You want to know what the best coffee for french press is, and here’s my answer!
I’ve used my experience as a head barista and coffee shop manager to help you find the best coffee for French press. You’re going to love the options I found.
From my research, I’ve found that Volcanica’s Costa Rica Peaberry Coffee is the best coffee for French press. It’s got a delicious taste, it packs a punch, and its sustainably sourced. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do.
Every person’s tastes and preferences are different though, so I’ve put together these reviews for other coffees that are also great for French press.
Let’s get to it!
The best coffees for French press are
- Volcanica – Costa Rica Peaberry Coffee (Overall Best Coffee for French Press)
- Driftaway Coffee – Honduras Copan Finca Terrerito (Best Coffee for French Press that’s Eco-Friendly)
- Death Wish Coffee – Dark Roast (Best Coffee for French Press with High Caffeine)
- Spirit Animal Coffee – Catuai & Lempira (Best Coffee for French Press for Fair Trade)
- Lifeboost – Medium Roast (Best Coffee for French Press with Low Acidity)
- La Colombe – Bleu Organic (Best Coffee for French Press for Taste)
- Ethical Bean – Decaf (Best Coffee for French Press for Decaf)
Volcanica – Costa Rica Peaberry Coffee
Overall the best coffee for French Press
- Roast Profile: Medium Roast
- Tasting Notes: Honey, Lemon, and Almond
- Origin/Blend: Single Origin from Costa Rica from the Aquiares Estate
- Organic: Not listed
- Eco-friendly: Yes
- Fair Trade: Not listed
- Site Experience: 5/5
- Purchasing options: Choice of bag size. Choice of whole bean or ground for drip, espresso, or French press.
What we like:
- Good taste
- Light body with pleasant acidity
- Rainforest Alliance Certified
- Reasonably priced
Things to consider:
- The flavor might not be bold enough for some
I found the Costa Rica Peaberry Coffee to be very smooth with a light body and nice acidity. This coffee packs a bright acidity, with tasting notes of honey, lemon, and almond.
Peaberry coffee beans are a natural mutation of the coffee plant that occurs when the coffee cherry only produces one seed instead of the usual two. This results in a smaller, more dense bean. So you get a richer flavor that you’ll absolutely love.
The Costa Rica Peaberry Coffee is from the Aquiares Estate located in the Tres Rios region near the pacific coast. This traceability, and the fact that the coffee is shade-grown and Rainforest Alliance certified, means that you can be confident in its sustainability and eco-friendliness.
The service and site experience is great, with clear instructions on how to brew the perfect cup of coffee. The only drawback is that I could not find any information on whether the coffee is fair trade or not.
With 4.4/5 stars based on over 2000 reviews, the overwhelming majority share our belief that this is a great coffee, especially for your French press.
Overall, I highly recommend this coffee to anyone looking for a delicious and sustainable option.
Driftaway Coffee – Honduras Copan Finca Terrerito
Best coffee for French Press that’s eco-friendly
- Roast Profile: Medium Roast
- Tasting Notes: Nutty, Brown Sugar, Milk Chocolate
- Origin/Blend: Single Origin from Honduras – Finca Terrerito Farm
- Certifications: USDA Organic, Con Manos de Mujeres, Bird Friendly, and Fair Trade USA
- Organic: Yes
- Eco-friendly: Very
- Fair Trade: Yes
- Site Experience: 5/5
- Purchasing options: Choice of bag size. Choice of whole bean or grind size for various coffee-making methods, including French press.
What we like:
- 87/100 cupping score
- Superior quality and taste
- Responsibly sourced and traceable
- Great reviews and service
Things to consider:
- It’s not the most forgiving coffee for beginners
This is a coffee with a medium body and light acidity. It has a nutty flavor with notes of brown sugar and milk chocolate. If you want great, deeper flavors without much acidity, then this is for you.
The coffee comes from the Finca Terrerito Farm, which means that it’s USDA organic, Bird Friendly, and Fair Trade.
Suppose it’s important to you to know where your coffee comes from and that it’s responsibly sourced. In that case, you’ll appreciate that this company is focused on traceability and carbon-neutral cultivation methods.
The service is fantastic and you get to choose the size of your coffee bag and what grind size you want. They’re super responsive to their customers, so you shouldn’t get any headaches dealing with them.
Don’t take my word for it though. They’ve received lots of positive social praise, including positive reviews from The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Food Network, and the likes.
If big names like that (and little ol’ me) say such great things, then you know that you’re getting a great coffee!
I definitely recommend this coffee to someone who is looking for a high-quality, eco-friendly and Fair Trade option.
