Cirad – France.
- PhD in Food Science, with a one-year scholarship at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
“Food Science is exciting because it touches our lives in such personal and intimate ways. Understanding food systems and gaining knowledge of how to manipulate them, helps society evolve as a whole” – Dr Tayse da Silveira.
Professional experience:
In her doctorate at the University of Campinas, Dr Tayse studied the effect of emergent preservation techniques, such as high-pressure processing, on the chemical and microbial properties of foods.
After completing her doctorate, Tayse da Silveira worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Pharmaceutical Science Department at the University of São Paulo (USP), with a one-year training at CIRAD, Montpellier, France.
During this period, Dr Tayse worked on the development and evaluation of innovative antioxidant molecules for the preservation of fatty food products.
Dr Tayse also taught in public and private universities in Brazil for Nutrition, Food Engineering, and Enology students, always on food science and food technology-related subjects, including microbiology, milk technology, and wine-making technology.
She has also been involved in a number of studies evaluating the chemical composition and bioactive properties of food products, with emphasis on the development of analytical techniques to achieve that.
Currently, Dr Tayse works at the Centro de Investigação de Montanha (MRC), Portugal. She continues to work on the study of the chemical composition of foods, with a focus on identifying and isolating molecules with potential for application as food ingredients.
In her research, she targets molecules able to provide health and nutritional improvement, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties (natural food additives).
She regularly publishes in high-impact, specialized scientific journals in her field, and feels encouraged to expand her knowledge domain by doing new scientific partnerships.
Education
- 2017 – PhD in Food Science at the University of Campinas Brazil, with a one-year training period at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- 2013 – Master’s Degree in Food Science at the University of Campinas, Brazil.
- 2011 – Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
Relevant Published work
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Ferrari RA, Castro IA. Combination of natural strategies to improve the oxidative stability of echium seed oil. Journal of Food Science. 2021;86(2):411-9.
- de Moraes MR, da Silveira TFF, Coutinho JP, Souza DS, Duarte MCT, Duarte RT, et al. Bioactivity of atemoya fruits and by-products. Food Bioscience. 2021;41:101036.
- Ferreira da Silveira TF, Laguerre M, Bourlieu-Lacanal C, Lecomte J, Durand E, Figueroa-Espinoza MC, et al. Impact of surfactant concentration and antioxidant mode of incorporation on the oxidative stability of oil-in-water nanoemulsions. LWT. 2021;141:110892.
- da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Valentin L, Baréa B, Villeneuve P, Castro IA. Effect of sinapic acid ester derivatives on the oxidative stability of omega-3 fatty acids rich oil-in-water emulsions. Food Chemistry. 2020;309:125586.
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaiba LM, Castro IA. Combination of Hydrophilic or Lipophilic Natural Compounds to Improve the Oxidative Stability of Flaxseed Oil. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 2019;121(5):1800459.
- da Silveira TFF, Cristianini M, Kuhnle GG, Ribeiro AB, Filho JT, Godoy HT. Anthocyanins, non-anthocyanin phenolics, tocopherols and antioxidant capacity of açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea) as affected by high pressure processing and thermal pasteurization. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies. 2019;55:88-96.
- da Silveira TFF, de Souza TCL, Carvalho AV, Ribeiro AB, Kuhnle GGC, Godoy HT. White açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea): Phenolic composition by LC-ESI-MS/MS, antioxidant capacity and inhibition effect on the formation of colorectal cancer related compounds. Journal of Functional Foods. 2017;36:215-23.
You can view some of Dr Tayse´s work below and links to her professional profile:
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tayse-Ferreira?ev=hdr_xprf
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55901968900
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=l4zi0d8AAAAJ&hl=pt-PT
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayse-ferreira-a2311947/
Reviewer bio
Dr Tayse has extensive experience in Food Science, especially through studying the chemical composition and stability of foods, as well as their bioactive properties. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Tayse da Silveira´s Highlights:
- Lecturer at the State University of São Paulo (Unesp), Brazil, for Food Engineering students
- Post-doctorate in Food Science, with a one-year training period at Cirad – France.
