French Press and blending. What is the truth about blending coffee in the French Press?

French Press - to stir or not to stir?

Some baristas, such as James Hoffmann, recommendnot to squeeze or stir the coffee at all to avoid coffee grounds. Others, on the other hand, are of the opinion that coffee should not be squeezed but only stirred. And we also encounter opinions that coffee should be gently stirred at the beginning of the brewing process ornot stirred at all.

Baristas' opinions on stirring and squeezing coffee in a French press simply vary. Come with us to the various factors that can affect your drink.

No stirring

Hot water alone is one way to extract flavor from coffee beans. By combining heat and stirring, you get much more flavor from the beans, which can easily lead to over-extraction. This is the main reason people recommend not stirring the coffee in a French Press.

The result of not stirring the French Press is a cup of coffee with avery mild flavor, but it does contain some sediment at the bottom of the cup. Which is due to the metal filter, which has a higher permeability than traditional paper filters.

Stirring the coffee before brewing

It is possible that some ground coffee will clump together or get stuck at the bottom of the French Press after adding water. This can prevent the full flavor from coming through, which is why some people recommend stirring the coffee quickly.

After stirring, a cup of ismore flavorful than coffee that hasn't been stirred, doesn't taste overextracted, and contains very little sediment.

On the other hand, Grady Buhler of JJ Bean Coffee Roasters notes that stirring slows the extraction of the coffee considerably.

Stirring after brewing

Ground coffee usually rises to the top and forms acrust on the surface of the water . Some people recommend stirring gently to break up the crust, or simply picking up the coffee grounds.

If you stir the coffee after brewing, the result will be strong, bitter coffee with lots of sediment.

Experiment with the French Press

Barista Hustle trainer, Jessina Sartiani, conducted several experiments to see if stirring made sense. Using the standard method, she prepared a series of French Presses.

For the first set of French Press filters,she dipped the filter for only five minutes after adding water and then waited for a total of ten minutes to pass. She then drained the batch and measured the extraction.

For the second set of brewers,she stirred the coffee five minutes after adding water, then submerged the batch after eight minutes, then drained it after a total of ten minutes and measured the extraction.

Theaverage extraction is virtually the same for both methods - but interestingly, breaking up the crust by stirring before immersion seems to make the extraction much more consistent.

The standard deviation is almost ten times higher for French Presses prepared by simply immersing the coffee compared to those that have been pre-stirred.

According to Jessica, there was also a distinct difference in taste between the two approaches. Coffee that was only steeped had a weaker and more vegetal flavor.

How to avoid stirring?

If you want to avoid stirring the French Press altogether, it is advisable to use a gooseneck pot. Use it to gently pour water over all the coffee grounds so that every bit of coffee is evenly covered.

If you don't have a gooseneck kettle, a regular kettle will do. Justmove it gently to make sure all the coffee grounds are well soaked, or pour a little faster to turbulence them so they are mixed in.