How to easily brew the perfect cup of coffee

© Bodum

Text: Benjamin Native Studio

Does your coffee taste as good as it could? A great coffee can be easily brewed at home and if you do it right, you can obtain many delicious flavours by using the classic coffee press.

The shortcut to the perfect cup of coffee is simple: Good coffee beans, a glass jug, a steel filter and freshly boiled water. That’s all it takes. No paper filters or capsules. Nothing superfluous.

One of the favourite ways to brew coffee in Danish homes is already by using the coffee press - and for good reason. It is one of the most sustainable brewing methods, and when you brew without a filter, the coffee preserves the natural oils from the beans, giving it a more rounded flavour. 

It can hardly go wrong - but the coffee will be perfect if you follow this guide.

GUIDE:

Brew the perfect coffee using the coffee press

1

Always brew with freshly ground coffee. Buy fresh coffee beans where you know the expiry date if you want to have the best starting point. Grind the beans coarsely.

Tip: If you are going to grind the beans yourself, invest in a good coffee grinder with a conical steel grinder. If you find small stones in the coffee, the grinder will not be destroyed.

2

Dissolve the freshly ground beans in the coffee press. Add 7 g of coffee per cup. Coffee nerds use scales for a complete accuracy.

3

Only use freshly drawn tap water and pour it over the beans half a minute after it has boiled. The optimal temperature is approx. 94 - 96 degrees. Stir with a plastic or wooden spoon and remove the foam on top of the coffee as this gives a slightly bitter taste. Wait to put the lid on.

4

Let the coffee brew for four minutes and put the lid with the piston over the jug. Press the piston down to the bottom. Voila! The perfect ‘French press’ slow coffee is ready for serving.

Tip: If the press is difficult or hard to press down, it is because something is wrong. The coffee beans might be ground too fine and a plug might have formed in the piston. Another reason might be that the piston needs to be cleaned with soap and water. The coffee beans are full of oils, and this oil can also form a shell/plug in the piston.

100
million

The Chambord French coffee press has almost become the icon of Danish Bodum. Over 100 million have been sold worldwide and it is exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Slow coffee brewing methods, like the coffee press, are growing in popularity right now and the enthusiasm around brewing the perfect cup of coffee is extending from the coffee bars into the Danish kitchen.

There are more and more who appreciate the actual ritual of brewing the coffee as Slow Brew because it provides a small, needed break in everyday life. In addition, many Danes have a desire to live more sustainably in their everyday life, and there too, the coffee press can also contribute because you brew without the use of coffee filters.

That’s how the coffee press got its name

The famous coffee press from Bodum is called Chambord - named after Chateau Chambord in France. The design of the coffee press is inspired by the towers of the castle.

The perfect cup of coffee can provide a better start to the day, offer refreshment in the afternoon or for a convivial gathering with family and friends. Have you thought that some of the best conversations often take place over a cup of coffee?

But coffee is not just coffee. There are many different brewing methods and tricks you can try until you find the combination that makes the coffee taste perfect for you.

Why it is called “coffee”

The word coffee comes from the Arabic word qahwa. The cultivation of coffee began in the Kaffa province of Ethiopia. From here, it came to Yemen through the port of Mocha.

Brew coffee with taste

A classic coffee maker with filter takes the natural oils out of the coffee. This can leave a bitter taste. By brewing without a filter, as with a coffee press, the oils are preserved and the coffee has a more rounded, pleasant taste.A good cup of coffee has been always been the aim of Danish company, Bodum, since the beginning of 1944, when Britta and Peter Bodum founded the company. You must be familiar with the Bodum Chambord French coffee press which is now to be found at the Museum of Modern Art and in countless homes around the world - in 55 countries, to be precise. Bodum is still family-owned, with son Jørgen Bodum at the helm.

Make taste, not waste

The same applies for Bodum and for all coffee makers from the early days to today: Good coffee beans, a glass jug, a steel filter and freshly boiled water. These are all that is needed to brew the world’s best cup of coffee. No paper filters or capsules. Nothing superfluous.