- PhD in Food Science, with a one-year scholarship at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
“Food Science is exciting because it touches our lives in such personal and intimate ways. Understanding food systems and gaining knowledge of how to manipulate them, helps society evolve as a whole” – Dr Tayse da Silveira.
Professional experience:
In her doctorate at the University of Campinas, Dr Tayse studied the effect of emergent preservation techniques, such as high-pressure processing, on the chemical and microbial properties of foods.
After completing her doctorate, Tayse da Silveira worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Pharmaceutical Science Department at the University of São Paulo (USP), with a one-year training at CIRAD, Montpellier, France.
During this period, Dr Tayse worked on the development and evaluation of innovative antioxidant molecules for the preservation of fatty food products.
Dr Tayse also taught in public and private universities in Brazil for Nutrition, Food Engineering, and Enology students, always on food science and food technology-related subjects, including microbiology, milk technology, and wine-making technology.
She has also been involved in a number of studies evaluating the chemical composition and bioactive properties of food products, with emphasis on the development of analytical techniques to achieve that.
Currently, Dr Tayse works at the Centro de Investigação de Montanha (MRC), Portugal. She continues to work on the study of the chemical composition of foods, with a focus on identifying and isolating molecules with potential for application as food ingredients.
In her research, she targets molecules able to provide health and nutritional improvement, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties (natural food additives).
She regularly publishes in high-impact, specialized scientific journals in her field, and feels encouraged to expand her knowledge domain by doing new scientific partnerships.
Education
- 2017 – PhD in Food Science at the University of Campinas Brazil, with a one-year training period at the University of Reading/United Kingdom.
- 2013 – Master’s Degree in Food Science at the University of Campinas, Brazil.
- 2011 – Bachelor of Food Engineering at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil.
Relevant Published work
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Ferrari RA, Castro IA. Combination of natural strategies to improve the oxidative stability of echium seed oil. Journal of Food Science. 2021;86(2):411-9.
- de Moraes MR, da Silveira TFF, Coutinho JP, Souza DS, Duarte MCT, Duarte RT, et al. Bioactivity of atemoya fruits and by-products. Food Bioscience. 2021;41:101036.
- Ferreira da Silveira TF, Laguerre M, Bourlieu-Lacanal C, Lecomte J, Durand E, Figueroa-Espinoza MC, et al. Impact of surfactant concentration and antioxidant mode of incorporation on the oxidative stability of oil-in-water nanoemulsions. LWT. 2021;141:110892.
- da Silveira TFF, Cajaíba LM, Valentin L, Baréa B, Villeneuve P, Castro IA. Effect of sinapic acid ester derivatives on the oxidative stability of omega-3 fatty acids rich oil-in-water emulsions. Food Chemistry. 2020;309:125586.
- Roschel GG, da Silveira TFF, Cajaiba LM, Castro IA. Combination of Hydrophilic or Lipophilic Natural Compounds to Improve the Oxidative Stability of Flaxseed Oil. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 2019;121(5):1800459.
- da Silveira TFF, Cristianini M, Kuhnle GG, Ribeiro AB, Filho JT, Godoy HT. Anthocyanins, non-anthocyanin phenolics, tocopherols and antioxidant capacity of açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea) as affected by high pressure processing and thermal pasteurization. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies. 2019;55:88-96.
- da Silveira TFF, de Souza TCL, Carvalho AV, Ribeiro AB, Kuhnle GGC, Godoy HT. White açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea): Phenolic composition by LC-ESI-MS/MS, antioxidant capacity and inhibition effect on the formation of colorectal cancer related compounds. Journal of Functional Foods. 2017;36:215-23.
You can view some of Dr Tayse´s work below and links to her professional profile:
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tayse-Ferreira?ev=hdr_xprf
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55901968900
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=l4zi0d8AAAAJ&hl=pt-PT
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayse-ferreira-a2311947/
In this brief guide, we will answer the question, “How do you use a coffee press?”. We will thoroughly explore the way and aspects of using a coffee press.
