Best Coffee Beans for French Press

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the best coffee beans for the French press. All you have to do now is invest in high-quality coffee beans with a profile that appeals to you – and purchase them as fresh as possible.

We share seven delectable coffees for making with your French press, each one tailored to appeal to a specific type of coffee drinker. We have a selection that will make a fantastic French press coffee, whether you enjoy light or dark roasts, blends or single origins, decaf, or caffeine.

The Top 7 Coffee Beans for a French Press

The French press brewing technique works well with coffee beans of all flavor profiles and roast levels. An essential thing is to simply buy gourmet coffee beans that you like, as long as you know how to make use of a French press correctly.

Here are seven selections that are guaranteed to delight, ranging from light to dark roasts and decaf. Any of these beans may be used in a French press to make a delicious chilled coffee.

1. Whole Bean Ka’u Coffee – Best Dark Roast

Ka’u Coffee beans are frequently recognized as some of the finest in the world. They’re grown on Hawaii’s Big Island. According to Brandon von Damitz of Big Island Coffee Roasters, the island’s unique growing conditions, with towering volcanic mountains and a mild mid-Pacific climate, are ideal for producing high-end arabica beans sought by coffee connoisseurs. Ka’u coffee, including this rich dark roast from Ka’u, is exceptionally smooth. The most prominent flavor component is chocolate and nuts, especially in this darker roast, although there is a hint of island character, with notes of tropical fruit and even coconut. A surprisingly sophisticated cup for a dark roast, this is.

Ka’u Coffee is a 100 percent Ka’u coffee business. This is a major distinction since blends that contain as little as 10% Ka’u beans can be labeled as Ka’u coffee, resulting in customers being defrauded. The Ka’u Estate coffee beans go above and beyond. They’re made with 100% Ka’u coffee, yet they come from the same farm and are all of consistently high quality.

 

2. Lifeboost Medium Roast – Runner Up

The highlands of Central America have long been producing excellent Arabica coffee due to their fertile soils and ideal weather. Lifeboost’s organic coffee beans are shade-grown in the Nicaraguan mountains and free of pesticides and chemicals. They are hand-picked for purity and hand-washed to assure absolute quality control.

They’re our top selection for French press brewing since they’re known as the finest coffee beans in the world and are roasted to a well-balanced medium roast. They’re also a fantastic cold brew. The firm is so confident that you’ll enjoy them that they offer a 60-day money-back guarantee. 

Lifeboost offers both whole bean and pre-ground coffee. They also only offer one grind size, which is best used with drip coffeemakers, so if you want finely ground coffee for a French press, you’ll need to grind it yourself.

 

3. Peet’s Coffee Major Dickason’s Blend – Budget Pick

Look no further than Peet’s Coffee’s Major Dickason’s Blend for a dependable dark roast at an inexpensive price. Peet’s began in Berkeley, California, in the 1960s by Alfred Peet, and their fame was built on dark roast coffees from Europe. Major Dickason’s is their best-selling all-time. It’s tough to dispute those credentials!

Dickason’s is named for an early financial supporter of the company, and it creates a full, delicious cup of coffee that dark roast enthusiasts will adore. This crowd-pleaser is a delightful drip coffee, Moka pot, or espresso and is a fantastic way to appreciate the French press’s powers.

It has a full-bodied taste and is designed for a complex flavor profile with spicy, rich undertones. It’s great to eat black, and it withstands the addition of milk or cream, which brings out some chocolate characteristics.

As an added bonus, Peet’s online orders are ground and delivered the same day, ensuring that you receive freshly roasted beans. You may choose between whole beans and two grind levels, with the coarse grind being ideal for French press brewing.

 

4. Volcanica Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – Best Light Roast

Ethiopia is home to the coffee plant, and it continues to produce some of the finest and most distinctive coffee in the world. Ethiopian beans have a fruity or floral taste and a bright acidity, with blueberry prominent in certain of their best beans.

The Yirgacheffe from Volcanica Coffee is unique because it was produced entirely from wild coffee trees. For ages, the Arabica beans grown in the region have had floral and fruit characteristics that are unique to them, rather than anything you’ll find elsewhere. Many are so uncommon that they have no names and are labeled as “heirloom” types. The flavor of this coffee is described as lemon, blueberry, and blackberry, the region’s classic tastes. 

