It's American Press Coffee Maker Brew Method

Do you remember that whole thing about Freedom Fries as a replacement name for French Fries back in the day? I had always wondered if those same people started calling their French presses, Freedom presses. Maybe they just stopped using them altogether. Rest assured, the American press we're talking about today wasn't named as a sort of political swipe. Born in Chicago and raised in Detroit, the American press aims to fix my problems with the French press by brewing a cleaner cup without the mess.  

It's American Press coffee maker brew method guide

It's American Press

I stumbled across the American Press mostly by accident thanks to the same problems the designers faced. I hate cleaning up the French press. After unsuccessfully brainstorming ways to improve the design of a French press to make the clean up process easier, I thought, "I can't be the only one who has thought about this!" As it turns out, I was right and thankfully they were smarter than me too!

In person

Fast forward a couple of weeks, my brother-in-law and fellow coffee enthusiast, mentioned that he had picked one of these up and we should use it next time we stayed with them. My sister and brother-in-law have a beautifully lit and laid out kitchen area, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a new post.

American Press Handground hand grinder Fellow kettle acaia scale coffee brew guide

Advantages of the American Press

You can think of the American Press as a sort of mixture between the Aeropress and the French press. In both visual presentation and flavor profile, it resembles the French press. While it brews using pressure and presents a clean cup of coffee like the Aeropress. You get the self-contained convenience with the foolproof brewing of the Aeropress. This combination could position the American press as a great travel brewer option.

Capacity

The only real downside to the American Press, like the Aeropress, is it's limiting capacity. Maxing out at 12oz, it makes for a great individual brewer, but would struggle to provide coffee for more than a couple people. This limiting capacity has an upside however because it means you could pretty accurately brew your coffee without a scale, consistently. Simply fill the brew basket with coffee grounds and the carafe with water to the top line and have at it.

Brewing coffee with the American Press

Brew Method

What you'll need

  • American Press
  • Coffee
  • Burr Grinder
  • Kettle for warming water

At a Glance

  • 21g Coffee
  • 336g of water @ 200°F
  • Fine Grind
    • Handground setting: 2
    • Bodum Electric setting: 8.5
    • 30 second Pre-Infusion
    • 15 second steep at each consecutive dot
    • Serve

Full Method

Prepare

  1. Start by weighing out your coffee
    • The American press holds 12oz of water, to maintain a 1:16 ratio of coffee to water, weight out 21g of coffee
  2. Heat your water to 200°F
    • If you are measuring your water precisely, be sure to add a little extra to pre-heat the press
  3. Pre-heat the American press
    • Pour an ounce or two of water into the bottom and place the lid on top
  4. Grind your coffee
    • Use a fine grind, slightly finer than that of a V60
  5. Add your coffee to the brew basket
    • If you own an Aeropress, the funnel fits the basket perfectly and makes adding the ground coffee much simpler
  6. Fill the press with water
    • Dump out your pre-heat water and add 336g of water to the press

Brew

  1. Pre-Infuse for 30 seconds
    • Place the lid on the carafe and press until liquid appears on top of the brew basket
    • Start your timer as soon as you see the liquid
  2. After 30 seconds, press to the next dot on the carafe
  3. Steep for 15 seconds at each dot
    • Using the "Lap" feature on my iPhone made this part much easier
    • Begin timing the steep when you reach the dot
    • Steep for 15 seconds half way between the last dot and the bottom as well
  4. Finish pressing
    • When the press reaches the bottom of the carafe, steep for 15 additional seconds
  5. Serve
    • You should complete brewing between 2:00 and 2:30
Serve coffee after brewing in the American Press

Final Thoughts

I found myself really impressed with the American press. The resulting coffee had a rich body with complex flavors without the dense, gritty mouthfeel you get with a French press. While clean up isn't as simple as the Aeropress or pour over, it certainly beats the French press. I highly recommend picking one of these up for yourself. If you do, let me know what you think!

As always, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or ideas for future posts below or shoot them over to me in an email.

Stay handsome.

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Equipment, RecipesKyle Sheppardamerican press, Brew Method, recipe1 Comment