The Cafetière or French Press as it’s known in America was patented by Italian designer Attilio Calimani in 1929. With this method the coffee grounds are steeped in the water producing a rich, full bodied flavour. The grounds are separated from the finished drink with a metal or nylon filter which has relatively large holes. This lets more of the non-soluble material through giving more texture to the mouthfeel but unfortunately this forms a sludge at the bottom of the cup. To avoid this scoop off the floating crust just before plunging.

Finely ground beans produce bitter coffee as they are over-extracted with the long steep time. To avoid this we need a consistent grind between medium and coarse. Using a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder is essential to creating an even particle size.

When you come to plunge, if you find it too hard to press down the grind is too fine. If the plunger thunks immediately down to the pot’s floor, it means the grind is too coarse.

Don’t forget to unscrew the plunger and clean it from time to time.