The best coffee for French press is easily Purity Coffee. Answering that question required a lot of coffee testing, which I didn’t mind at all. And, after trying many different kinds of coffee in my French press, I narrowed it down to Purity. And, this is coming from a girl who likes her coffee. All kinds. I live in Washington state where the unspoken agreement is that you must like coffee in order to live here.
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Over the years I have experimented with different kinds of coffee machines, brew methods and coffee beans but my heart beat a little faster when I discovered French press. From this caffeinated corner of the world, I’m going to share with you the best coffee to use in your French press in hopes you’ll enjoy this form of coffee as much as I do. If you enjoy a strong, robust cup of coffee, then the French press method of brewing coffee is the best way for you to enjoy your coffee.
Purity Coffee
Purity Coffee has been a long time favorite of mine. And in test tasting, it constantly comes out on top for me. Using it in my French press was no different and I did find it to be the best coffee for a French press!
Use code GURLGONEGREEN to save 20% (first time buyers)
Related Content: Purity Coffee Review
What Is A French Press?
A French press is a manual process of brewing coffee using an immersion brewer. The ground coffee beans are essentially steeped and strained into a perfect cup of coffee. With this brewing method, coffee grounds and water are steeped together, whereas, with a drip coffee maker, the water flows over the coffee grounds. Unlike coffee filters, the metal mesh filter in a French press allows the natural oils of the coffee beans to pass through to your coffee cup for a rich flavor profile.
How Does A French Press Work?
The French press method is quick, convenient, and requires only 3 things – coarse ground coffee, hot water, and of course your choice of French press brewer. Simply add your freshly ground coffee beans to the carafe, add hot water then brew (or get happy) for four minutes and then separate the grounds from the coffee by plunging to victory!
Newbie French press mistakes:
- Using too fine of coffee grounds – the grind size does matter!
- Brew time. Allowing coffee and water to steep for too long will result in bitter flavors in your cup of coffee.
Tips For Getting The Best Tasting Coffee From Your French Press
- Use filtered water: Water may seem benign but it can affect the taste of coffee. Do you really want chlorine to be a part of your coffee’s flavor profile? I use a Berkey water filter because it addresses over 200 typical contaminants (even those I can’t taste or smell) found in tap water and other freshwater sources. Check out my full Water Filter Guide here!
- Use freshly ground coffee beans: It is best to use fresh coffee beans and grind just before use. Grind coffee beans to a sea salt consistency, otherwise if they are too fine they will pass through the mesh filter and into your coffee.
- Note: coffee aficionados may want to invest in a burr grinder.
- Use a high quality French press: A French press is an all-around great choice for great coffee, because it’s convenient, it doesn’t take up a lot of space, and there’s minimal clean-up required. While some French press coffee lovers say that it’s all about the type of coffee beans used and not as much about the type of French press coffee maker used, I beg to differ.
The coffee may be similar in taste but two factors that I would consider in a French press coffee maker are the material used for the carafe and how effective it is at keeping coffee sediment from escaping into your coffee cup.
- Look for carafes made of borosilicate glass or another type of glass aren’t going to interfere with the taste of your coffee nor are they going to leach plastic into your brew unlike plastic varieties. Thankfully, there are many glass carafe options that are budget-friendly and if you plan to brew for a crew, you can find bigger, stainless steel models that will take your brew to the next level.
- Look for an airtight coffee plunger with a steel, fine double mesh filter to keep coffee grounds in the carafe instead of in your cup.
Related Content: How To Make The Best Iced Coffee At Home
Step By Step Instruction For Using a French Press
1. Measure coffee bean to water ratio
The general consensus and my own taste buds agree that a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15 or 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds to 1 cup of water is a good ratio to follow. Find the ratio that suits your taste buds and the amount of caffeine needed for your day!
2. Boil water
It is recommended to heat water to a temperature of 200° F and then allow it to sit for a minute before pouring over the coffee grounds. Get my favorite Cosori Hot Water Kettle here.
3. Grind your coffee beans
Grind coffee beans to a course sea salt consistency or use the medium setting on your coffee grinder, if you have it. Grab my favorite coffee grinder here.
4. Add coffee grounds to the French press
5. Pour filtered water in a circular motion over the coffee grounds until fully saturated.
Then let sit for 30 seconds to allow the coffee to bloom.
6. Stir crust at top
7. Fill French press with the rest of the water and let steep for 3-4 minutes
8. Plunge and enjoy!
What Types Of Coffee Works Best In A French Press?
