I tried brewing French press coffee today after a very long time. It seems experience carries over, even into methods we haven't practiced directly in a while. Working with specialty coffee over the last few years has given me an intuitive grasp of the brewing process and the specific role each step plays. When I brewed today’s cup using the immersion method, applying those fundamentals made all the difference—the coffee turned out remarkably good.
Truth be told, I didn't even use a proper French press. I improvised with a Hario cold coffee brewer, which uses a similar fine mesh filter but is built for brewing nearly a liter at a time. Instead of using the large carafe it came with, I adapted the filter basket directly over my coffee cup.
I carefully timed the steep for exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds to avoid extracting any harsh bitterness. The result was spot on: not even a hint of bitterness, yet strong, bold, and deeply flavorful. It turned out so well that I plan to make small tweaks and experiment with it further over the coming days.
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