Rachel's CafeAll things coffee…

How do you brew coffee with a coffee press?

I have this portable coffee press, looks like a travel mug, but has the plunger and is meant to be a press too. Can I just throw some grounds in the bottom, add hot water, then press, to get a cup? Do I have to let the hot water sit and brew? Don’t know how these work for coffee, as I’ve only used it for tea.

Yes, you can use a coffee press in the exact way that you describe in the question. You need to add the amount of water that you traditionally use for a cup of coffee along with the amount of coffee that you use. Don’t heat the water too much or you can scald the coffee and lead to too much strength in the taste.

You should mix the coffee and water in the bottom of the press, insert the top with the press in the “UP” position, and close according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Allow to brew for roughly 2-4 minutes, leaving it longer for stronger coffee. With a dark roasted coffee, you probably don’t want to wait more than a minute or two. You might have to experiment a few times between the amount of coffee/water used and the steeping time to find the right strength. When you are ready to drink the coffee, press down on the press and pour out the coffee. Make certain that you take out all of the coffee at one time, as whatever remains can strengthen somewhat in taste if you leave it steeping in the grounds for too long of a time. As this seems to be an individual portion-sized coffee press, you can drink the coffee in the standard time that it takes you to finish a cup, but any coffee left with the grounds can strengthen over time to the point of being bitter.

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