The French press is an icon. It’s a simple, elegant brewer that’s famous for one thing: producing a rich, heavy-bodied, and deeply flavorful cup of coffee.
As we covered in our brewer showdown blog, the French press is an "immersion" brewer. This means the coffee and water steep together, and a metal filter (instead of paper) allows all the bean's natural oils and micro-solids to pass into your cup. This is what gives it that signature, robust flavor.
It's an amazing way to enjoy our medium and dark roasts. As your local Cave Creek roasters, here is our foolproof, step-by-step guide.
What You’ll Need:
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A French Press
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Your favorite ROC² Whole Beans
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A burr grinder
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A kitchen scale
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A timer (your phone is perfect)
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A kettle (a gooseneck is nice, but not required)
The 4-Minute French Press Recipe
We’re using a 1:15 ratio here—a little stronger to really showcase that bold flavor. For a standard 8-cup (34 oz) press, we'll use 50g of coffee and 750g of water.
Step 1: Prep Your Water & Brewer Start boiling your water. The ideal temperature is 195-205°F. A simple trick: let your kettle boil, then let it rest for about 45 seconds to a minute. While it rests, pour some of the hot water into your empty French press to preheat it, then dump that water out.
Step 2: Weigh & Grind Your Coffee Weigh out 50g of fresh ROC² beans. This is the most important part: your grind must be COARSE. It should look like coarse sea salt or breadcrumbs. This is essential for a clean press and to prevent a bitter, muddy cup. Add the grounds to your preheated press.
Step 3: The "Bloom" & First Pour Start your timer and pour in just enough water to soak all the grounds (about 100g, or twice the weight of your coffee). You'll see the coffee "bloom" or bubble up. This releases CO2 gas. Give it a gentle stir to make sure all the grounds are wet, then let it sit for 30 seconds.
Step 4: The Main Pour & Steep At the 30-second mark, pour the remaining water (650g) in a steady stream. Place the lid/plunger on top, but DO NOT PLUNGE. Let the coffee steep until your timer reads 4:00 minutes total.
Step 5: The Plunge This is not a race. Press the plunger down slowly and evenly. If you press too fast, it will agitate the grounds and make your coffee bitter. If it’s too hard to press, your grind is too fine.
Step 6: Serve Immediately (This is CRITICAL!) Do not let your coffee sit in the French press! It will continue to brew and will become bitter and undrinkable. Pour all of the coffee out immediately into your mugs or a separate thermal carafe.
This method is beloved by coffee pros and beginners alike. The popular blog Coffee Affection has a great visual guide that shows these same steps in action. Enjoy your perfect, full-bodied brew!