Best Coffee for French Press – 5 Mouthwatering Picks
Want to discover some of the best coffee for french press? Well in this post we cover 5 mouthwatering french press coffee picks that you need to add to your list.
Ahh the french press a nostalgic coffee press made by two french inventors back in 1852! I was first introduced to this awesome little device, which I call a coffee plunger, back in 2012.
Up until recently, I discovered some of the best coffee to use for a french press and that’s what I want to share today.
If you’re a die hard coffee addict like myself, you simply need to give some of these different roasts a go. It will make you fall in love with the french press coffee maker.
Running out of time and need to find the best coffee for your french press instantly? Don’t worry we got you coffered and summarised the top 2.
Best Coffee for French Press Brewing - Our Top 2 Picks
Editors Rating :
This flavor sells fast and is one of the popular products by Volcanica.
The flavor delivers a sweet, smooth and very rich flavor of real vanilla which is great for the perfect cup.
The top coffee for french press brewing in our opinion has to be the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe by Volcanica. These coffee beans have been roasted to a medium consistency and gives off exotic flavors with an underpowering acidity.
Straight from the southern region of Ethiopia, these beens deliver a floral and fruity tone coffee and to top has been fair trade certified.
This suites any coffee connoisseur looking to explore these types of notes. For the best brew, make sure your coffee beans are grinded when needed.
#1 - Ethiopian Yirgacheffe By Volcanica
If you love flavored notes of ripe strawberry, pineapple guava or even dark chocolate then Ethiopian Yirgacheffe by Volcanica is what you need to try with your french press.
What makes this a top pick, despite only coming in medium roast coffee beans, is that the coffee beans are purely organic. Meaning that no nasty synthetic fertilizers or chemicals have been used in growing them.
Another benefit that Volcanica coffee beans have over some of our other picks is that it is Fair Trade Certified, making the farmers that grow these beans receive a fair deal for their labour.
These beans come from the Yirgacheffe region in southern Ethiopia and it is from this that the beans have a distinctly floral and fruity tone!
#2 - Big Bang Coffee Blend by Peet’s Ground Coffee
- BIG BANG: A brilliant blend created to celebrate Alfred Peet and our 50th anniversary, featuring the exotic fruitiness of Ethiopian Super Natural. Flavor notes: Vibrant blast of tropical fruit in a smooth, medium style
- OBSESSED WITH FRESH: From the beginning, Peet's Coffee has roasted the best coffee beans we can find with quality in mind. We also care for the communities that grow & harvest those beans, because coffee is better when it is grown & sourced responsibility
- BREW LIKE THE BEST: Brewing the best cup of coffee starts with finding your favorite roast or blend. Whole beans or ground coffee, dark, medium or light, single origin or a blend? Try a variety & find the best brew for the morning mug or afternoon pickup
- LIGHT, MEDIUM & DARK ROAST: Brew a pot of Peet's ground or whole bean coffee in a blend & roast perfect for your tastes. Light roast coffees are mild & smooth, medium roast coffees are smooth & aromatic, while dark roast coffees are smoky & full bodied
Peet's Big Bang ground coffee is a medium roast coffee that is perfect for using in your french press. Transforming the expectation of what is expected from the flavor, body and depth to actually delivering it.
This brand uses only the finest coffee beans from trusted growers over the top coffee growing regions in the world. Giving tasting notes of vibrant blasts of tropicl fruit in a smooth medium roasted style.
To make the perfect cup of joe with your french press, simply add 2 tablespoons for each 6 fl. oz of freshly boiled water. One critical review that stood out was the short shelf life, however if you open an air tight bag of freshly ground coffee, you'll need to store it immediately in an air tight container.
#3 - Kicking Horse Smart Ass Medium Roast Ground Coffee
- TASTING NOTES: Tart red currant, notes of sugar cane and milk chocolate, with a honeyed berry body.
- MEDIUM ROAST: Cheeky, bright, precocious. A bright, chocolatey concoction for the smart-thinking, deep-drinking, good-at-their-game-in-the-morning crowd.
