The Best French Press Coffee Water Ratio

The brewing method of the French press is like none other. It’s simple, quick and effective. Filtration is not needed with this method. A French press uses immersion brewing to give you the richest flavour. It gives you freedom while preserving the essence of your ground coffee intact.

To get this type of brewed coffee though, your French press coffee ratio is key. How many grams of coffee and water do I need? What is the best ratio of coffee to water? Simple questions, yet hard to answer. Different sources tell you different things. With so much information out there, it can be hard to digest. Luckily, we can settle the answer for you right now: the ideal French press coffee water ratio really comes down to your preference.

For various sizes of coffee presses, the 1:18 ratio means different amounts of coffee to add. Here is a table to simplify it for you:

Simply said, just take the volume of water you are adding, and divide it by 18 to get the grams of coarse ground coffee you need for a wholesome and tasty brew. 

The best French press ratio depends on how you want your cup to be. You can use a ratio of anywhere from 1:7, all the way to 1:20. Based on our experiments, the ideal ratio for a press is said to be around 1:16-1:18. The ‘1’ represents 1 gram of coffee and the larger number represents the water in mL. Some types of bean coffee need more exact ratios, but we won’t confuse you too much.

The fact of the matter is this. If you like a full, strong cup of coffee, use less water in your ratio. If you like a subtler flavour, use more water. As we said earlier, it takes a lot of practice to make the best brew. If you’re unsure of what to do, we recommend starting with the 1:16-1:18 range and testing it out from there. It’s all about your style and preference.

Before you leave to make some more coffee with your French press, we have 4 tips to make your next cup taste better. If you’re looking to learn more about how to use a press, you can check out one of our earlier posts here. For now, here are our tips:

Grind Just Before Brewing Grinding your beans too soon will cause some of the aromas and flavours to escape. It’s always better to grind them and use fresh.	Preheat Your French Press Run your press under boiling hot water. Pre-heating your press helps keep a consistent temperature when brewing. Though this isn’t too big of a big deal, it could make a difference.
Use a Coarse Grind This tip is vital. You don’t want it to be too coarse, or else your press can get clogged. You don’t want it to be a fine grind either, or else the grinds may pass through the screen of the press. Try to get it in the middle. Your grinds should feel like breadcrumbs or sea salt.	Pour, Wait, Then Stir Pour half of the water into your coffee and count to 30 seconds. Don’t pour all your water in at once. Once your pour about half of your water into your coffee, immediately count to 30. Once you get to 30 seconds, give your coffee a quick stir before waiting again. This will help make the flavour of your brew more consistent.

We hope we could make your roasted coffee the best it can be. Remember, your French press coffee water ratio is special for you. Play around with some ratios and let us know below what you think is the best one.

Ready to level up your brew? Explore our full collection of French presses and accessories: