There are two types of coffee drinkers: the thoughtless drinkers, and the connoisseurs. We’ve yet to find someone in the gray area!
If you’re a thoughtless drinker, you’re not particularly fussy – you just want your coffee. If you’re a connoisseur, you appreciate the art behind coffee a little more than the average drinker.
You’re not afraid to treat yourself to something a little more high-end than your usual instant cup, and you’ll probably own (or want to invest in) a cafetiere.
A cafetiere is a quick, simple, and delicious way to brew the perfect cup of hoe and today, we’ll be showing you exactly how you can make the perfect cafetiere coffee straight from your own kitchen.
What Is A Cafetiere?
A cafetiere is a type of heatproof jug, usually made from glass, and it has a strainer attached to the lid.
A cafetiere, sometimes called a ‘French press’, helps separate the coffee grounds from your liquid gold while capturing all the richness and complexity of the coffee’s flavor.
Once you’ve left your coffee to brew, you’ll simply plunge the strainer into the bottom of the jug to separate the grounds, leaving you with a perfectly brewed jug of steaming hot coffee.
How To Make The Perfect Cafetiere Coffee
To make the perfect cafetiere coffee, you will need:
- Coffee
- Kettle
- Tablespoon
- Timer
- Cafetiere
Before you start, remember to clean your cafetiere thoroughly. You should be cleaning your cafetiere before and after each use to keep your coffee fresh.
Boil your kettle, and leave it to sit for a minute. While you’re leaving your boiled water to rest, weigh out your coffee.
Your water will need to be slightly cooled before you pour it over the coffee to prevent burning the coffee grounds.
Now, you can go ahead and add your coffee to the bottom of the cafetieres heatproof jug.
If you’re not sure how much to add, we’d recommend using around 1 tbsp of coffee for every mug you want to make (and depending on how strong you want your coffee to be).
Now, slowly fill your cafetiere halfway with the hot water. Pour it over the coffee grounds and stir with a spoon to ensure all the grounds are wet and have been submerged in the water.
Once all the grounds are covered, continue pouring the rest of the hot water over the coffee.
Once you’ve added all the water to the cafetiere, put on the lid, but don’t plunge the coffee. Leave your coffee to sit for 4-5 minutes, this will let it ‘brew’.
After 4-5 minutes, go ahead and plunge the coffee. Push the plunger down slowly and steadily, holding the cafetiere handle in one hand and the plunger in the other.
If you plunge your coffee too fast, coffee grounds will escape the strainer and end up in your coffee, so take your time!
Once you’ve plunged your coffee, go ahead and pour it into a mug. You’re ready to enjoy your cafetiere coffee!
What Coffee Should You Use For Cafetiere Coffee?
Coffee Grinds
Ideally, you should be using a coarsely ground coffee for your cafetiere. Regardless of the brewing method you’re using, choosing the right grind is essential.
If you can push your plunge down easily without resistance, your grounds are probably too coarse.
If it’s a struggle to plunge your coffee and there’s a lot of resistance, they’re probably too fine. If you want to experiment with different coffee grinds, this is a great rule to follow.
Coffee Roast Type
You can use any roast type for your cafetiere, but most drinkers prefer a medium-dark to dark roast coffee.
A cafetiere will bring out the strong, deep flavors in your coffee, which makes medium-dark or dark roast coffee an excellent choice for those who love their coffee on the strong side.
The natural oils in these beans will be brought to the surface when you’re roasting your coffee, giving you a stronger flavor than your average instant coffee – just ensure it’s always freshly ground!
Why Does Coffee Grind Matter?
Cafetieres brew pretty slowly compared to other methods, like espresso machines.
Your coffee will be in contact with the hot water for several minutes, so you’ll need to ensure you’re using a coarsely ground coffee to prevent your coffee from becoming over-extracted.
Coffee extractor happens when the flavors of your coffee are dissolved from the coffee grounds. If you want the best-tasting coffee, you’ll need to use exactly the right amount of coffee and the right grind to get the best results.
If your coffee becomes over-extracted, you’ll end up with a pretty bitter-tasting coffee. If you’ve ever had slightly acidic-tasting coffee from a cafetiere, this will be why.
In some cases, your coffee may also become under-extracted. This will happen if your grounds haven’t been brewed for long enough, or if the grounds were too large. Your coffee will come out watery with a weak taste.
To get the best coffee possible, you may need to experiment with temperature, timing, and grind size.
However, with a coarsely ground coffee, hot (but not boiling) water, and a brew time of approximately 5 minutes, you should be able to create great-tasting coffee.
Just remember to plunge your grounds slowly to avoid any escapees making it into your cup.
The Bottom Line
A cafetiere is one of the easiest ways to create great-tasting coffee. These simple, heat-proof jugs are also pretty inexpensive and require little thought or technique to master.
Although they may take a little longer to brew your coffee compared to other methods, the end result is worth it.
So,if you’re intimidated by more complex brewing methods but don’t want to use a machine, you should try out a cafetiere with a coarsely-ground coffee and see just how easy it is to create rich, great-tasting coffee!
