Plunger (French Press) Brewing
You can often find something exactly like this for less than AUD$15 in major stores.
There’s a very good reason that plunger brewing has stood the test of time as a fantastic way to make yourself coffee at home. You can find plungers in most big box stores for less than you’d pay for a 6-pack of beer; they have no disposable/consumable bits to constantly source and replace; and the resulting brew is about as good as one can possibly get without stepping into the complicated (and expensive) world of domestic espresso.
At its simplest, a plunger consists of a cylindrical jug, a filter with the same diameter as the interior of the jug, and a stick attached to the filter which can be used to push it down into the jug, filtering the coffee from the grounds as it goes. The simplicity of plunger brewing has made it the most popular method used in Australian households; the complications involved mean it's rarely used at its full potential.
To get the most out of a plunger you need fresh coffee (we can help with that!), a coarse, even grind and the right technique.
As with filters, the manufacturers of plungers all have their own definitions of what constitutes a cup, so it's wise to measure the actual capacity of your plunger before you begin.
Plunger (French-Press) Step-By-Step…
If you like really hot coffee, heat your plunger by swirling some boiling water in it. Discard this water.
Using 10g of coffee per 180ml of water, add coffee to plunger.
Boil your water, remove from heat and allow to stand for 30 seconds, then pour onto the coffee.
Be careful as you're pouring, fresh coffee will produce lots of crema (foam). If you're brewing a full plunger, fill only to within 3cm of the lip of the jug.
Using a wooden spoon to avoid damage, stir the coffee for 90 seconds.
Insert the filter, lower the lid then push the filter about 2cm under the surface of the coffee.
Wait 30 seconds, then plunge all the way with a slow, steady pressure. Serve immediately.
Basically the extended stirring provides the maximum extraction at the right temperature, leaving you with a rich, hot coffee.
Most plunger instruction manuals say something like "pour on hot water, insert filter, allow to stand for 4 minutes", but in my experience fresh coffee brewed this way can end up underextracted and too cool. The froth, gas, adsorbed air etc. on the surface of the coffee means that particles never wet properly, and as a result significant amounts of coffee are wasted.
Of course, there is one brewing method that surpasses all others (except perhaps espresso, which is so different a beverage) in clarity of flavour, purity of aroma and ultimate cup satisfaction; coffee that tastes like it smells. And that is…