- ROASTED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS: It’s all deep, dark and delicious, roasted right below the towering Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks. In our facility we only make only one thing: coffee! It's roasted from one ingredient only: green coffee. We don't use preservatives, additives, fillers or flavoring.
- AROMA: Sweet syrup, vanilla bean, stone fruit.
These cheeky and bright medium roast beans is another best type of coffee for french press and in our oppinion definately an underated coffee brand.
The orgin of these organic beens come from Africa, Central & South America and have been grown and farmed in a way by responsible farmers.
Smart ass coffee by Kicking Horse is definately one for those who want aromas of sugar cane and cocoa powder. The plus side is you'll experience tasting notes of rich dark chocolate and brown sugar.
A highly recommended way to brew coffee is by using a drip machine, an automatic pour over machine or a cold brew method with the french press.
#4 - Starbucks Breakfast Blend Medium Roast Ground Coffee
- PREMIUM GROUND COFFEE—Starbucks delivers exceptional coffee cup after cup with this 28-ounce bag of Breakfast Blend medium roast ground coffee
- STARBUCKS BREAKFAST BLEND COFFEE—Notes of brown sugar and sweet orange mingle in our lightest medium roast coffee
- FRESH TASTE—Starbucks adheres to the highest quality standards—shipping you the same carefully roasted 100% arabica coffee beans we brew in our cafés
- MAKE IT YOUR OWN—An everyday cup no matter how you brew it, Starbucks coffee is carefully ground to be ideal for a variety of brewing methods, including drip brewer, coffee press, pour-over and moka pot
Starbucks offers a great lively breakfast blend delivered as a medium roast ground coffee. Since it is already ground coffee you don't need to grind the beans in order to use them with your french press.
Now you can enjoy Starbucks coffee at home without leaving the house ever again. From this breakfast blend ground coffee you'll be having the smooth taste.
Perfect when you want to wake up to less-intense coffee but still want that caffeine taste on your taste buds to jump start the day.
#5 - AmazonFresh Columbia Ground Coffee
- Balanced, full-bodied medium roast with a smooth finish
- One 32-ounce bag of ground coffee
- 100% Arabica coffee grown in Colombia
- Roasted and packed in the U.S.A.
This balanced, full bodied medium roast ground coffee will taste well balance and smooth with your french press.
Straight from Amazon themselves, the AmazonFresh ground coffee comes straight from 100% Arabica coffee grown within the heart of Columbia.
Although they are grown in Columbia, it is not till it reaches the borders of the Unite States of America that the are roasted and packed, ready to be purchased for your home.
The price is really affordable and it will make for something that you'll need to try with your french press.
What is a French Press?
As I mentioned before, a french press is a little coffee brewing device with a plunger on top of it. It was made by two brilliant French inventors who wanted to make coffee in a pot.
It consists of a plunger, generally attached to the cap, a cylinder or vessel to hold boiling water and also a filter. The filter is usually located at the underside of the cap.
The method consists of brewing coffee by releasing aromatic flavors via infusion. Since its inception in 1852, there hasn’t been much design variation since being invented.
In saying that, there are lots of style variations often seeing the french press coming in stainless steel, glass or even plastic.
How to use a French Press or Make Coffee with a French Press
Making coffee with a french press is really simple, but if you’re getting into it and just purchased a new french press and need some guidance making the best cup of joe then you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s how to use a french press in 5 simple steps:
- Warm up your french press maker with some warm water. Boiling water can lead to cracking of the plastic, so if you’ve just boiled the jug make sure you wait a few minutes before placing the water into the french press.
- Place your recommended serving of the best coffee for your french press, it can be ground or freshly ground beans. As a guide, use 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of water.
- Pour boiling water into the french press. Pour the amount you need for the amount you want to serve.
- Now we wait for about 3-5 minutes, so that the coffee grounds can infuse with the water.
- Finally, slowly lower the plunger or filter piston and make sure the filter is level all around. Once done, your nice cup of coffee is ready to drink.