After this deep dive into the world of coffee, I have extra appreciation for what it takes to produce a good cup of coffee. And by good, I don’t just mean good tasting but also good for you in terms of health benefits.
- Coffees from Central and South America and Indonesia generally pair well with the French press method of brewing because they tend to have a nutty, chocolate profile.
- For the best brew, grind your coffee beans to a coarse, sea salt consistency, or a medium grind.
- Medium roast coffee beans to dark roast beans are the best choice for your French press. I am going to share top picks for both medium and dark roast below.
Related Content: Best Mold & Mycotoxin Free Coffee Brands
Best Coffee Brands To Use In Your French Press (dark roast)
**My sister Rose helped me out with the taste testing for this post. As you may know I don’t tolerate caffeine so I recruited her and she was more than happy to help me out:)
Lifeboost Coffee
Lifeboost coffee beans meet the strictest standards for quality. In fact, Lifeboost coffee is easy on the stomach and the teeth. Their coffee beans are lab tested for low acidity at 6.0+ pH. As the name implies it is a boost of life!
- Price: $34.95 per 12 oz bag
- Roast Options: Light, Medium, Dark, Espresso, Midnight, Flavored (whole bean and ground)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process
- Sourcing: Single origin. 100% Arabica beans. Grown high in the mountains of Central America.
- Certifications: USDA Organic (this includes the Light, Medium, Dark, Espresso and Midnight roasts as they are working on getting their flavored roasts certified)
- Testing: Mold, mycotoxins, pesticides, and other toxins.
Review
Lifeboost Embolden dark roast makes for a delicious cup of coffee. However, I will say that it was a bit weak for my taste, but I guess it’s an excuse to give it another go-around to make sure my coffee bean to water ratio was on point.
Related Content: Lifeboost Coffee Review
Peak Performance
Peak Performance high altitude coffee is a high performance body and mind coffee for high performance individuals. Well, high performing or not, anyone can appreciate this clean, full-bodied coffee.
- Price: $22.95 for 12 oz. bag
- Roast Options: Medium and Dark Roast (whole bean and ground)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process
- Sourcing: Single origin. Grown in the Guatemalan Highlands
- Certifications: USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified.
- Testing: Mold and mycotoxins.
Review
The first sip feeling was so positive that I didn’t need any half and half. It has a deep, well-rounded flavor profile that almost converted me to drinking it black…almost.
Natural Force Clean Coffee
Natural Force Clean Coffee is a specialty grade coffee that is tested for mold, pesticides and other toxins. I love it when companies go the extra mile. The beans are handpicked by select farmers and gently roasted to maximize antioxidant compounds and health benefits.
- Price: $27.99 for 12 oz bag
- Roast Options: Medium and Dark (whole bean only)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process
- Sourcing: Single origin. Arabica beans from a Rainforest Alliance certified farm in Columbia.
- Certifications: Certified B Corp, USDA Organic, Paleo, Keto, Vegan, Single Origin, Direct Trade
- Testing: Mold, mycotoxins, pesticides, and other toxins.
Review
I tried the dark roast and it is a great tasting coffee that is bold, full-bodied with fruity notes and wait for it…I could drink it black.
Kicking Horse Coffee
Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass blend is a bold invitation to wake up. It has a sweet, smoky, and audacious flavor.
- Price: $11.99 for 10 oz. bag
- Roast Options: Light, Medium & Dark (ground and whole bean)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process
- Sourcing: 100% Arabica Beans. Grown in Indonesia, South America, Central America, Africa. Roasted in the Rocky Mountains.
- Certifications: USDA Organic, Fair Trade
- Testing: Test for mold, bacteria, and yeast
Review
I liked this dark roast blend, it has smoky notes to it, without tasting burnt. It’s bold and pairs well with half-and-half.
Purity Coffee
Purity Coffee has set the bar high from how their coffee is grown to how it is shipped and every step of the production process in between. Purity coffee is not only clean but it contains measurably high levels of Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) and other antioxidants.
- Price: $24 for 12 oz bag
- Roast Options: Medium and Dark (whole bean only)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process
- Sourcing: High-altitude, Arabica beans (Indonesia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Brazil) from farms that utilize regenerative farming techniques
- Certifications: USDA Organic, Specialty Grade, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Smithsonian Bird Friendly, Demeter Biodynamic Certified, beyond Fair Trade (typically they pay 3X or more for their coffee than the average Fair Trade coffee due to its superior quality.
