How to make espresso with a French Press

We all love coffee! (Well maybe not everybody, but I have to start the article somehow). A takeout Latte is one of my guilty pleasures when I’m out and about, but it’s far more enjoyable to relax and have a delicious espresso or espresso-based drink in the comfort of my own home. Not everyone has a pricey espresso machine lying around, but fear not, you can make a perfectly good espresso without a machine! Because in this article I’m going to tell you step by step how to make espresso with a French Press!

That’s right whether it’s a Cappuccino, Latte, Frappuccino or maybe it’s even an espresso Martini you fancy, I’m going to tell you how to make an espresso at home without a machine. If you are in the market for a great machine however, I’ve reviewed and compared all the worthy options to find the best cheap espresso machine in another article. But if you want to know how to make espresso at home with a French press, read on.

I’ll go into detail on the process, including the ingredients, but first here’s a quick overview of the steps involved:

1. Grind your favorite dark roast coffee beans
2. Pre-heat your French Press
3. Boil your water
4. Add your coffee grinds to the French Press
5. Add a small amount of water and let sit for a few seconds
6. Add the rest of the water and let sit for around 4 minutes
7. Plunge & Serve immediately

Okay so there’s a bit of finessing needed (and maybe a little practice) to get it perfect, but those are the basic steps to make espresso at home without a machine. By the way if you’re looking to upgrade your French Press or you don’t own one, here’s a few recommendations. The one I use is the POLIVIAR and I find it fantastic.

Next, we’ll go into some details step by step, but before that, some basics.

What ingredients are used to create an espresso?

The simple answer here is coffee and water. However, to make a really great tasting espresso using a French Press, you need French or dark roast coffee beans and you need to grind them freshly. Anything lighter than a medium dark roast and you’re not going to get that strong espresso taste you’re expecting.
You’ll need about 40 grammes of coffee grounds in your press. Using an espresso machine, you would use around 7-8 grammes of coffee grind. In addition, your water should not be too hot. It should not exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Water that is too hot will impact the taste.

Steps to making Espresso with a French Press

1. Grind your favorite dark roast coffee beans

This part matters more than people think for the final taste. I’ve already gone into the best coffee beans to use, so I won’t repeat myself and if you’re using pre-bought ground beans, please ensure you buy an espresso grind (but I don’t recommend it). For the best flavor you should freshly grind the beans yourself. If you need a good quality grinder, I have a few suggestions of some really good ones below. The actual coarseness of the grind itself is also critical. A traditional espresso made using an espresso machine uses a very fine grind. The problem here is the mesh on the French Press filter can be too wide for a very fine grind. So, it needs to be a bit coarser. But not too coarse that it affects the flavor. So somewhere in between a French Press grind and an espresso grind is perfect. A good Coffee Grinder is really important. Here’s the one I use from JavaPresse.

2. Pre-heat your French Press

A simple but essential step. Add some warm (not boiling) water to your French Press, swirl it around a few times and let it set for a while. Around 30 seconds is fine. It takes the chill off the plunge pot and means that there’s no chance of damaging or cracking the glass when you add the boiling water.

3. Boil Your Water

Obviously, you can use any kettle for this step, but I recently bought a Smeg kettle and I absolutely love it. And it’s not just because of the little tune it plays when the water boils (although I do really love that). But it allows you to control the temperate and also keep the water hot until you’re ready to use it. Isn’t technology brilliant. In fact, I love it so much I plan to do a full Smeg Kettle Review soon. But for a regular kettle the best tip is to just leave the boiled water for around 30-40 seconds before pouring. Your water should be between 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit for perfect coffee.

4. Add the Coffee Grinds to the French Pres

I talked a little about what type of coffee beans to use earlier and my personal favorite is
StumptowHairbender Espresso Beans. But that type of question is best answered by the coffee experts and I’ve found a good article over at Coffeechronicler on the best coffee beans for espresso, so go and check that out if you need some tips.

5. Add a Small Amount of Water

The reason for adding a small amount of water first, is that you want your coffee to “Bloom”. This will release all the natural oils and aromas and is one of the key tricks to a delicious espresso. Take your time before adding the rest of the water and you will be rewarded for your patience with a far more flavorful espresso.

6. Add the Rest of the Water

For 40 grammes of grind you should fill a 34 Ounce French Press (which is a pretty standard size) about halfway. Let the coffee steep or “brew” for around 4 minutes. This should give you great tasting full bodied espresso. Of course, this part is down to personal taste though. If you want a stronger coffee, leave it to sit for an extra 1-2 minutes. If you like your espresso a bit lighter, just leave it for about 3 minutes in total.

7. Plunge and Serve

Press down slowly and steadily on your plunger until you reach about halfway. Then slowly and steadily again bring the plunger back to the top, before finally plunging all the way down to the bottom. At this point (and it depends on the drink you’re making), I like to warm up my cup. But if you’re making a hot drink like a Latte or Cappuccino, you should warm up your cup with some hot water. Just swirl it around and then pour it out. If you spend so much time making the perfect espresso, why pour it into a cold cup? You are then ready to add your frothed milk, sit back and enjoy the fruits (or beans) of your labor.

Also, if you’re looking for any other Kitchen Essentials I recommend going over to check out our new Ultimate Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does French press espresso taste the same as machine espresso?

Not exactly. You get a strong, concentrated coffee with real body, but you won’t get the crema a real espresso machine produces since that requires 9 bars of pressure a French press can’t generate.

What grind size should you use?

Slightly finer than a standard French press grind, closer to a fine sea salt texture. Too coarse and it tastes weak and watery; too fine and it clogs the mesh filter and turns muddy.

How much coffee do you use per cup?

Roughly double the ratio you’d use for regular French press coffee — about 2 tablespoons of grounds per 4 ounces of water gets you a strong, espresso-style shot.

Can you make a latte or cappuccino with French press espresso?

Yes. The plunger mechanism also works to froth milk if you pump it a few times in a separate pitcher, so you can build a real latte or cappuccino at home without a steam wand.