Nothing tastes good like a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning. You are in no hurry to go anywhere but make a fresh cup of coffee. For those who have espresso machines at home, lucky you because at the push of a button, the coffee is right in your cup. The taste of fresh coffee can’t be under estimated but what if you don’t have an espresso machine but you have a French press? The thing makes quality coffee but it leaves you a mess. After enjoying the coffee, you have to go back to it and clean to make sure the quality of your coffee stays constant anytime you want to use it. Any idea on how to clean a French Press Coffee Maker?
Making the coffee is not the issue here. we know you have done your research online and you are making the coffee right which is awesome. The manual also comes up with the coffee making process, how to take care of the French press and other important thing. The one thing that comes with the French press manual but it doesn’t help you is the cleaning set of instructions.
“Disassemble and wash”! can you imagine that’s it? After all the mess the French press is in and they literally tell you to just disassemble and wash? That is the whole idea but if you simply do this, the quality of your coffee deteriorates every time. This is however no cause for alarm, below, we have a well laid out plan on how to clean your French press in the shortest time possible.
Looking at how to clean ninja coffee bar, read this post here.
So you made your tasty coffee and drank it. It is now time to know how to clean the French press.
Process of cleaning a French Press Coffee Maker
Remove all the coffee grounds
This is the first step in cleaning a French press and it might sound easy but it requires care and doing it thoroughly. If you are not used to it, it can be tough and irritating. Tap the bottom of the beaker gently over the compost or garbage to get rid of a majority of the grounds.\for the ones that get stuck, use a wooden spoon or spatula to scoop the remaining bits. Using a metal spoon is risky as the beaker is made of glass and can break if you are not careful.
Disassemble and wash
This is all they tell you in the manual but no worries. We have to expound on it. Rinse the coffee plunger and the beaker of any remaining grounds. To make things easier, remove the beaker and rinse the outside and in between the press and stand.
Disassemble the French press into the separate components, the coffee plunger, lid, disks and the filter screens.
It is normal for the grounds to get trapped between the disks. Separate the disks and rinse each of them thoroughly to prevent any build up. If you feel like it, you can wash the beaker with light soap and a soft sponge to scrub. The coffee enthusiasts prefer the soap away from the French press and prefer a thorough rinse or sometimes use baking soda. This is important as it doesn’t alter the taste of the coffee. Imagine making a good cup of coffee that tastes or smells like the soap used to clean the French press. Ew!
Scrub it clean
Use a soft sponge, brush or soft cloth and scrub the French press parts gently including the filter screen and the plunger. Make sure you remove any remaining coffee residue. Once you scrub it clean, rinse each part thoroughly making sure no soap is left behind if you used any. If there is soap left stuck on the filter screen or plunger, it will spoil the taste of the coffee.
Towel dry or Air dry
Lay the separate parts of the French press carefully on a towel or drying rack and leave them standing to dry. If you prefer to get everything done, use a clean kitchen towel to dry.
Putting the French press back together
It is easier to disassemble than assemble anything in this world. Most people find it easy and amusing when disassembling but when it comes to assembling, the hard part begins.
Putting the coffee press back together is actually challenging than it looks or sounds. Begin by sliding the cleaned beaker into the holder.
Reassembling the plunger and filter screens
Locate the retaining disk and place it on a hard surface. It has a screw on it that attaches to the plunger.
Second, place the mesh filter screen on the retaining disk and the spring disk follows. Make sure from top to bottom things are in order. The spring disk, mesh filter with the retaining disk on the bottom then screw the filter and disk on the rod. The lid and rod duo should be tightly screwed onto the disk and filter. That’s it! You are now ready to use the French press to make a fresh cup of coffee.
Apart from our guide on how to clean a French press, it is always good to take care of the press. Avoid using steel brushes, hard cleaners or polishing powders.
The best way on how to clean a French press is simply doing it by hand. This is the simplest and safest way that avoids breakages and maintains the quality of coffee every time you make a cup. If you have to use a dishwasher to clean the beaker, make sure it is on top of the rack. if you use soap on the dishwasher, make sure you rinse thoroughly before the beaker dries or risk the taste of soap in your coffee. When you use your hands, you take care of the beaker in a much better way and you remove any stuck coffee grounds stuck between the filter layers. Keep in mind that cleaning a French press is easy but it also constitutes to the quality of coffee you make. It is also good to clean the press frequently and if you won’t be using it for long, clean and dry then store it disassembled.
