Troubleshooting
Common French Press Problems and Their Solutions
The French press is among the most forgiving methods, but the cup it produces still varies with technique. A brew that lands muddy or over-extracted often points to grind size — too fine for an immersion method, pulling too much from the coffee during the four-minute steep. A brew that feels thin or sour points the other way — often a grind too coarse, with the water unable to reach deep enough into the particles in the time available.
The target grind for French press is coarse, like sea salt or coarse ground pepper. The steep runs four minutes, long enough for full immersion but not so long that the deeper compounds dominate. After the steep, the plunge should be slow and steady, separating the grounds without stirring the brew or agitating fines into the cup.
If the cup comes out gritty, the grind is often too fine or the plunge too forceful. If it comes out thin, a slightly finer grind within the coarse range, or an extra minute of steep, often brings the body forward. Café de Volcán treats French press as the method where patience and preparation do most of the work, and where small adjustments in grind and steep time move the cup reliably toward its balance.
