Illy's take on the french press

[garyscottadamson]

I was just browsing through Illy's website and it claims that when using the french press, the coffee should be pressed straight away and that there's no need to leave it. This is the complete opposite of what I believed, is there any truth in it?

4. Immediately press the coffee using a slow, downward motion. You do not need to let the brew sit before pressing. Lowering the plunger slowly with minimal pressure produces the best results. Be careful not to use too much force to push the plunger down because it could cause scalding liquid to shoot out from the spout of the pot.

The article can be found here
http://int.illy.com/int/coffee/rituals- ... &l2=4&l3=3

 

[topher]

:shock: ??? :shock: 3 to 4 minutes...if not it will look like iced tea

 

[davidsbiscotti]

It makes better sense to let it "steep" for a few minutes, then plunge.

 

[garyscottadamson]

I totally agree, but when Illy are meant to be the masters of coffee and claim to have spent "hours researching" the perfect way to do things, it's weird that they would come up with this rubbish.

I guess Illy should stick to espresso. Who would want Illy's blend in a cafetiere anyway, I'd probably stick with single origins.

 

[OldSchool]

I fully agree with Illy's suggestion.
Pushing down the plunger immediately after adding the water--without brewing/steeping produces an excellent cup of coffee.
The resulting coffee most certainly does not look like iced tea.

 

[Mzungu]

If I do what Illy suggests, MY coffee would look like iced tea so I prefer to let it brew for 4 minutes.

 

[peterjschmidt]

OldSchool, thank you for digging up this 6.5 year-old thread. Without you, I would have never known how worthless it is.