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Cafetiere & French Press Coffees

The cafetière, or French Press, is one of the most forgiving and rewarding ways to brew coffee at home. Hot water and ground coffee, left to steep, extract the oils and natural compounds that give each cup its body, richness, and depth of flavour, something espresso machines and pod systems simply cannot replicate.

Our cafetière and French press range includes single origins, house blends, and decaf, all roasted fresh to order at our Oxfordshire roastery and available pre-ground coarse, ready to brew. 

Explore our range of French Presses

What Makes Cafetière & French Press Coffee Different

The cafetière, or French press, is a full-immersion brew method, meaning the coffee steeps directly in hot water before the plunger separates the grounds. That immersion is what sets it apart. It extracts the natural oils and compounds that give each cup its body, richness, and that satisfying heavier mouthfeel you don't get from paper-filtered methods.

Most of our range is omni-roasted, so it performs just as well through a cafetière or French press as it does through filter or espresso. Medium to darker roasts tend to shine particularly well,  if you're not sure where to start, the Classical House Roast is smooth, balanced, and hard to get wrong. For something with more character, the single origins are worth exploring.

A good starting ratio is 15g of coffee to 250ml of water, steeped for four minutes. Adjust to taste from there. Pre-ground coarse is available at checkout, or if you're grinding at home, aim for something close to coarse sea salt. For a full walkthrough, our cafetière brew guide has everything you need.

Cafetiere Coffee F.A.Q's

Can I use cafetière coffee for espresso? 

We don't recommend it,  the grind size is too coarse and you won't get the extraction you need. If you want a coffee that works across both, our omni-roasted options are designed to perform well through any brew method.

What grind size do I need for a cafetière?

Coarse. Finer grinds pass through the mesh filter and make the coffee muddy and over-extracted. If you're ordering from us, just select "cafetière" from the grind dropdown and we'll sort it. If you're grinding at home, aim for a consistency similar to coarse sea salt.

How long should I leave coffee in a French press? 

Four minutes is the sweet spot. Too short and the coffee will be weak and underdeveloped. Too long and it can turn bitter. Once you've pressed, pour straight away, leaving it to sit on the grounds after pressing will keep extracting and affect the flavour.

How much coffee should I use in a French press? 

A good starting point is 15g of coffee per 250ml of water, roughly one heaped tablespoon per cup. Adjust to taste, more coffee for a stronger brew, less for something lighter.

How do I make French press coffee?

Add coarsely ground coffee to your French press, pour hot water (just off the boil, around 94°C) evenly over the grounds, and give it a gentle stir. Place the lid on with the plunger pulled up and leave to steep for four minutes. Press slowly and pour straight away.

What's the best coffee for a cafetière or French press? 

Most of our range works beautifully. If you're new to it, start with the Classical House Roast, smooth, balanced, and hard to get wrong. For something with more complexity, the single origins are worth exploring. Medium to darker roasts tend to shine particularly well.

How do I use ground coffee?

Our ground coffee can be pre-ground for convenience to work with your chosen brewing method.

From the drop down menu on each coffee page, you will have a number of options to include filter (suitable for all electric filter coffee brewers, V60, Kalita, Clever dripper), Aeropress or cafetiere which is also commonly called French Press.

Is ground coffee the same as instant?

Ground coffee consists of finely crushed coffee beans, whereas instant coffee undergoes a unique process to become soluble granules.

Whilst we can admit that instant coffee isn't always that bad—it's still coffee, technically—there's a pretty big disparity when it comes to flavour and quality, with ground coffee being the undeniable winner.

Ground coffee is the product of carefully-roasted Arabica coffee beans, which are then finely ground to varying levels of coarseness.

Instant coffee usually uses Robusta beans, which have a less rich and complex flavour profile than Arabica. After roasting, the beans are brewed into a concentrated coffee liquid. This liquid is then dehydrated to form soluble coffee granules.

How should I store my ground coffee?

Storing ground coffee properly will keep it fresh for longer.

The best way to store ground coffee is to keep it away from air, moisture, heat, and light. Ideally, you'd store your coffee in an airtight container inside a cool, dark cupboard. The container should be as small as possible so that the amount of air it comes into contact with is limited.

Please just do not put your coffee in the fridge or freezer. That's not where it belongs.

How do I dispose of my waste coffee grounds?

You can dispose of your old coffee grounds in the bin or, even better, use them in your compost or as a fertiliser for your garden. Just don't put them in the sink—they'll clog.