Q: I've had a French press for a few years that I mostly use for tea and the occasional cup of coffee (my tea never tastes like coffee, I swear). Lately I've been craving more cups of coffee than tea. I want to be able to brew the best cup of coffee possible without having to purchase any new equipment or very expensive beans. I'm wondering about two options for the beans/grounds.
Is it better to: a. Buy coffee ground coarse in the shop for a French press and store it at home or, b. Buy fresh roasted whole beans and grind them at home in my cheap blade grinder that grinds coffee fine/unevenly? What's more important, that the coffee is freshly ground or ground coarse for the French press?
Sent by Marri
Editor: Marri, oooh you're on the horns of a dilemma indeed! As someone who really didn't enjoy French press until she had a burr grinder, I would have to give the nod to properly ground beans. When you grind in a blade grinder, you get all this fine silt that can make French press coffee taste muddy and bitter. On the other hand, I feel that freshly ground beans are very important as well, so it's really not a fun choice!
If you do find yourself in a place to spend a small amount of money eventually on your coffee setup, I would highly recommend an Aeropress. This little gadget isn't much to look at it, but it makes a brilliant cup of coffee, and it is much more forgiving of an uneven grind. It's also the fastest way to make a great cup of coffee at home; it's my favorite way of brewing coffee. And at $26 it's a heck of a lot cheaper than a burr grinder, which should cost $100 or more.
• Good Product: Aeropress Coffee Maker
• AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker, $25.95 at Amazon
Readers, what do you think? Do you agree — or do you have other advice for Marri?
Related: How To Make Perfectly Robust French Press Coffee
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You can grind your own beans at many grocery stores; if you only buy and grind enough for a week, then it shouldn't get too stale before you use it.
I'd also like to point out that I just bought a tiny hand-powered burr grinder on Amazon for about $35-- they do NOT have to be $100! It's a game-changer. Even my Aeropress coffee is better. C:
I grind my beans at the grocery store and then put them in the freezer. They stay coarse and fresh-ish.
I have a nesco burr grinder that works well enough. It's gotten bad reviews on Amazon, but I haven't had any problems with mine, and it cost me about $30.
I'm with Bailey P. on the hand-cranked grinder. I bought this one for my boyfriend a while back and we love it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001804CLY/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001802PIQ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1WYEG8ERY3JAGPBWKMXE
That's what we have, Emily S! It's great. Takes some cranking, definitely, but very even grind. (I speak and read Japanese, though, so I had a pretty easy time of it ;> )
I heard you're NOT supposed to keep coffee in the freezer (as I always thought) what's the verdict on that?
The grinder makes more difference than anything else in the coffee making process.
Therefore, if you are about your coffee, buy a really good grinder.
Re freezing coffee, I polled the internet for you (you're welcome.)
Popular opinion is as follows:
1. Don't freeze your coffee, as it may acquire freezer flavor, unwanted moisture, and other unfortunate properties.
2. But if you HAVE to freeze your coffee, (a) grind it first; (b) only freeze it once -- no taking the bag out for today's brew and then putting it back in. (Putting a bunch of bags with a week worth of coffee apiece is permissible.)
3. Make sure coffee is at room temp before you brew it, so the tasty coffee oils are all warmed up and ready for the hot water to sweep them away.
Mmmmm, coffee oils.
I would have to disagree with pre-grinding on the whole. Grinding coffee is a lot like cutting up an apple; once the interior of an apple is exposed, it begins to brown, oxidize and rapidly deteriorate. Ground coffee loses much of its flavor soon after grinding, so unless you go through all of your coffee in a day or two, you're wasting your money.
If you're actually looking to get the full potential out of your coffee in a french press, then get a burr grinder. But if burr is burr-ly a priority, then definitely get your coffee whole bean and use your blade. It might be silty but at least it's not stale.
And I would agree not to freeze your coffee but if you must, don't take it in and out. And keep it whole bean.
Check out http://www.brewmethods.com/ for true brewing wisdom.
I've been using the french press for the last 18 years, and the best coffee (for my taste- I like it very strong) is the Starbucks Espresso, grounded #5.
why not just try it out yourself? buy yourself a small quantity of whole beans and grind them up yourself, and do a taste-test comparison with some store-ground beans (some stores will let you grind whatever quantity you like). It might not make much of a difference to you.
Sir Bill is right on the money. Also, to avoid a "silty" French Press you can always filter with a small strainer as you pour your cup.
I don't use a french press (regular drip, and I honestly think it makes better coffee than any french press I've used) but I've found that grinding the beans myself in my cheap blade grinder results in much better coffee than the beans I ground at the store.
I used to freeze my coffee and when I stopped I noticed a huge difference (for the better). If absolutely have to freeze your coffee, let it come to room temp before brewing.
The freezing verdict depends entirely on what else you store in your freezer. If you portion out little bits of single use coffee and store absolutely NOTHING else in there, you'll be ok. But coffee is especially known for absorbing other odors, so it's very likely you'll get frozen pea and onion and what have you flavored coffee. If I may make a suggestion: get a Cuisinart coffeemaker with a built-in grinder. Mine was about $70 at Sam's Club and I think it's one of the best appliances I own. Noisy, a bit of a hassle to clean, but absolutely worth it.
Ditto ebarrett3's recommendation of using a fine strainer as you pour your cup. That's what I do, as I grind my beans fresh with a cheap blade grinder. There's often still a bit of silt at the bottom of the cup, but if you know it'll be there, you can just stop drinking before you get to that last sip.
I usually just buy about a week's worth of beans at Whole Foods, grind them for French press, and rebuy.