Fine-grind French Press - Sacrilege? Better method?

Question

I'm a longtime French press user but I've been grinding my beans finely for a few years. Espresso-fine I guess. Ground to a powder really. I much prefer the richer, more buttery, oily cup to the thinner and lighter cup you get from the prescribed coarse grind. Yes, there's always some grit at the bottom of my cup, but I'm totally fine to toss the last ounce or two of my mug for what ends up being a delicious cup of coffee.

I'm wondering two things: - if there's an additional filter or tweak I could make to my setup to minimize the grit and save those last could ounces - or if what I'm doing, brewing finely ground coffee in a French press, is sacrilege and I should really find a more appropriate brewing method such as a moka or whatever else. Again, I much prefer the consistency and oily feel of unfiltered coffee to any pourover I've ever had.

Appreciate your insight! JLR

Answer 1

I just want to preface by saying that while product recommendations are frowned upon here in general, there is a certain necessity in a stack like this where brew methods are often tightly related to brands.

There are a couple options here, the first being modifying your french press a bit and the second being a different brewer that may be easier for attaining your goal.

As B540Glenn mentioned, you can try cutting our a paper filter into a circle and putting it next to the mesh filter in your french press. This will get rid of a lot of the grittiness and a little bit of the oiliness but will keep your big body.

The second option is to try out a Clever Dripper. It combines what you seem to like about immersion brewing and combines it with a paper filter that drains into your mug when you're ready. It's a simpler and faster way of achieving what probably is a similar result to the french press with paper filter method.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Try cutting a paper filter to the size of the screen in your press, then placing it between the screen and the filter disc (with the spring).

The flow will be reduced a little but the small particles will remain in the press. You will also need to replace the paper filter with each press.

Answer 3

I would invest in a Aeropress. I understand the appeal of a french press, however the grinds seem to be ever present whenever I brew, regardless of grind size. The Aeropress seems to have the closest flavor to the French Press, that is what I did