How to Make Great Coffee in a Cafetiere (French Press or Coffee Plunger)

Recently a reader asked for some tips and hints for making good coffee in a cafetiere. I have done a little research and combined it with my own experience to produce the following article. I would love to hear from you if you have any further tips.

The cafetiere is known by several names. In Australia we usually refer them as coffee plungers. In other places the cafetiere is known as a French press, which indicates its country of origin.

The name plunger can be unfortunate. I once broke mine on the day I was having a Bible study group in my home. I left a message for a friend to bring her plunger and she arrived with the plunger she uses for clearing blocked drains!

Cafetieres can be made of either glass or stainless steel. I prefer stainless steel as I often break the glass ones and they are expensive to replace. Cafetieres are portable and convenient to use.

A cafetiere has two parts, a glass or stainless steel jug, and a metal rod with a round filter at the bottom and a knob or handle and cover at the top. This rod is what gives the cafetiere the name 'coffee plunger'.

Some argue that plunger coffee is superior to that made in a percolator as it does not overcook and the coffee is not tainted by paper filters. A possible disadvantage of plunger coffee is that sediment can enter the coffee through the filter, making it bitter.

Tips for Making Great Coffee in a Cafetiere

1. Choose a coffee blend that you really like. This may seem obvious, I know, but bad coffee beans really can't make a good cup of coffee.


2. Ensure that your coffee beans are ground coarse to medium to avoid sediment from entering your coffee. If the weather is hot, store your coffee in the fridge or freezer as ground coffee becomes rancid quickly.


3. Ensure that your cafetiere is really clean. Unscrew the filter end of your plunger regularly and wash each part separately. Old coffee fragments rapidly become rancid.


4. Put coffee into the base of the glass jug part of the cafetiere. Usually 1 generous dessertspoon or US tablespoon per person is enough but you can vary this to your own taste. The coarser the blend the more coffee you will need.


5. Boil your kettle, then wait until the water has just come off the boil. Boiling water will scald your coffee.


6. Pour the water over your ground coffee and leave for around 3 minutes. Pour enough water for the number of cups you need.


7. Put the plunger on top of the jug and gently lower the knob until the filter is down the bottom of the jug. Serve and enjoy.

Experts say to pour and drink the coffee within 20 minutes as after this the coffee may become bitter.

I wrote a tutorial for making espresso coffee here.

If you would like to see a short video on making cafetiere coffee you can find one here.


This is my Kitchen Tip Tuesday post for this week. Do let me know if you have any other kitchen questions and I will endeavour to answer them.

Today I also have some thank-yous to make. The wonderful Andrea at Southern Heart has given me a "You make my day" award. Thank you so much Andrea; you have made my day too.



Back in December Jen from Keeping Up With the Jones' and Angelena from Country Life gave me these awards, which come in a pair. Thank you, ladies.

Yes, I have noticed that it has taken me an awfully long time to acknowledge these awards. I apologise; life somehow escaped me in those last hectic weeks of 2007. There are some Christmas Memes that I still haven't done!




Blessings to you all,







Image of cafetiere is from www.allposters.com