Death Wish Coffee – Dark Roast Coffee
The best coffee for French Press with high caffeine
- Roast Profile: Dark Roast
- Tasting Notes: Chocolate and Black Cherry
- Origin/Blend: Blend
- Organic: Yes
- Eco-friendly: Not listed
- Fair Trade: Yes
- Site Experience: 4/5
- Purchasing options: Choice of bag size. Choice of whole bean or grind size for various coffee-making methods, including French press.
What we like:
- Great flavors with a smooth finish
- High caffeine content
- Organic and fair trade
- Great customer service
Things to consider:
- Some might find the caffeine content too high
Death Wish’s Dark Roast coffee is rich with bold chocolate and black cherry flavors. This is perfect for you if you want a strong cup of coffee.
On top of that, Death Wish produces coffee with a high caffeine content, while maintaining a smooth body. If you’re looking for something with all the kick and flavor, without the harsh astringency, this is for you.
It’s also Organic and Fair Trade, making it a good choice for those who only want to consume organic food and drink.
The only downsides are that it’s unclear if the coffee is eco-friendly, and they don’t tell you what the blend is made up of. So this is something to consider before purchasing.
The site experience is super engaging and visual while being user-friendly. They have a clear purchasing process and provide options for different bag sizes and grind size types.
Spirit Animal Coffee – CATUAI & LEMPIRA
The best coffee for French Press for Fair Trade
- Roast Profile: Medium
- Tasting Notes: Citrus, Honey, Sweet fruit, Floral
- Origin/Blend: Marcala, Honduras (1,600m)
- Organic: Yes
- Eco-friendly: Very
- Fair Trade: Yes
- Site Experience: 4/5
- Purchasing options: Choice of whole bean or ground.
What we like:
- Incredible taste – 87/100 cupping score
- Traceable coffee
- Responsibly-sourced and cultivated
- Premium coffee
Things to consider:
- This coffee might be too pricey for everyday drinking
This coffee is grown by Yuliana Hernandez in Honduras, whose attention to detail and passion for the craft has resulted in this incredible coffee. This is a great, premium coffee for you if you want to treat yourself.
Overall, this is an excellent coffee with distinct and pleasant citrus, honey, sweet fruit, and floral notes. You’ll love the rich flavor and complexity of this coffee; it’s definitely worth trying!
The website is clearly intended for those with more coffee knowledge. So using their website as a novice coffee-enthusiast may seem a bit intimidating to some.
Also, something to keep in mind, this coffee is of premium quality, so it might seem a bit pricey and probably won’t be an everyday coffee for most.
Yuliana has a strong passion for responsibly cultivated and sourced coffee, which is reflected by the coffee farm’s USDA Organic and Fair Trade certifications. By indulging in this coffee, you’re also helping the environment and the coffee industry.
Lifeboost – Medium Roast
The best coffee for French Press for low-acidity and health
- Roast Profile: Medium
- Tasting Notes: Port wine, Grapefruit, Vanilla bean
- Origin/Blend: Nicaragua
- Organic: Yes
- Eco-friendly: Yes
- Fair Trade: Yes
- Site Experience: 3.5/5
- Purchasing options: Choice of whole bean or ground.
What we like:
- Mild flavor
- Low acidity coffee
- Healthy coffee that’s endorsed by doctors
- Shade-grown and fair trade
Things to consider:
- Some may find this coffee not very exciting to drink
This single origin coffee by Lifeboost is from Nicaragua, so you’ll love the tasting notes of port wine, grapefruit and vanilla bean.
The roast profile is medium, which makes it perfect for those who are new to coffee or looking for something less serious.
Lifeboost coffee is Fair Trade, shade-grown and processed in an eco-friendly manner.
To top it all off, their special processing methods make it a healthy, low acid coffee endorsed by doctors. This is coffee for you if you’re sensitive to acidity in coffee or if you’re looking for a healthy coffee.
Thousands of customers advocate for the great taste, but some were left wanting more of an experience. So if you are looking for an interesting cup of coffee, this might not be it.
The site experience was good and I was able to easily find what I was looking for. Although, it’s quite sales-ey which can put some people off.
The other downside is that there aren’t many purchasing options, and you can’t specify the grind size that you want when you order.
La Colombe – Bleu Organic
The best coffee for French Press based on taste
- Roast Profile: Dark
- Tasting Notes: Cocoa, Macadamia, Sweet Cream
- Origin/Blend: Blend – Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru
- Organic: USDA Organic
- Eco-friendly: Yes
- Fair Trade: Informed trade
- Site Experience: 4/5
- Purchasing options: Choice of bag size. Choice of whole bean or grind size for various coffee-making methods, including French press.
