A cafetiere, or French press as it is often called, is a cylindrical coffee pot with a flat filter that is attached to a long handle on its lid. Coffee grounds are placed in the bottom of the pot, a filter is placed on top, and hot water is poured over the grounds. Because the grounds are immersed, the cafetiere extracts a great deal of flavour from the ground coffee beans, which is then transferred to the liquid after it is filtered. History of the cafetiere Half fill the cafetière with the hot water, pouring it over the grounds, and stir with a spoon, so all the grounds are wet, and submerged in the water. Top up with the rest of the water.

Add the coffee to the base of the heatproof jug – 1 tbsp per cup you want to make. This is about 7g, so for an 8 cup cafetière you need 50-60g (depending on how strong you like it). You can weigh this out on digital scales or using a measuring spoon. If you’re not filling the whole cafetière (making 8 cups), use 125ml water per 1 tbsp coffee ground for every cup you want to make.Now, it’s time to grind your coffee beans. If you’re unsure how much to grind, follow the guide of one heaping tablespoon per cup of coffee. While you grind the beans, start boiling your water in a separate pot or teakettle. The temperature should be around 200 degrees Fahrenheit for the best results.

When the timer is finished, press down slowly and steadily on the plunger to separate the water from the grinds. Be careful not to mix the grounds into the liquid or splash the coffee on yourself. To finish, pour the coffee into a mug and enjoy! Making tea with a cafetiere Next, remove the lid from the cafetiere and pour your ground coffee into the bottom of the cylinder. Once you’ve replaced the filter over the grounds, pour the boiling water into the cylinder. You should use one cup of boiling water for each cup of coffee you wish to make. To integrate the coffee with the boiling water, lift the plunger and stir the grounds. Lastly, there are several design factors to consider as you shop for your cafetiere. Many models have a main cylinder that is pre-built into the frame. Others have removable cylinders for easier cleaning and replacement if the glass gets broken. Making the perfect cup of coffeePlunge slowly and steadily, holding the handle with one hand, and the plunger with the other. Don’t plunge too fast or some of the grounds can escape the strainer, or the coffee can spurt out of the spout.

The glass can break, but replacements are widely available. The plastic or metal handle and plunger are reusable. A great cup of coffee starts with choosing the right beans. There are dozens of options to choose from, but some lend themselves better to the cafetiere brewing process than others. Choosing the right coffee bean If you prefer tea to coffee, you can also use your cafetiere to brew a great cup of tea. While tea bags already provide the same type of filtration as a cafetiere, you can also use loose-leaf tea and follow the above instructions, taking care not to mix the leaves into the liquid. You should also use a lighter touch when pressing the leaves so that you don’t release bitterness into the liquid. There are three main considerations when choosing a cafetiere. The first is knowing what size will suit your needs. Cafetieres are usually marked to show how many cups of coffee they brew at one time. If a smaller cafetiere brews a 125ml cup of coffee, that leaves enough room for milk or cream in a six-ounce cup. Larger options are also available, including six, eight, and twelve-cup models.It doesn’t take up too much space, in fact, it takes up no space on your worktop, you can simply store it in the cupboard until needed, unlike larger electronic coffee machines. Next, choose a bean that produces a very coarse ground. Unlike traditional grounds, cafetiere grounds should be closer to the consistency of rough sand than of powder. This will prevent grounds from slipping through the filtration process and into the liquid. There are many ways to brew a cup of coffee, but some methods are better at extracting the rich flavour of the beans better than others. While traditional drip coffee is made by pouring nearly-boiling water through ground coffee beans, cafetiere, or “French press” coffee, fully immerses the grounds in hot water before plunging the filter to separate the grounds from the liquid. The result is a richer, denser, more flavourful cup of coffee. Tip: keep the plunger in the upright position to ensure that the grounds continue to blend with the hot water. Set a timer for three or four minutes to allow the grounds to fully steep.