How do you use a coffee press?
To use a coffee press, also referred to as a French press or a plunger pot, you need to follow these steps: prepare the coffee beans, add water, stir, brew, then press. See ahead these procedures in detail.
According to the Specialty Coffee Association [1], to get a perfect French press coffee:
1. Begin with clean equipment.
2. Preheat your French press with hot water (93 °C or when it starts to bubble in the bottom). For this, fill half the pot with heated water. Discard it after a few minutes.
3. Prepare your coffee beans: coffee beans should be medium-roasted and coarsely ground. Thus, start by selecting a coffee appropriately roasted.
Despite this recommendation, you can obviously choose the roasting grade of your preference.
To grind the beans, transfer them to a grinder. Set your grinder to a coarse setting so that you end up with coffee grains that resemble bread crumbs.
Grind the beans just before making the coffee, the precise amount you need. Grinding exposes the coffee to the environment, hence speeding up the oxidation reaction and aroma losses.
4. Add medium-coarsely ground coffee to the pot. The recommendation is 36 g of coffee for 660 ml of water, but you can adjust the ratio to your taste preference or to the required amount.
5. Fill the press halfway with water at 93 °C. Allow the coffee to be completely wet.
To heat the water you can use a stove or any other heating appliance, such as a kettle.
If using a stove, control the temperature by using a thermometer or, after the water has boiled, let it sit off the boil for about 30-45 seconds.
If you use a kettle instead, allow the water to cool (after boiling) for about half a minute before you move on to preparing your press.
6. Place the lid on the pot without pressing down the plunger and wait for 2 minutes.
7. Then, remove the lid, add the remaining water, and gently stir the coffee to further saturate all grounds. This can help to extract more flavor from the coffee grounds.
8. Replace the lid and brew for 4 minutes. Of course, the exact steeping time can be modified as you like for a stronger or weaker beverage.
9. Press down on the plunger until it is at the bottom of the pot.
10. Decant and enjoy immediately!
11. Do not forget to clean your French press for a new cycle, including the mesh filter and the plunger. This helps prevent rancid coffee oils or mold growth.
Why should you move the coffee from the Press soon as possible?
If you let it sit, the coffee grains will over-extract and make your coffee bitter.
Over-extraction is undesirable as it dominates the bitter components of coffee. Overbrewing needs to be prevented so that the flavors are evenly distributed.
The bitter compounds must not be given enough time, to seep into your cup of coffee.
Common mistakes in Coffee Press: run away from them!
- Incorrect coffee-to-water ratio: the perfect ratio can be something too personal. Remember that too little coffee results in a weak, tasteless beverage, while coffee in excess leads to a strong and bitter brew.
One good tip is to start by following general ratio guidelines for coffee press, like that from the Specialty Coffee Association, and then adjust it for your taste preferences.
You can also follow these instructions to adapt the water-to-ratio of your coffee according to the desired strength [2]:
- Using the wrong grind size: Using the appropriate grind size for your coffee press is essential for a balanced and flavorful cup of coffee.
If the grind is too fine, it can result in a muddy and bitter brew, as the fine particles may pass through the mesh filter and end up in the cup.
On the other hand, if the grind is too coarse, the extraction may be weak, resulting in a weak and watery brew.
- Incorrect steeping time: Long brewing times can result in an over-extracted brew with bitter flavors while steeping for too short can lead to a weak and under-extracted brew.
- Not preheating the coffee press: a common mistake among beginners. Preheating the coffee press with hot water helps maintain the brewing temperature and prevents heat loss during the brewing process, resulting in a more flavorful and aromatic cup of coffee
- Plunging too quickly and incompletely: plunging quickly may be a problem because coffee grounds can be forced through the mesh filter, ending up in your cup. Slowly press the plunger down.
Moreover, make sure you press it down all the way, or your coffee will continue to brew into over-extraction.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question, “How do you use a coffee press?”. We thoroughly explored the way and aspects of using a coffee press.
Citations
1. https://sca.coffee/availableresearch