This light-medium roast coffee contrasts with the darker roasts associated with French press brewing. While you’ll still get the creamy texture of an immersion brew in hot water, expect more vivid tastes and a lighter body compared to the other coffee beans on this list. The fragrant richness of this coffee makes it ideal for a refreshing cold brew.

 

5. Volcanica Bolivia Peaberry – Best Medium Roast

Volcanica’s Bolivian Peaberry medium roast is a fantastic example of what a medium roast should be. It’s quite delicious, with a long finish and full cocoa taste. It’s also amazing with a touch of cream and sugar, especially if you brew it in a French press, which adds to the body and makes it seem almost like hot chocolate.

Peaberry coffee is a rare genetic variation found in approximately 5% of coffee cherries. The fruit develops only a single coffee bean, the Peaberry, rather than two coffee beans. This single coffee bean gets all of the nutrients that two beans would, resulting in a more intense flavor that appeals to coffee connoisseurs. Peaberry coffee is pricey because it is uncommon and must be handpicked, ensuring consistent quality.

 

6. Coffee Bros. Costa Rica – Best Single Origin

This coffee is quite unique. It’s not simply the greatest French press coffee available, but it also works wonderfully as espresso, drip-brewed coffee, or even iced coffee. It’s just that excellent. What makes it so unique?

Coffee Bros. Costa Rica is a micro-lot coffee, which is the most extreme form of a single origin. This coffee was created by a single grower, ensuring that only high-quality beans are included in each bag. In this instance, a father and son pair have been perfecting their trade for decades. They’re from Costa Rica and farm in the Central Valley, where many people believe some of the world’s best coffee is produced. 

The coffee beans in this bag are 100 percent arabica, as the Costa Rican government’s commitment to exporting only high-end coffee would suggest. For many years, the cultivation of lower-quality robusta coffee beans was prohibited. They’re roasted to medium doneness and then ground for a rich, full-bodied hot coffee with chocolate notes and toffee sweetness enhanced by bright lemon acidity.

 

7. Doma Bella Luna (Trade Coffee)– Best Decaf

Decaf coffee is frequently criticized for being bland and uninteresting, which isn’t necessarily a negative thing. Another approach to lessen the bitterness is to brew it with a French press, as this immersion technique naturally results in more boldly flavored beverages. Another option is to discover a roaster that takes decaf coffee as seriously as they take their caffeinated products.

Doma has arrived. Their dark roast Bella Luna decaf is as full-flavored and rich as you could want. This is one of the great brews with a rich, full body and delicious chocolate, toasted nuts, and caramel notes. Imagine the most delicious chocolate bar you can think of but in liquid form. It contains less caffeine, so you can drink it as a dessert after dinner.

The Swiss-Water method is used to decaffeinate the Bella Luna dark roasted beans. The Swiss Water Process is the most common method of decaffeination. It is not only spotless, but it also utilizes no chemicals and does not remove any of the coffee’s taste. A common issue with some of the other methods is that they eliminate flavor and caffeine.

 

Choosing the Best Coffee Beans for a French Press

The French press is one of the more forgiving brew methods available. Making French press coffee is a doddle if you avoid the following French press blunders. So, as a result, it’s an ideal method for anybody who is just getting started with excellent coffee, according to Fabiola Solano, a Costa Rican barista.

Because the French press is so flexible, it may produce an excellent brew from a wide range of coffee beans, and you are free to personalize your experience. This buyer’s guide will help you choose the finest coffee for the French press by explaining what to search for and avoid.

Roast Levels and Their Flavors

A French press is one of the most popular equipments for making coffee since it works with a wide range of bean roasts. Medium and darker roasts are usually more popular, and arabica beans are chosen for their sweeter taste.

A light roast won’t taste awful, but when you brew coffee with an immersion brewer like a French press, you’ll likely lose some of its intricacy, which many consumers enjoy about lighter roasts. Light roasts have a milder body and are typically more fruity, floral, and tea-like in flavor with zesty citrus acidity. They are typically prepared using a pour-over brewer, which improves their delicate flavor, but if you enjoy a light roast, it’s well worth trying in your French press.

Medium-roasted beans are less acidic and heavier in the body than lighter roasts. The most popular kinds of chocolate come in various flavors, including sweet ones like nuts, caramel, milk chocolate, and fresh fruit – to name just a few. They’re wonderfully brewed in a French press, adding body while enhancing sweetness.

On the other hand, some individuals may find it intimidating and prefer a medium roast. However, if you prefer a coffee that coats your mouth with strong tastes – like a dark roasted bean in a French press – you’ll love it. Dark chocolate, molasses, earthiness, smokiness, toasted nuts, and dried fruit are the most popular flavors.

