If you have been tempted to add milk directly to your French Press when your coffee is brewing, but you’re not sure if it’s the right thing to do. Read this article to find out more.
So, the question is Can you Add Milk Directly to a French press? The simple answer to this would be: Yes, you can add milk directly to a French press when your coffee is brewing. But we would strongly recommend not to do so.
Adding milk to your french press directly over the coffee can ruin the entire brewing process and will result in an unevenly brewed coffee. If you decide to add milk, you will probably end up with a watery coffee drink, that will not taste good.
Let’s get into a few details to understand how does a French press works, When can you add milk to a french press, Why you cannot add milk to a french press at the start, and more.
How Does A French Press Work?
The body of a french press is called a beaker, which is where you pour your coffee grounds and hot water. On the bottom of the equipment, there is a base like a stand for the beaker. Then comes the filter, the plunger, and the lid.
The process of brewing coffee in a french press involves steeping water and coffee grounds together, it is also called immersion brewing.
The french press uses a metal mesh filter which contains really tiny holes in them. The filter is used to push down the coffee and water mixture separating the grounds from the coffee this allows the natural oils in the coffee to pass through giving the coffee a thick body.
[Also Read: How To Brew Cold Brew Coffee In French Press]
When Can You Add Milk To Your French Press?
Now, if you were to add milk directly to a french press when would be the appropriate time to do so, without ruining your coffee?
In this case, you may add milk to a french press after the initial brewing time is over which usually takes up to 2-3 minutes but before you plunge down the coffee grounds.
Adding milk after the coffee has been partially brewed, would ensure that it does not stop the extraction process.
Extraction is the process of extracting oil from your coffee and you do not end up with an unevenly brewed coffee.
If you do however end up with an unevenly brewed coffee, it will not taste good and will not give the caffeine kick you were looking for.
The traditional way, of making coffee in a french press however is to let the coffee grounds brew completely, press the filter down to separate the brew from the coffee grounds, pour the coffee into your mug, and then add milk, cream, creamers, or whatever you prefer.
Why You Should Not Add Milk To A French Press?
There are a lot of things that could go wrong when you add milk directly to your coffee.
Let’s understand what are those and why it’s best to avoid making these mistakes.
The first and most important thing that could ruin your coffee is the brewing method. When you add milk directly to your coffee it drastically reduces the temperature of the brew.
The ideal temperature for brewing coffee in a french press, to ensure that the oil in the coffee grounds is extracted properly is between 195℉ to 200℉.
While the milk starts curdling at 180℉, this can drastically impact the extraction process.
This would also make it difficult to determine if the extraction process is over until you pour the coffee and have a taste.
The second most crucial thing, when brewing coffee is the ratio of coffee grounds to water.
The real test of how your coffee is going to come out is impacted by how much water you are using.
If you intend to add milk directly to your french press, you will probably have to leave a little room for the milk. T
his could really mess up the equation of the coffee as you need enough water for the coffee grounds to sit in and sink to the bottom.
Lastly, the french press has a mesh filter that has really fine holes in it. The purpose of these holes is to separate the coffee grounds from the water.
There are really high chance that the milk fat can react with the oil in the coffee and clog the holes in the filter.
If this happens, it will be really difficult to separate the coffee grounds from the coffee.
Also, it is really important to clean your french press properly since the milk particles can develop molds if not cleaned properly.
How To Make The Perfect Cup Of Coffee Using A French Press?
By now you have probably understood that there are a lot of do’s and dont’s when making coffee. It is best to understand the correct method behind making a good cup of coffee using a french press.
Step 1
Preheating your french press is the first step in making a good cup of coffee. Take your french press beaker and swirl hot water around for a few seconds, and then throw away the water.
Step 2
The next step is to measure your coffee grounds and water. When making coffee, it is extremely important to get the ratio of coffee to water correct. In this case, for every 1 part of coffee use 15 parts water (1:15)
Step 3
Next, add coffee to the french press and slowly pour hot water. Take a spoon and give the coffee a gentle stir. Now put on the lid and set a timer for around 3 to 4 minutes and wait patiently.
Step 4
After the waiting is over, slowly press the plunger down. Make sure you have pushed it all way down, in order to stop over-extraction.
Step 5
Now pour your coffee into your coffee mug and add milk and sweetener of choice. There you have it. By, following these simple steps you have made yourself a perfectly brewed coffee.
How To Clean A French Press Properly?
Once the Coffee has been brewed and used, the next step is to ensure to clean the french press properly.
As unimportant of a thing, as this seems right now, if the french press or any other coffee equipment isn’t cleaned properly. It could result in the development of harmful bacteria and molds.
Here are a few step-by-step instructions on how to clean a french press:
1. The first step is to empty the beaker and throw away all the coffee grounds. To take out the coffee grounds do not use a metal spoon this could end up destroying the french press.
2. Next, disassemble all the parts of a french press, like the filter, lid, plunger. Run everything under tap water and ensure that any coffee grounds stuck in the filter are cleaned properly.
3. Once you have cleaned it with water add a soapy solution inside the beaker and take the plunger and press it up and down for a couple of seconds. Doing this makes the whole process easier as all the coffee grounds and the smell of coffee that has been stuck will be removed.
4. Remove everything once again take a soft sponge or a brush and rub it gently from the inside to clean it properly.
5. Finally wash it properly so that all the soapy solution and soap smell is gone.
6. The last step is to keep the individual parts on the counter or shelf to let them air dry.
7. After they are dry, reassemble them and keep them in one place for them to be ready for your next cup of coffee.
How To Froth Milk Using A French Press?
Another way, that you can make excellent use of your french press with milk is by frothing your milk for cappuccinos and lattes. It is an amazing method and something we use way too often when we are not in the mood for using an electric frother.
We go through a step-by-step guide on how to froth milk with a french press, read it here!
Final Thoughts
The final point of this article is something that we have learned from experiments and learnings is that it is extremely complicated to not follow the traditional route of making coffee and doing something else.
You may end up with a good result, but you may also end up with a wacky coffee. So to conclude we think it is better to not add milk directly to your coffee as it overcomplicates things and can take away the true essence of making coffee in a french press.
The right way, to end up with a really good coffee, is by following all the above steps to brew your coffee perfectly and then add milk. And hey, if you would like to foam milk in a french press you can do that too, just make sure to clean it properly after use.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer to this would be a big NO. There are certain methods and techniques used to brew coffee and while adding milk to a coffee maker directly may seem like an easy way but it is only going to make things harder and your coffee tastes even worse.
Although there are a lot of good french press coffee makers available in the market. The Bodum Chambord French press is quite famous amongst coffee enthusiasts.
