Island Joes Coffee  

French Pressing Coffee

The French Press is also know as a Coffee Plunger in many parts of the world.

Mixing coffee with boiling water has been around since the beginning of the discovery of coffee, by a Sheppard  (Kaldi) and his goats.



The French Press, as one might assume, which would be correct, was invented by a Frenchman, sometime in the late 1800's. The story goes the Frenchman boiled his water without his coffee grind, so not wanting to be wasteful, by having to use more wood to boil water, he put his ground coffee in a jar, then poured his hot water over it. As the coffee rose to the top, he used a piece of screen to push the grinds down.

Here is a true story, we like sharing - Not to far back we received an email from our troops overseas askng for some coarse ground coffee, as in the email, we where told our troops had made a French Press. They said they where in Afghanistan, so one could assume, there would be no problem getting heat for the water, as they told us they placed water in a can in the hot sun, then used a piece of broken bullet proof glass from one of their helicopters ---- We sent them plenty of coarse ground coffee for the French Press.

The first French Press was patented by Attilio Calimani in 1931.

In New Zealand, Australia and South Africa a French Press is commonly called a Coffee Plunger.

In French the is "Cafetiere a Piston" and also know by it brand name "Bodum." Cafetiere is the French word for coffee maker or pot.

Made of glass or a clear heat resistant plastic fashioned into a tall narrow cylindrical beaker, then the plunger will be made of metal or plastic which slides firmly down the cylindrical beaker, where the coffee grinds are captured by a wire mesh or filter. The mesh allows the water to flow through, as the mesh filter pushes the grounds to the bottom of the beaker.

Types of French Press Pots - Glass, Ceramic, Stainless Steel, Travel Mugs and Electric. The best for you would depend on your needs. We are not saying Bodum is the best, because we use one, but visiting their website could be a good place to begin your search.

One of the main goals of French Pressing coffee is because the coffee remains in direct contact with the the water thus more of the natural flavors and essential oils remain in tact to be enjoyed.

A French Press produces a stronger tasting and thicker cup of of coffee.

French Presses are easy to travel with on your journeys, as you might never know where you may end up and what if they do not have a good cup of gourmet coffee waiting.

Many use their French Press to brew their loose lead tea, as you get a nice infusion of tea into your water.

The Grind. Many forget how important this is to produce a good French Pressed cup of coffee. Your normal auto drip or espresso grind will flow through your mesh filter, thus you will be drinking coffee grinds with every sip. So one must use a coarse grind when using a French Press, as this way your grinds will be pressed to the bottom of your press. Not  always100%, but most of them. - NOTE, again, your grinder is very important, as you are looking to have large uniform ground coffee. Using a mixed grind, which is some small and large grinds, will result in an uniform taste.

Island Joe's Smuggler's Brew is one of our favorite in our French Press, which we offer at our cafe located at 519 Fleming Street in old town Key West, Florida.

Why Smugglers?

Our Smuggler's Brew gourmet coffee blend rated 88 out of 100 by Kenneth Davids at coffeereview.com



Here is what Mr. Davids had to say in a blind assesment.

"Very impressive aroma: deep and lush with low-toned fruit (banana?) notes and hints of cedar and chocolate. In the cup crisp and roasty but still sweet with floral notes and a rich fruit that reads as semi-sweet chocolate. Simple but cleanly sweet finish. "

The Smuggler's is a double roast profile, that is another subject, based around a double roast profile of Guatemalan Antigua and Ethiopian Coffee. The Guatemalan brings forth the lush and semi-sweet chocolate undertones as Mr. Davids refers to in his review, while the Ethiopian helps provide a full bodied cup of coffee. Then when your French Press our Smuggler's Brew the flavor will have a more intense mouthfeel, which is what you what with a press.  The aroma fills the room with it chocolate undertones. Please keep mind we do all this naturally and add not flavor, but just work and blend what Mother Nature has provided us.

The Water - You need your water between 195 and 200 degrees. If you do not have a way to test the temperture of you water, then bring it to a boil, remove it from the heat and wait about 30 seconds before pouring your water over your coarse ground coffee. Now, this is very important. The type of water you use will greatly affect the taste of your coffee, be it in a French Press, auto drip or espresso. So, please, use clean or filter water.

How much Coffee to Use? - We like, as with our auto drip to use about 10 grams per 6 ounces of water, but keep in mind, as I have said many times before, taste is subject ones palette likes and dislikes. This means, you may end up using a little more or a little less, but the 10 grams is a good starting point.

Pouring your Water over your Grounds - You need to agitate your coffee grinds for them to blend proper with your water. We suggest after you have poured your water over your coffee stir you coffee and water together briefing.

Resting Time - Again, this will be subject to ones taste, so here are some general guidelines for allowing your coffee to rest in your press. Two to 3 minutes will offer a light cup of coffee, then 3 to 4, becomes a medium strenght, with 4 to 5 minutes creating a full bodied cup of coffee with a rich flavor. Once beyond 5 minutes, you risk a bitter taste developing in your pressed coffee.

Pouring your Cup - Now you are ready to enjoy a true cup of gourmet coffee with intense natural flavors coming forth in your cup. Place you plunger into your beaker, pushing down slowing, while always maintaining a even push and alignment of the plunger in the beaker. Again a good guideline would be a 20 to 30 second push before reaching the bottom of your press.

With fresh roasted gourmet coffee and with our Smuggler's Brew, a French Press done properly will produce almost a crema as with espresso.

Types of French Presses -

OK, so lets review and say you are at home and do not have a scale or temperature probe. Then coarse grind your Smugglers, add two table spoons 1/2 tables spoons of your grind to your French Press for every 12oz of water, then bring you water to a boil, take your water off the heat for 30 seconds, now pour your water over your grinds and stir for 20 seconds or so, now allow your coffee to sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Place your plunger in and push down slowly taking 15 to 20 seconds to reach the bottom.

You can purchase Island Joe's Smuggler's Brew at our cafe located at 519 Fleming Street, we are open 7 days a week, stop by for a free taste, plus locally at Publix, The Waterfront Market, The Restaurant Store, Albertsons and Walgreens on Duval plus the Publix in Key West and through out Florida offer IJS Smuggler's Brew, as well as Whole Foods Market.

We have read information on the web using a French Press may raise your cholesterol level because the coffee is unfiltered, thus we are not doctors, so we can not advise you on health issues, please contact your doctor.

View Island Joe's Smuggler's Brew