Correct Water Ratio for French Press

Of all the different ways to brew coffee, the #French #press is one of the easiest and most forgiving when it comes to proportions. But to taste that perfect coffee, you need to follow at least some simple guidelines; if you don't like drinking a glass of mud.

The #coffee to water ratio you decide to use in the end will have a profound effect on the outcome of your brewed coffee; If you get it wrong, you have either too much or too little ground coffee.

General guidelines are readily available explaining which ground/water ratio you should ideally use for a particular brewing method.

However, for the Franch press you can use the recommendation quite loosely and the grounds/water ratio is obviously your preference based on how strong or weak you like your coffee.

In this guide, we will list the golden coffee ratios for the French press. You can use them in your next brew or use them as a guide and adjust accordingly.

Recommended Coffee Water Ratio in a French Press

Let's take a closer look at the coffee/water ratios for the French press;

As a general rule, a coffee brewing ratio of 1:15 to 1:18 (15-18 grams of water to 1 gram of coffee) is the ideal range for most brewed coffee methods.

This range is also called the "golden ratio" because if you follow this equation, you're guaranteed a great tasting coffee most of the time.

But nothing is set in stone in the coffee world, rules are meant to be broken, and most people enjoy coffee outside of these proportions. But if you're completely lost and need some guidance, you won't go wrong with using them as a starting point.

If you don't want to pull out your calculator to calculate the coffee grounds-to-water ratio, we've listed three popular French press sizes below using the 1:18 ratio.

If you follow this simple chart you will know exactly how much coffee and water to use.

3 cups350ml19.5g8 cups1000ml55.5g12 cups1500ml83.5g

The 3 cup French press is probably the smallest you'll come across, and 12 cups is the largest typically sold.

However, if you find that you need to calculate the ratio for a different size, take the volume of water and divide by 18, this will give you the grams of ground coffee you need to add.

Our Preferred French Press Rate

The French press ratio chart above uses 18 grams of water to 1 gram of coffee. This works perfectly and produces a satisfying cup of coffee.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, use the guidelines fairly loosely and play around with the grounds/water ratios of the Franch press until you find the "sweet" spot that falls where you love your coffee.

If you prefer a bolder, stronger cup of French press coffee, use less water in your calculation. If you want it to be slightly leaner and thinner, play with the ratio and add more water.

Unlike other coffee brewing methods that require more precise proportions because parameters cannot be adjusted, the French press is more flexible. Other variables (up to certain limits) can be changed to compensate for the coffee-water ratio used.

Use Quality Coffee Beans

It's all well and good to discuss the best coffee grounds-to-water ratios to use in the franch press.

However, if you don't start with a solid foundation, and by that we mean freshly roasted, high-quality whole coffee beans, you won't have the quality coffee you want.