What we like:
- Perfectly-executed coffee blend
- Delicious tasting notes
- Great everyday coffee
- Reasonably priced
Things to consider:
- More experienced coffee drinkers may find this coffee a bit generic
Now here’s an example of a perfectly executed coffee blend. The Bleu Organic coffee from La Colombe is made up of coffees from Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru.
The roast profile is dark, and the tasting notes are cocoa, macadamia, and sweet cream. This combination of flavors is great for everyday coffee drinking and is reminiscent of a lovely Sunday afternoon sweet treat.
It’s USDA Organic, Eco-friendly and Informed trade, making it one of those coffees that you can enjoy while knowing that the environment and farmers are being looked after.
What I loved about La Colombe’s website is the choice of bag size and grind size for different coffee-making methods. This is something that I think more roasters should offer, as it takes the guesswork out of choosing the right grind size for your preferred brewing method.
All in all, a great coffee blend that is perfect for those who want an easy-drinking, everyday coffee.
Ethical Bean – Decaf
The best coffee for French Press that’s decaf
- Roast Profile: Dark
- Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Molasses, and Caramel
- Origin/Blend: Blend
- Decaf Method: Mountain Water Process
- Organic: Canada Organic Certified
- Eco-friendly: Yes
- Fair Trade: Yes
- Site Experience: 4/5
- Purchasing options: Choice of whole bean or ground. Choice of whole bean or ground.
What we like:
- This decaf coffee actually tastes great!
- Super sustainable and eco-friendly
- They run a recycling rewards program that’s linked to a charity of your choice
Things to consider:
- Some customers find the flavour to be a bit too weak
Now this is a decaf that knows how to party! Ethical Bean’s Decaf is a dark roast with rich chocolate, molasses, and caramel flavors. It’s a great coffee for you if you want the richness of a dark roast without the caffeine.
The caffeine is removed using the Mountain Water Process, which is one of the methods that retains almost all of the original flavor of the beans during decaffeination. This means that, unlike other decafs, you’ll actually enjoy the taste of this one.
Ethical Bean, as the name suggests, focuses on being ethically sourced. So they’re certified Organic and Fair Trade.
They also have a coffee bag recycling program that upcycles used coffee bags into things like park benches. If that’s not enough, this recycling program also awards you credits which can be used towards a donation to a charity of your choice!
If you ever wanted to give back in a huge way by doing something as easy as drinking your morning coffee, then this is the coffee for you!
You’d think with all the benefits that this would be an expensive coffee, but it’s actually super reasonably priced.
How to buy the best coffee for French press
It’s easy to become overwhelmed when looking for the best coffee for French press. I’ve got you covered with this buying guide.
Roast profile for French press
When it comes to which is the best coffee for French press, we can’t ignore the roast profile. Usually a medium to medium-dark roast delivers better tasting French press coffee.
If you prefer to go for a lighter roast, you’ll be rewarded with more acidity and nuanced flavors. The only downside is that the delicate flavors of the light roast could be muddied during the immersive brewing process.
Grind size for French press
If you’re starting out your French press journey, I suggest starting out with a coarse grind setting.
Choose any of the coffees above and ask for them to be ground coarse before shipping. That’s the easiest way to get the best coarse ground coffee for french press.
Once you’ve found the best coffee for French press and you grow more accustomed to the French press, you could experiment with a finer grind size. I’ve found a medium to medium-coarse grind size is best for French press coffee.
If you don’t have a grinder, you should be able to request the online coffee store to grind the coffee for you before shipping. Or you should be able to grind the coffee at your local supermarket.
Origin and tasting notes for French press coffee
Origin refers to the place where the coffee was grown. If you’re looking for the best coffee for French press, then yes it matters.
The coffee’s origin is what gives it its unique flavor and aroma, and it’s usually a good indicator of what your coffee is going to taste like.
If you want to keep it simple, just stick to a blend. A blend is coffee from different origins expertly mixed together for you by the roaster.
You don’t need to memorize each origin though, I’ve created this table for you. Bear in mind that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all, and the best way to tell what a coffee tastes like is to try them all!
