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Maybe it’s a dumb question, but I made French press coffee for first time using kicking horse smart ass beans, and the taste was very much like instant coffee.

It didn’t have the metallic taste you can get from instant coffee and was smoother and not bitter.

Also, the effect of the coffee was wonderful, I really felt picked up without any jittery feeling and very alert and focused.

I usually drink Tim Hortons, and I don’t get the same effect.

But, I really like the Tim Hortons flavour better. The French press coffee was very one note.

Maybe is the beans? Should I try a lighter blend? I’ll get through the ones I have now, maybe it will grow on me.

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  • After reducing the suggested 2 tablespoons beans to 1 tablespoon per cup I had a much better result! Next time I may go up just slightly on amount. I think the kettle water also muddled the flavour somewhat, I will try descale.
    – dave
    Jan 21, 2021 at 15:57
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    Coffee for a french press must be ground much coarser than other brewing methods. If you did not use a coarse grind, or have uniformity in the grind, it will not be right and may taste vastly different depending on the size of the grind you used.
    – Alaska Man
    Jan 23, 2021 at 23:03
  • @AlaskaMan thanks, I set my hario pro grinder to 15 notches (previously 11) and had a better result! I think it was the finer particles affecting the flavor.
    – dave
    Jan 25, 2021 at 14:27

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Use better coffee or adjust your recipe.

With a french press you can pretty much get the characteristics of every coffee out if you brew it properly.

If your coffee was bitter, tasted off or tasted like instant coffee, it was not the french press's fault (unless it was very dirty).

You can either try adjusting your brew recipe if you're convinced your coffee is good or you can try to find some locally roasted coffee. Search for "specialty coffee" or roasteries near you.

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