SCAA Best Practice | Guidelines for Brewing
with a Three Cup French Press
Prepared by the Technical Standards Committee
Published by the Specialty Coffee Association of America
Revised: April 2, 2016 • Pages: Cover + 1
BREWING WITH A THREE CUP FRENCH PRESS • VERSION: 02APRIL2016
Guidelines for Brewing with a Three Cup French Press
PARAMETERS:
Your Three Cup (22 ounce) French Press
Coffee: 36 grams set at medium-coarse grind
Water: 660 grams or milliliters at 200 °F / 93.5 °C for brewing
Additional water at 200 °F / 93.5 °C for preheating
Stirring device
Gram scale (1 gram = 1 milliliter)
Brewing time: 4 minutes
Step 1 Begin with clean equipment.
Step 2 Preheat your French press with hot water. Discard this
water.
Step 3 Add coffee to the pot. Set it in top of the scale and tare the
scale.
Step 4 Start the timer and begin pouring 540 grams of hot water
into the pot. Saturate the coffee completely.
Step 5 Without pressing down on the plunger, place the lid on the
pot.
Step 6 After 2 minutes, remove the lid and gently stir the coffee to
further saturate all grounds. Pour the remaining 120 grams
of hot water into the pot.
Step 7 Using two spoons, skim the oils and remaining floating
grounds off the top of the brew. This will produce a cleaner
cup & will stop the coffee from extracting. Without pressing
down on the plunger, replace the lid.
Step 8 At 4 minutes, slowly press down on the plunger until it is at
the bottom of the pot.
Step 9 Decant and enjoy!
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