How to Choose the Best Coffee Beans for a French Press
The French press is one of the most timeless and rewarding ways to brew coffee. There’s something wonderfully grounding about it — the slow pour of hot water, the gentle stir, the steady waiting, and finally, the press. It’s simple, elegant, and capable of producing a cup with depth and character that other brewers can’t match.
But the secret to a truly exceptional French press isn’t the press itself. It’s the beans. Choosing the right coffee beans transforms the French press from a basic kitchen tool into a gateway to rich, textured flavour. If you want a cup that’s bold, smooth, and full of personality, you need to start with the right roast, the right origin, and the right level of freshness.
Here’s how to choose the best coffee beans for a French press — and why your choice matters more than you
Think About the Flavour Profile You Want
A French press naturally produces a fuller, rounder cup because it doesn’t use a paper filter. Oils and fine particles remain in the brew, giving the coffee a deeper mouthfeel and a more robust flavour. This means certain beans perform exceptionally well in this method.
If you enjoy chocolatey, nutty, earthy, or caramel-rich flavours, you’ll find that the French press brings these qualities forward beautifully. The immersion style complements comforting, lower-acidity profiles, turning a good bean into a silky, satisfying brew that lingers warmly on the palate.
Beans that are too light or too bright can taste sharp or thin in a French press, so thinking about your preferred flavour direction helps narrow the
Choose a Medium to Dark Roast for the Best Results
Roast level is one of the biggest predictors of how your coffee will taste in a French press. Medium and dark roasts tend to shine here. They extract evenly in immersion brewing, giving you a rounded flavour with balanced sweetness and a velvety body.
Medium roasts offer a harmony of acidity and smoothness, while darker roasts amplify richness and intensity. Both are excellent choices, depending on your taste. The French press gives darker roasts a platform to express themselves with boldness, without the bitterness that can sometimes appear in faster extraction methods.
If you’re unsure where to start, a well-crafted medium roast is often the most forgiving and universally enjoyed.
Choose Origins That Thrive in Full-Bodied Brewing
Coffee origin plays a huge role in what ends up in your cup. The French press’s heavy body and oil-rich extraction pair well with certain regions known for deeper, richer flavours.
Beans from Brazil, Colombia, and parts of Indonesia often work beautifully. They tend to offer chocolate notes, nutty sweetness, and a gentle acidity that settles smoothly on the tongue. These origins complement the French press’s natural weight, creating a brew that feels complete and satisfying.
Single-origin coffee can add distinctiveness and clarity, while blends often bring balance and consistency. Both can be exceptional when freshly roasted.
Prioritise Freshness Above Everything Else
No matter the roast, origin, or tasting notes, freshness is the single most important factor in French press brewing. Since the method highlights the oils, aromas, and natural character of the coffee, stale beans become impossible to hide.
Freshly roasted beans — especially whole beans ground just before brewing — unlock sweetness, richness, and complexity. Beans sitting on supermarket shelves for months lose the oils and volatile compounds that make a French press brew shine.
This is where Procaffeinate excels. Our roast-to-order approach ensures every bag arrives at its aromatic peak, giving you a French press that tastes deeper, smoother, and more vibrant
Grind Size Matters — Even Though You Control It Later
Choosing the right beans means choosing beans that hold up well to a coarse grind. A French press requires a grind much coarser than espresso or drip. Beans that are too brittle, overly oily, or over-roasted can break down too easily, causing sediment or uneven extraction.
Fresh, high-quality beans maintain their structure during grinding, giving you even particles and a more consistent steep. This leads to a cup that’s clearer, smoother, and easier to press.
If you’ve struggled with mud-like cups or gritty texture, the beans are often the culprit — not the method.
Match Your Beans to Your Mood
The beauty of the French press is how versatile it is. The same method can produce a comforting morning coffee, a rich afternoon treat, or a slow weekend indulgence. Once you understand what flavours you enjoy, you can match your beans to your moment.
A medium roast with caramel sweetness may be perfect for everyday drinking. A darker roast with smoky cocoa notes might suit a slow, cold morning. A smooth Brazilian blend might be your go-to comfort cup. A bold Indonesian bean could be your late-week reward.
The French press gives you the freedom to choose — and the beans are your palette.
The Final Press
Choosing the best coffee beans for your French press is less about chasing the “perfect” origin and more about finding beans that complement the method’s natural strengths. Look for fresh, flavourful whole beans, ideally in a medium to dark roast, with tasting notes that align with richness and depth.
At Procaffeinate, we roast coffee specifically to help home brewers experience café-level flavour — and the French press is one of the best ways to bring those flavours to life.
