Should You Grind Finer For Better French Press Coffee?

 Should You Grind Finer For Better French Press Coffee?

French press extraction is one of the simplest and cheapest methods of brewing coffee. Even a complete coffee novice can follow the method and produce a decent cup.

But can you transform a decent French press coffee into an exceptional coffee by modifying the size of the grind?

- Should You Grind Finer For Better French Press Coffee and Burr Coffee Grinders Product

It may seem like the opposite of everything we know, but take a look at why using a finer grind in a French press might make sense.

An Indisputable Method

The specialty coffee world is used to modifying extraction times, grind sizes, and other factors to achieve a perfect cup. But generally, we do it with extraction methods like pouring, espresso, and AeroPress. The humble French press has been somewhat ignored.

It is generally accepted that the best use of the French press is with coarsely ground coffee and with water just below the boiling point. Allow three to five minutes for the dip and you have a decent cup of coffee.

Of course, all three variables in this method can be modified. And the three factors also affect each other, so if you change one, you should consider the other two.

Why A Coarse Grind Is Generally Used

You might find it strange to buy an expensive strawberry mill, just to pair it with a French press. But if you want great coffee, you should consider it. A quality grinder will produce consistently ground coffee.

Inconsistent grinds contain a number of particles from very fine to very coarse sizes. A poor quality mill can produce many fines. These are tiny particles that coffee sieve producer KRUVE equates to coffee powder. Too high a quantity of fines can make the coffee cloudy or bitter.

When you use coarse ground coffee, it is less likely to contain a lot of fines. This means that you are less likely to have a cloudy mug with confusing flavors. But if you use a quality grinder, and also a coffee sieve, you can solve this problem by using a finer grind of beans.

The French press is an immersion method , which means that the beans are given the opportunity to extract for a longer time, compared to other methods. Because of this, we generally use a coarser grind so extraction is kept slow and over-extraction is avoided.

In a pour, using a finer grind can make it difficult for the water to flow. This does not happen in a French press, so we can experiment more freely. But we should consider the extraction time if we modify the size of the grind to avoid over-extraction. Still, we are not limited by the need to ensure that water can get through a bed of ground grains.

The Argument For Finer Grinds

The idea behind using a less coarse grind is that it allows the extraction of flavor-producing compounds to occur faster. Since the surface area is larger, soluble compounds are quickly extracted from the ground grains into the water.

Matt Perger is the founder of Barista Hustle . On the website, he says that “the most important thing to understand is that the size of the grind does not actually change what is being extracted. It only changes when things are extracted. All the flavor is right there, in the coffee bean, ready to be extracted. The size of the grind only puts higher or lower degrees of that flavor in front of the water quickly ”.

Matt points out that "if you give the water a longer contact time with the coffee, more flavors will be extracted." We can do this by lengthening the extraction time, but since the water will cool, it may be less efficient than spending the same time with a finer grind.  

One of the fears of using a finer grind is that the coffee will eventually be cloudy and your cup will have sediment. Perhaps you think that the finest coffee passes through the filter mesh. But the jugs of quality French presses have a fine enough mesh to stop medium-sized grinding and, in addition, the coffee expands when saturated.

James Hoffman is the author of The World Atlas of Coffee. He advises using medium-sized ground coffee, mixing after four minutes, and then letting the coffee brew for an additional five to seven minutes. He told me that “the French press is one of the most tolerant ways to make coffee. With a long infusion time it is quite easy to achieve good extraction ”.

"However, I always recommend that people experiment with finer and finer grinds every time they make coffee," he said. “The coffee will get better and better and then all of a sudden you will run into a wall of bitterness. At this point, you just have to go to a slightly coarser grind and you will get the most and the best of the coffee you buy. "

What James highlights is that there is a point of over-extraction. If you use an excessively fine grind, you could get a coffee in which too many bitter-tasting compounds have been extracted and with an unpleasant taste.

How to Use Finer Grinds

This is the method I recommend as a starting point for your experimentation with grind size.

The coffee

Use 35 grams of grains for every 16 ounces (a little less than 475 ml) of water. James's method includes using a digital scale to make sure you know exactly how much coffee and water you are using and, if necessary, regulate the amount. Grind your coffee to a medium to medium-coarse size with a quality grinder.

If clean coffee is important to you, try coffee sieves to remove fines and rocks (large particles). I found that I could decrease infusion time by using 600 and 800 micron sieves. The larger particles had been removed, which meant a more consistent extraction. But it seemed to me that I wasted too much coffee this way.

The method

In your first few tests, use water right after boiling (around 200 ° F or 93 ℃). You can do this by boiling the water and then waiting about 30 seconds for it to cool down a bit.

After mixing the coffee and water to stir it , cover the carafe with the lid and lower the plunger slightly. This should not touch the coffee. The water cools quickly in a glass jug, so the lid serves only to isolate the infusion during extraction.

After 7-10 minutes, most of the coffee particles will have sunk. Keep an eye on this and make a note of when you are ready to push the plunger. Go very slowly to prevent the fines from rising.

Leave a small space between the grind and the screen. From this point we are just allowing the grind to saturate enough to sink in and prevent the brew from being muddy. The Turkish coffee is based on the same concept.


Pour the coffee carefully so as not to disturb the grind and leave the last sips in the carafe, under the mesh. You don't want to drink this part with sediment.

Now, repeat the entire method with a finer grind and see if you notice any difference.

Matt Perger told me: “For best results with the French press, grind finer than ever. Then grind two degrees finer. "

Adapting Water Temperature For Finer Grinds

When modifying the size of the grind, you should also consider the water temperature. Since a finer grind takes up a larger surface area, it will extract more quickly. Lowering the temperature can slow extraction and help prevent bitterness from over-extraction.

When using a medium size grind, we can drop below the 200ºF (93ºC) recommended for water temperature. If we use water of about 195ºF (91ºC) and we prolong the infusion, we can obtain a cup that is intense enough, but we avoid the bitter notes of over-extraction.

If we lowered the temperature of the water and used a coarse grind, we could get an under-extracted cup, unless the extraction time is extended to compensate. The key point here is that all the factors involved affect each other. If you change one, you will probably have to change another.

But some people prefer to make coffee with boiling water. Matt Perger said : “I'm a huge boiling fanatic. You can't screw it up. And if the coffee is good, you shouldn't 'burn' it or do something silly like that. "

There are so many different ways to brew coffee that it is extremely important to understand the concept of brewing and play with it. It is a matter of balancing the variables to find the perfect method. Try different temperatures, grind sizes, and extraction times, and determine which one is best for you.

Which French Press?

It's worth mentioning that the standard French press jug does not maintain a constant brew temperature .  

If you really want to play with variables and find the best method, try a ceramic jug or add a layer of insulation to your glass jug. The stainless steel pitchers insulate well, but I find that they add a slight flavor to my mug that I don't like.

Understanding extraction can open the doors to a world of coffee-making experimentation. And the French press gives rise to as many innovations as any other method.

If you use a decent grinder, let your grind saturate, and push the plunger in slowly, you shouldn't have the problem of coffee with sediment or muddy flavors.

Don't be afraid to experiment with modifying each variable. Change the grind size, water temperature and extraction time and take note of what works and what doesn't.