Does The Origin Matter?

In general, no, the coffee-producing region can generate wonderful French Press brewable coffee beans. However, certain areas are recognized for having unique flavor profiles and high-quality coffee beans that are more reliable. If you’re stumped as to where to begin, hunting for a specific origin may be an excellent method to discover a new favorite coffee. Here’s a rough guide to what you can expect from each growing area.

The most popular style is washed or wet-processed coffees from Latin America, which have a chocolate, fruit, and nut taste. Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, and Guatemala are well-known for producing high-quality coffee. 

Coffee beans from eastern Africa are more recognized for fruity, floral, tea characteristics, and wine-like acidity. They can be wet or dry-processed, and their tastes are often complex and delicate, making them ideal for light or medium roasting. Ethiopia and Kenya are two of the most renowned producing countries.

Sumatra’s coffee has an earthy flavor and a thick body, owing to the wet growing circumstances in the region. Sumatran beans are often roasted to medium or dark, and they’re a popular ingredient in the mix because of their richness, which works well in both a French press and an espresso machine.

Whole Bean Or Pre-Ground Coffee?

We highly advise buying and grinding whole bean coffee as quickly as feasible before brewing, just like we always do. The shorter the time between grinding and brewing, the more flavorful the cup, as ground coffee deteriorates more rapidly than whole bean coffee. Fresh coffee beans are always superior.

This guidance, of course, assumes you have a fantastic French press grinder. If you don’t have a grinder or just have a blade grinder, buying pre-ground coffee is a superior choice.

Many businesses grind their coffee beans to a grind size that is similar to that of a drip brewer, which is somewhat more delicate than French press coarse ground coffee. Although you may use fine coffee grounds for the French press, you must adjust the brew time to avoid over-extraction, which might result in harsh or murky tastes. The fine grind yields more silt, which trickles through the mesh filter and into the coffee cup. Some people, however, find this flavor desirable.

Many top roasters and distributors, including Peet’s and Volcanica, provide the option of selecting a grind size depending on the brewing technique. To suit your preferences, they’ll prepare coffee grinds with a fine or coarse texture. Look for this if you need to purchase pre-ground coffee and prefer coarse ground coffee in your French press.

The Verdict

When it comes down to it, the best beans for any brewing process are determined by your personal preferences and taste profiles. We’re here to bias your selection in favor of higher-quality coffee beans. This list consists of only arabica beans grown in some of the world’s top coffee-producing areas, all of which promise an excellent French press brew.

We recommend the Koa Estate 100% Kona Coffee for an all-around crowd-pleaser. These world-class beans contain delicious chocolate and nuts with a silky mouthfeel. Look no further for high quality for a low price than the dark-roasted Peet’s Major Dickason’s blend, which is packed with the characteristics of dark chocolate, toasted almonds, and caramel.

FAQs

Q.1 Why is French press coffee so good?

Rich, Delicious Taste, Because a French press does not employ a paper filter, more of the oils present in the coffee bean are absorbed into the drink. The oils give the coffee its flavor; therefore, they are also a component in distinguishing one variety from another (beans from Guatemala vs. Kenya, for example).

Q.2 Is it true that French press coffee raises my cholesterol?

Yes, French press coffee can cause your LDL cholesterol levels to rise. This is because the metal filter retains more coffee oils than a paper filter in the final drink. However, since the impact is minor, this should not be an issue unless you have a pre-existing problem with high cholesterol.

Q.3 Is it possible to use a paper filter in a French press?

A paper filter can also be used in a French press. A French press coffee brewed with a paper filter is an excellent alternative if you enjoy the full flavor of an immersion brew but don’t want the oily mouthfeel of metal-filtered coffee. Alternatively, the Clever Dripper is a device that produces this same result.

Q.4 What’s the finest French press coffee maker?

According to our team of specialists, the Frieling Stainless Steel French Press is the most delicate French press coffee maker. Function, style, and affordability are all nearly perfect in this near-perfect package. When used with excellent coffee, any of the French presses on our list will result in a delicious brew.

Q.5 Which French press keeps coffee warm the longest?

We conducted over 30 hours of study and testing to determine that the SterlingPro – Double-Wall French Press is the market’s most refined French press coffee maker. It keeps coffee hotter for longer than any other French press we’ve ever tested, thanks to its double-wall insulation.

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