What Kind of Coffee is Best for French Press
The best roast for french press coffee varies with different brewing methods, which starts with a particular coffee roast.
If you’re not sure what the best roast is then, we’ve got you covered with a small brief below.
Light Roast
Light brown in color, light roast coffee tends to have a little unsweetened taste and comes from residual oils that are left behind, on the surface of the bean, from the roasting process.
The flavor is very soft and elegant making light roast coffee a perfect choice for the french press.
With light roast, we highly recommend skipping on any milk, as it will definitely take away the soft flavors this roast gives.
Medium Roast
A shade of brown darker than light roast, medium roast coffee beans are very dry with hardly any oils on the surface.
These beans have been roasted for much longer to really release the natural flavors and aromatic scent the beans have.
Volcanica coffee is known for having the best variety of medium roast coffee brands and will make for the perfect cup of joe with your french press.
Medium Dark Roast
As expected, medium dark roast coffee is more dark than medium roast. This roast will give you hints of a dark sweet chocolate taste when brewed right.
Acidic levels are not as high as one would think and can be considered the best beans for french press.
Dark Roast
Dark roasted coffee offers tasting notes that are unique and smokey. The bean is very shiny which reflects the amount of oil left on the bean once roasting is complete. These oils are what lead to the smokey flavor, however it is very bitter in taste.
Dark roasted coffee beans can be labelled as french roasted coffee beans and is sometimes confused with the french press method.
We recommend skipping on a dark roasted coffee bean as they are not ideal for french press coffee as the brew can be very bitter. On the other hand it is definitely perfect for espresso.
Can you use regular ground coffee for French Press
You can definitely use regular ground coffee for your french press!
However, it should be noted that the finer the grind, there will be a tendency for the grounds to pass through the filter when plunging. This can lead to having a small amount of fine trace grinds in your coffee.
The best ground coffee to use on the other hand is coarse ground coffee, which will tend to seep much better and has a smaller chance of passing through the filter making your coffee taste pure.
Is French Press Coffee Bad for You
French press coffee is not bad for you and it is perfectly fine to drink. However if you are over consuming coffee of any kind, it can definitely lead to some adverse effects, such as the coffee jitters.
In general, french press coffee has several health effects such as it can help you lose additional fat you may be storing or even drastically improve your physical performance.Where to Buy Coffee For French Press Brewing
As we’ve mentioned before, Volcanica coffee has some of the largest variety of coffee beans for french press brewing.
However with coffee beans you’ll definitely need to have a grinder of some sort, to grind up the beans into ground coffee.
I wrote a really great article on how to grind coffee without a grinder, you can read it here: Best ways to grind coffee without a grinder
If you just want to purchase coffee that is already course grounds, then the other recommended place is Amazon.
We have listed the top 5 finds, above which are all found on amazon to make it easy for those who don’t have a grinder.
What’s the Best Coffee Grind for French Press?
If you’re like me and love to purchase coffee beans, so that you can unlock the full potential of the flavors when brewing, then you’ll need the perfect grind size for your french press.
French press coffee is best with a course or even grind, on machines like a breville barista touch that has a built in grinder, you can set the dial to about a 3 to achieve a coarse grind.
Coarse grind, mixed with the perfect brew time, will lead to the full flavors of the coffee being extracted and ready for drinking.
How Long Should You Brew For
When brewing coffee with the french press method, you’ll need to ensure that you give the coffee grounds enough time to bloom or soak in the water.
Steeping time should be around 3 - 5 minutes, but the perfect steeping time is 4 minutes which will produce the best brew with your french press.
Final Thoughts for the Best Coffee for French Press
Our exclusive list was crafted by hand selecting some of the best coffee you can use for your french press. It is based on what we’ve tried and what others have highly commended.
Our winner based on flavor and aromatic scents and also the most highly recommended has to be Ethiopian Yirgacheffe by Volcanica. The flavor delivers a sweet, smooth and very rich flavor of real vanilla which is great for the perfect cup.
If you see that we’ve missed something in our list or our audience could benefit with something new and upcoming, then let us know by contacting us.