Central America
| Costa Rica | Clean and sweet flavor profile with a slight acidity. Tasting notes of stone fruit, brown sugar, honey, grape and citrus. |
| Nicaragua | Medium to smooth body with a distinct mild acidity. Tasting notes of chocolate, caramel, vanilla and citrus. |
| Guatemala | Sweet and sometimes smoky with a medium to full body. Tasting notes of chocolate, toffee and apple. |
South America
| Brazil | Low in acidity, smooth in body with sweet flavors. Tasting notes of nuts and bittersweet cocoa with hints of caramel. |
| Costa Rica | Well balanced with a medium body and mild acidity. Tasting notes of honey, grape, citrus, molasses and nuts. |
| Colombia | Medium-bodied with a rich mouthfeel and citrus-like acidity. Tasting notes of nuts, chocolate, caramel and citrus fruits. |
| Peru | Smooth and mellow, mild acidity and light body. Tasting notes of vanilla, stone fruit and citrus. |
Africa
| Ethiopia | Complex flavor and strong aroma with great acidity. Tasting notes of blueberry, jasmine flower, lemon, cocoa, bergamot |
| Kenya | Vibrant and crisp with a tartiness similar to tomatoes and blackcurrants. Tasting notes of grapefruit, blackcurrant, pepper and blackberry. |
| Rwanda | Delicate and acidic with citrus aroma. Tasting notes of fruit and floral, blackcurrant, berry, orange and lemon |
Asia
| Sumatra | Full-bodied earthy coffee with a syrupy mouthfeel and subdued acidity. Tasting notes of hard herbs, pepper, licorice and chocolate |
| Papua New Guinea | A smooth and sweet coffee with a medium body and moderate acidity. Tasting notes of molasses, caramel, herbs and dark berries. |
Roast date
When choosing the best coffee for French press, you should always consider the roast date. Roast date is the date that the green beans were roasted.
The general rule of thumb is to use coffee that was roasted within the last two weeks. This can of course be extended if you’re storing your coffee well, but the coffee won’t taste as good.
As tempting as it may be, don’t make coffee on the same day it was roasted.
Roasted coffee needs to sit for at least two days before you use it. This gives the coffee time to release the gasses that were built up during the roasting process.
Packaging and sizes
If you’re the only one drinking coffee, you should order a size that will last you about two weeks. Of course this depends on how many cups of coffee (and how big your cups are!) you drink a day.
Don’t worry, here’s a beautiful chart to help you! This is based on using about 16g of ground coffee to make 250g (12oz) of French press coffee.
So, if you’re a heavy coffee drinker, you may want to opt for the bigger bag.
And don’t forget, you’ll probably end up making extra coffee when others start to smell the beautiful aromas coming from your French press!
Environmentally-friendly coffee
Just like any other industry, coffee production has an impact on the environment.
Coffee production is being made more sustainable by:
- using better crop management and water-use practices
- using natural methods instead of pesticides
- fertilizing with composted coffee bean waste
Those are just a few ways, and that’s just scratching the surface.
To make your coffee consumption more sustainable and eco-friendly, look for the following labels on the coffee bag:
- Rainforest Alliance Certified
- Farms are audited based on a number of criteria, including biodiversity, protecting the health of soil and water, waste management, etc.
- This certification also promotes better living and working conditions for employees, gender equality, and education access for children from farming communities.
- The certification aims to help farmers improve their livelihoods and the land, helping them build a more financially secure future.
- Shade Grown
- If coffee is labeled “shade-grown,” it means that a farm uses traditional coffee farming methods.
- These farms feature native trees that create a natural canopy over the area where the coffee bushes are being cultivated.
- Shade-grown coffee helps boost biodiversity, it helps prevent soil erosion, and it acts as a carbon sink. Not to mention providing homes for a variety of birds.
- Organic
- Organic coffee farms are banned from using synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
How to make French press coffee
So you’ve got the best coffee for French press, so here’s a quick guide on how to make the best French press coffee of your life.
What? You still don’t have a French press? Here’s a great French press for you.
What you’ll need:
- a French press
- 30 grams freshly ground coffee
- 500 grams filtered water
- A digital scale
- A plastic or wooden spoon
Preparation:
- Grind your coffee to a medium coarseness while your water is boiling away. Then, add the coffee to your brewing chamber.
- Once your water has boiled, pour it over your coffee. Make sure that all the coffee is saturated.
- Let the coffee sit for 3 minutes. Don’t stir it. Don’t touch it. Just let it sit.
- After 3 minutes, break the crust and stir the coffee. Most of the coffee particles will sink to the bottom. Use a tablespoon to carefully remove the foam and finer coffee particles from the top of the water.
- Wait for another 5 minutes. Again, don’t do anything. At this stage, the coffee is being extracted, while the coffee particles settle on the coffee bed.
- Insert the plunger and place the filter just on top of the surface of the coffee. There’s no need to plunge as this will just disturb the coffee bed.
- Pour your coffee and enjoy.
The Verdict
French press is versatile, and finding coffee that tastes great, is sustainably sourced and reasonably priced can be a challenge.
You deserve something with a kick, and while you’re at it, that’s also good for the environment.
It’s for all those reasons that I strongly recommend Volcanica’s Costa Rica Peaberry Coffee as the best coffee for French press.
