I have another method that does leave sludge at the bottom and gives a nice crema as well. The trick with the sludge is to swirl the cup as you drink it which gives a silky texture

1. Use the plunger appropriate to the amount of coffee you would like to serve i.e. 3 cup, 8 cup etc.

2. Boil the kettle

3. Pre heat the plunger and beaker

4. Discard water

5. Dispense a fingers width of medium grind (just coarse/fine enough so there is a little resistance)

6. Pour in water that is now off the boil in a circular motion. (if the grinds are really fresh it may fizz up, you will need to stop and swirl the beaker briefly)

7. Sit for three minutes with plunger on top of coffee before plunging.

8. As you pour rock the beaker so you get a bit of crema on top to give a balanced flavour.

James Carter

I think Cafiza or something similar would be the way to go. I’ve never really had a problem with build up, and usually just give the filters a good scrub once I am done drinking the coffee. The metal presses I have haven’t built up any residue but maybe there are different qualities of metal out there that may react differently?

Just noticed that you didn’t include any instructions for cleaning the press. Is there anything that you recommend?

My parents have a number of presses that are terribly abused; they never get cleaned and build up a tremendous layer of brown sludge around the filters. The metal presses seem to develop more of a stench than the glass presses. I actually scrubbed one out and brewed some Esmeralda on Xmas day. It was beautiful coffee, but even after scrubbing the press out the resultant brew tasted like … well … it was like there was a party in my mouth. And everyone was butting out their cigarettes on my tongue.

I guess that the best way to keep the press clean would be to use some espresso machine detergent and to dismantle the filters and scrub them, but I’m not sure how often and I haven’t used this technique long term.

Cheers,

Luca

There isn’t really an international standard.

The SCAA would suggest something in the region of 55-60g/litre, the SCAE would suggest 55-65g/litre and the Nordics would be 60-90g/litre. There is a huge variation in desired strength around the world.

Perhaps Anette’s Norwegian influence is upping my dose!

Nice video though.

Also, I’m in love with that scale but can’t seem to find one in the US. I’ll totally buy one if you have any extras sitting around.

I really don’t mind the sludge in the bottom. I like the heavier body and mouthfeel of unclean press coffee, but I will give the ‘clean’ a try and see how it is!

Thanks for keeping up the good work!