Showerthought: My French press bitterness problem led to a brewing experiment

My French press coffee was always too bitter, and I couldn't figure out why. On one hand, I read that a super coarse grind is key to avoid sludge. On the other, some friends swear by adjusting the steep time instead. I decided to test it myself by trying different grind sizes with varying brew times over a week. I found that a medium grind with exactly four minutes of steeping gave me the smoothest cup. It was a simple fix, but it took some patience to nail down. Now I wonder which factor really matters more. What do you think? Is it all about the grind, or does timing rule your brew?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_laura3h ago

Wait, what? Only four minutes? I always thought you had to let a french press go for at least five, usually more. That seems so short to me.

the_dakota4h ago

Grind size is the real game changer. You can mess with time all day, but a bad grind ruins everything.

angelafisher2h ago

You know, I see where you're coming from, but for me, it's never been that clear cut. Like last month, I had this bag of beans that just wouldn't play nice with my usual coarse grind, no matter how long I steeped it. Switched to a medium-fine grind for three minutes and it was like a whole different coffee. So I'm starting to think the beans themselves call the shots, and we're just adjusting grind and time to match. It's less about one rule and more about listening to what each batch needs.