- Testing: Mold, mycotoxins, pesticides, and other toxins.
Review
If you’ve read any of my other coffee posts, you know my love for Purity Coffee. It is bold and perfectly balanced in my humble opinion. It produces a perfect cup of coffee whether using an espresso machine or French press coffee maker.
First time customers can use the code GURLGONEGREEN to save 20% off their order!
Best Coffee Brands To Use In Your French Press (medium roast)
I know not everyone is going to want to use a dark roast, even though I would argue that dark roast coffee beans do work best in a French press. So, I took it upon myself to also test out medium roast coffee beans;)
Fabula
Fabula is organic, low-acid, single origin and all the things but one of its star qualities is that it is roasted right before it is shipped out. Plus, it’s one of the few coffees that offers a roast specifically for French press.
- Price: $29.99 for 12 oz bag
- Roast Options: Light, Medium, Dark, Espresso, Cold Brew, French Press, Turkish Coffee, Flavored options (whole bean and ground available for most)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process. Both Medium and Dark Roast options. Also a Half Caff option.
- Sourcing: Single origin. Arabica beans. Grown in high elevations in Central and South America.
- Certifications: USDA Organic, Vegan, Non-GMO
- Testing: Mold, mycotoxins, and other toxins.
Review
I didn’t love this coffee not because it tasted bad, but it seemed weaker than some of the other medium roasts.
Use code GGG20 to save 20% off your order!
Kion Coffee
Kion Coffee is a specialty grade coffee that is tested for toxins such as mold, yeast, and mycotoxins (my love language). I love that their coffee beans are also roasted using an environmentally-friendly smokeless roaster.
- Price: $21.95 for 12 oz. bag
- Roast Options: Medium & Dark (whole bean and ground)
- Decaf: Mountain Water Process
- Sourcing: 100% Arabica Beans. Grown in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Beans are handpicked from sustainable farms.
- Certifications: USDA Organic, Fair Trade
- Testing: Mold, mycotoxins, and other toxins.
Review
Kion Coffee didn’t disappoint. True to their brand messaging, their coffee is rich, bold, and smooth.
Use code GGG to get 10% off your order!
Kicking Horse Coffee
Kicking Horse Coffee Cliff Hanger Espresso will kickstart your morning. If you’re an espresso kind of girl, then look no further. It’s also one of the more affordable brands of organic coffee.
- Price: $11.99 for 10 oz. bag
- Roast Options: Light, Medium & Dark (ground and whole bean)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process
- Sourcing: 100% Arabica Beans. Grown in Indonesia, South America, Central America, Africa. Roasted in the Rocky Mountains.
- Certifications: USDA Organic and Fair Trade
- Testing: Mold, bacteria and yeast
Review
I enjoyed this blend in my French press, it made for a smooth, rich cup of coffee without any burnt notes.
Stumptown Coffee
Stumptown Coffee has both single origin and blends. Their blends tend to be more of a medium roast and their single origins are a lighter roast. Stumptown Coffee pioneered the Direct Trade model of sourcing green coffee.
- Price: $15.99 for 12 oz.
- Roast Options: Light, Medium & Dark (ground and whole bean)
- Decaf: Swiss Water Process.
- Sourcing: Grown in Central, South America, and Africa, and Asia.
- Certifications: USDA Organic, B Corp
- Testing: None that I could find.
Review
The Stumptown Holler Mountain blend is supposed to be creamy with notes of caramel and I’m happy to report that the notes of caramel came through with a hint of hazelnut. In general, I prefer a darker roast as my first cup of coffee, but this would make for a good second cup of coffee!
Conclusion: What Is The Best Coffee Brand To Use In A French Press?
With so many truly delicious and healthy coffees on the market today, it was a tight race. However, Purity coffee continues to win me over with the care they take in every aspect of the coffee process and its strong, balanced flavor profile is second to none. Give Purity a try and see if you don’t agree that it is the best coffee to use in a French press or really any coffee maker for that matter!
What’s your favorite coffee brand to use in your French press?
If you liked this post, check out these past posts:
- Nutribullet vs Ninja: Which blender is better?!
- A Chemex Brew Guide
- Best On-Line Organic Food Stores
I drink Kion coffee, but I’m always looking for alternatives to try. I think Purity might be up next. Thanks for this list!
Hi Brooke,
Yes, it’s so good!
Hi! My husband and I used your guide to ditch our Nespresso and set up a new coffee station. So far so good! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kathleen,
Aww thanks for commenting- love hearing that! 🙂