If your favorite coffee drink is a latte, cappuccino, americano or a flat white, you’re a fan of an espresso based coffee drink. These popular drinks all start with pulling a shot or two of espresso.
Let’s say you’re at home and want to make one of these espresso based drinks. But wait. You don’t have an espresso machine.
Not to worry. You can still make your favorite espresso based coffee drink at home using other brewing methods.
Here, we’ll teach you how to make espresso in a French press.
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You need just three things: a French press, coffee beans and a coffee grinder. The basic steps are to measure and grind the beans, bloom the coffee ground, add more hot water, wait and then push the plunger down.
Sounds fairly easy, right?
We’ll guide you through the steps with details and photos too so you can start enjoying espresso and espresso based drinks at home. (Click here to skip to the steps.)
What is espresso?
Espresso is a strong concentrated coffee. The aroma is almost addictive and is a favorite for many coffee lovers.
While you can drink it plain, espresso also serves as the base for a wide variety of coffee beverages like a latte, macchiato, americano, cappuccino, affogato and more.
Read More: A Guide to 20+ Popular Types of Coffee
A shot of espresso is traditionally prepared by using an espresso machine.
It is made by forcing pressurized hot water through tightly packed, finely ground coffee. This process results in a thick and honey-like yield with a rich and aromatic flavor.
However, as mentioned, we know not everyone has an espresso machine at home. If you don’t want to invest in a fancy espresso machine, you might want to try using a French press.
But first, if you haven’t used a French press before…
What is a French press?
A French press is an immersion coffee brewing device which consists of a glass carafe with a stainless steel filter plunger.
Unlike a drip coffee maker where water drips through coffee ground, French press coffee is steeped for a period of time directly in hot water.
A French press coffee maker uses a reusable metal filter that allows natural oils and flavors from the coffee beans to pass through to your cup and doesn’t require any paper filters.
When used properly, a French press coffee maker yields the perfect cup of coffee. It is one of the most convenient coffee makers that is capable of retaining the coffee flavor and preserves the natural aroma of coffee beans.
Coffee made by using a French press is not made by forcing pressurized hot water through compact, finely ground coffee as an espresso machine does.
So while this coffee may not taste exactly like coffee made from an espresso machine and won’t achieve the exact result as an espresso machine, this method tries to mimic an espresso as much as possible.
Here’s what you need to make espresso with a French press:
- French press
- 35 grams coffee beans
- Coffee grinder
- 8 ounces (1 cup) water
French press: We’re making shots of espresso so any size French press will work. (The smallest ones on the market are usually 12 ounces and on the other end of the spectrum, you can find 1.5 liter/51 ounce French presses.)
If you don’t have a French press, you can get the iconic Bodum Chambord, which is available in several colors. The dome shape of Bodum’s Chambord French presses were inspired by the towers of the French castle named Chambord.
Coffee beans: A note about the roast. Make sure to choose the right roast to make espresso in a French press. Medium dark roasts work better with this method because they are often bold and rich. Darker roast coffees also have a fuller body and thicker texture which may bring out flavors of chocolate, tobacco, dark sugar, spices, toasted nuts, and other roasty flavors.
Coffee grinder: Grinding coffee is arguably one of the most critical steps for making good espresso. It is recommended to purchase whole coffee beans and grind them yourself when you’re ready to brew your coffee. This allows not only for a more consistent extraction, but also for adding depth to your espresso.
As for the grind size for making espresso in a French press, the best grind to use is a very fine grind. This is important to provide resistance to the water and make for a more complete extraction. I used a manual mill grinder from Hario.
Read More: How to Use a Hario Manual Coffee Grinder
How to make espresso in a French press
Step 1
Measure 35 grams of coffee beans using a digital scale.
Step 2
Grind beans extra fine. I used a Hario ceramic mill grinder.
Step 3
Add ground coffee and about 2 ounces of hot water to the French press. Let it bloom for 25 seconds.
Blooming helps to create a more flavorful brew by releasing the carbon dioxide that forms while roasting.
It’s a simple process to bloom. Just make the ground coffee a little damp by adding hot water over it for a few seconds before pouring in the remainder of water to brew.
This is what we’re doing here in step 3 by waiting for about 25 seconds before pouring the rest of the hot water into the French press.
Step 4
Add another 6 ounces of hot water into the French press.
Put the lid on. Do not push the plunger all the way down just yet! Let it steep for 3 minutes.
Step 5
Push plunger down gently when the timer is up.
Step 6
Pour and serve in a demitasse cup.
You can also add frothy milk or create an espresso based drink.
Making frothy milk with a French press
Now that you’ve made espresso, you might even take it a step further and want to add milk, or create some latte art.
You can do this without an espresso machine too!
Here’s how to make latte art at home with a French press:
Heat whole milk or a barista blend, a milk alternative made to stretch and foam more than regular milk alternatives.
Pour the milk into the French press. Put on the lid and pull the plunger up and down vigorously several times until foam forms.
Next, give the milk a swirl until the bubbles settle. For a simple heart shaped pattern, hold the cup with the espresso at an angle and begin pouring the milk from a high distance. Pour slowly. You want the milk to dive beneath the surface of the coffee.
When you’ve filled the cup about half way with the milk, pour from a lower distance closer to the cup and pour a little faster until you see the milk starting to float and create a dot. Keep pouring until the dot becomes the size of the heart that you want. Then pour the milk towards the middle of the dot to finish the heart design.
Read More: How to Make Latte Art at Home Without Expensive Coffee Machines
More espresso based coffee drinks to make
Other than lattes and latte art, you can also make these drinks using the espresso you just made as the base:
- Espresso Con Panna = espresso + topped with a dollop of whipped cream
- Mocha = espresso + milk + chocolate (either chocolate sauce or cocoa powder) + topped with whipped cream
- Dirty Chai Latte = espresso + chai tea + milk
- Breve = espresso + half and half
- Americano = espresso + water
- Espresso Tonic = espresso + tonic water + a few drops of lemon juice
- Red Eye = espresso + drip coffee
- Homemade Frappuccino = espresso + milk + ice cubes + chocolate chips, blended
