James Hoffmann
3 HN recommenders · recommended in 4 months, 2023–2024
3:34 · 6.2M views · Oct 2, 2016
James Hoffmann demonstrates his technique for a clean, sludge-free cup from a French press: stir, break the crust, wait, and carefully pour. It is a four-minute guide.
HN commenters swear by it as the best way to make French press coffee, and cite its 16:1 water-to-coffee ratio.
4 comments from Hacker News
Then you should probably check out Hoffmann's "ultimate french press technique" this video IMO it produces the best coffee I've ever been able to make in a french press.
I've had a lot of success with James Hoffman's method[1] for making coffee with a french press. Good coffee and with a larger french press you can make enough coffee at once for at least two people. You only need a french press and optionally a coffee grinder if you want to grind your own beans to get started. It is a bit time consuming (10-15minutes) so it may not be great for making a quick cup before leaving the house in the morning though. [1]: this video
I was also quite disappointed with my aeropress. I think it’s OK coffee just it didn’t match the hype/expectation. I find the James Hoffmann french press technique - basically stir, break the crust, and let time and gravity do the work produces a far nicer cup of coffee: this video
Obviously immersion brewing is different than percolation, but the 16g water : 1g coffee ratio is exactly what James Hoffman recommends in his "Ultimate French Press Technique": this video For OP's light medium roast (dark roast prefers cooler temps) Hoffman says high temps aren't a problem and shows hard boiling water lead to peak brewing temperatures of 90-93C: [LINK] Other youtubers have done blind taste tests and found they liked boiling water brews best with light roast coffee. Not saying your taste is wrong either, just that OP is doing things a way described as ideal by at least one coffee expert! Lots of ways to brew.