If you are passionate about coffee, you’ve got to try a French press. And if you use a French press, you’ve got to clean it properly. A clean French press delights your taste buds with the freshness of ground coffee you’ve come to enjoy.
A Commitment to Good-Tasting Coffee
Before tackling the how-to’s, we need to examine your attitude at the outset. How committed are you to fresh, pure-tasting coffee?
The only way to enjoy the tasty benefits of your French press is to clean it out after every use. Cleaning it from time to time will not get the job done.
Now that we’ve established the priority of a clean French press, let’s discuss three steps on how to clean a French press.
Clean the Carafe
Step number one is to remove the plunger from the carafe, rinse out the old grounds, and fill the carafe with water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Use a soft dish rag to wipe the inside clean of any bean residue completely, then rinse it out thoroughly and let it dry.
Clean the Plunger
Step number two is to take the plunger apart and carefully remove all the residual bean pieces. This step is critical to good, fresh-tasting coffee. If you don’t clean the plunger carefully, you have failed at reformatting your press for the next brew.
Carefully unscrew the plate and separate it from the filter. You’ll notice a dozen or more pieces of bean that have lodged into the mesh filter. You must remove each piece if you want fresh-tasting coffee. Unscrew the pieces enough to allow significant water pressure to dislodge the bean particles.
Once you’ve removed all debris, reassemble the plunger being careful not to damage the mesh. { Note:
Another trick is to keep your sudsy water in the carafe, loosen the plunger pieces, and push the plunger into the carafe, letting it sit for a few minutes, then rinsing.}
Reassemble and Prepare the Press
The final step is to dry your carafe and ensure that the plunger has been assembled correctly. Drying the carafe before putting in fresh ground beans and hot water enables the next pot to get off to a crisp start, rather than a soggy one.
Take nothing for granted. Fresh-tasting French press coffee begins with a clean press. If you love coffee, prioritize freshness over laziness.