Best Coffee Beans for French Press (Make Outstanding Coffee)

The French press method is one of the most popular methods for preparing coffee. It is simple and doesn't require power.

Depending on the geographic location, French presses are sometimes referred to as cafetières, coffee presses, or coffee plungers.

But regardless of your location, I've found some of the best coffee beans to make outstanding coffee with a French press.

In this article, I'll explain why I consider these coffee beans to be among the best for the French press and give a step-by-step tutorial on how to make outstanding coffee at home.

Let’s go over the best coffee for French press!

8 best coffee beans for French press in 2026

Let's take a look at some of the best coffee beans for French press coffee and why I recommend them:

1. Stone Street Colombian Supremo

Stone Street's Colombian Supremo coffee beans are an ideal partner for your French press. Their sweet notes of cocoa, berries, and caramel offset the high acidity level.

Although this blend is a light roast, it's surprisingly bold-tasting with subtle bitterness.

The robustness of this coffee bean is best appreciated when prepared with a French press, making it an excellent option for all-day coffee drinking, as it has a clean and smooth taste.

2. Intelligentsia Coffee Frequency Blend

If you're looking for a general-purpose coffee bean that you can use all day and serve to guests, this variety is your best bet.

Its chocolatey taste profile and a mild hint of molasses make it an incredibly drinkable coffee type that won't overwhelm you with bitterness if prepared in a French press.

The frequency blend is a single-origin coffee blend from Brazil, and its flavors change somewhat according to the season.

However, you can always expect a smooth coffee-drinking experience with very little bitterness from this medium-roasted bean.

3. Mystik Monk Coffee Beans: Paradiso Blend

If you enjoy trying unique coffee from exciting brands, I suggest Mystik Monk Coffee Beans.

These coffee beans are lovingly prepared and packaged by monks living in Wyoming, and the Paradiso blend is their most popular variety.

This medium roast blend offers a smooth hazelnut flavor with subtle hints of orange zest, dark chocolate, and raisins.

These hints become more pronounced the longer you brew the grounds in a French press.

4. Caffe Vita Bistro Blend

Caffe Vita's Bistro Blend works incredibly well with a French press, as the medium to dark roasted beans yield a robust, smoky, and full-bodied taste that's not too intense.

Apart from the smoky overtones, this Indonesian, South American, and East African coffee blend offers delicious notes of caramel, baking chocolate, and almonds.

These sweet notes perfectly balance the smokiness, making it an ideal coffee type for the mornings or when you want to enjoy something soothing but strong.

5. Onyx Coffee Lab Ethiopia Kercha

Onyx Coffee Lab is an American coffee roaster that prides itself on its small batches of hand-roasted coffee beans.

Their Ethiopia Kercha variety is excellent for preparing with a French press, producing a smooth-tasting coffee with low acidity.

After allowing your coffee grounds to brew for approximately four minutes, you'll taste the unique notes of Earl Grey, vanilla, blackberry, and blood orange.

This is a light to medium roast coffee bean, but it's well-suited for the French press method, as its flavors emerge robustly when prepared in this way.

6. Bulletproof Coffee French Kick

As a strong, rich, and slightly acidic coffee blend, Bulletproof's French Kick coffee beans are dark-roasted and ideal for those who enjoy bold-tasting coffee.

Despite its robustness, the flavor profile is simple. Smoke and chocolate notes complement each other in a balanced way.

When you prepare it in a French press, the result is a strong but clean-tasting cup of coffee.

7. Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend

Peet's Coffee is incredibly popular in Berkeley, California, where they sell their iconic Major Dickason's blend, a dark roasted bean that's full of flavor.

This premium blend is a combination of hand-selected coffee beans from the Indo-Pacific and the Americas.

Major Dickason's Blend fans often comment that the coffee’s taste profile is incomparable to any other they've tasted, making it worth trying at least once.

Preparing it in a French press yields a bold-tasting coffee with earthy, spicy notes that blend with subtle hints of citrus and berry.

8. Lifeboost Coffee Medium Roast

Lifeboost coffee medium roast coffee beans are single-origin beans from Nicaragua, offering a rich body and low acidity.

When you prepare these coffee grounds in your French press, you'll enjoy smooth-tasting coffee with very little bitterness.

Furthermore, it allows the fruity, chocolatey, and slightly smoky undertones to emerge.

Using the French press method

Using a French press at home is an excellent idea if you want a fuss-free and easy way to prepare coffee.

It's a manual method; thus, no electricity is required. Rather, the glass container contains a plunger-like coffee strainer.

You add coffee grounds to hot water, allow the coffee to brew, and gently press the plunger down to separate the grounds.

French presses are available in different sizes, including options for single cups. Their simplicity, along with this variety, makes the French press one of the most versatile and popular brewing methods.

For a French press, use coarsely ground coffee beans. Coarse grounds prevent coffee flavor over-extraction, which can lead to excessive bitterness.

Unlike finer grounds, they won't float up into the coffee after you've depressed your coffee plunger.

Additionally, the best coffee beans for the French Press are typically medium to dark roasted.

With their full-bodied taste profile and flavor, you'll be able to appreciate the floral and fruity notes when they're coarsely ground.

Finally, using freshly ground coffee beans is also essential, as they burst with flavor that will emerge after you have prepared your coffee.

How to make outstanding coffee at home using a French press

You can make amazing coffee using the brief how-to guide listed below, or you can check out the complete article on how to brew coffee with the French press here.

If you’re looking for a way to brew French press coffee without the sludge at the bottom of your cup, consider the James Hoffmann method here.

Here's how to make French press coffee at home in 6 easy steps:

1. Spoon some coarsely ground coffee into your French press

Using coarsely ground coffee beans with a French press is vital as the extraction process is longer, and coarser grounds prevent over-extraction and bitterness:

Unlike finely ground coffee beans, coarse grounds don't tend to float back up when you depress your plunger and end up in your coffee mug.

2. Use the correct coffee to water ratio

Aim for a coffee-to-water ratio between 1:14 and 1:16 (or 2 to 2.5oz/60 to 70g of coffee per 33 oz/1 liter of water).

You can always add less or more coffee grounds if you prefer weaker or stronger coffee, but this is a handy guideline.

3. Add freshly boiled water to the coffee grounds

After pouring freshly boiled water into your French press, wait about 35 seconds and gently stir the coffee mixture to promote even extraction of the coffee.

When the coffee grounds have sunk to the bottom of the beaker, it's a sign that the coffee is brewing.

4. Let your coffee brew for four minutes

To achieve optimal flavor results from a perfect coffee extraction balance, allow your coffee to brew for approximately four minutes.

Notably, it's just as easy to rush this step as it is to drag it out. Just be sure to keep a close eye on the clock, or better yet, set a timer.

5. Gently push the plunger down

Once you're happy that your coffee has brewed sufficiently, gently and slowly depress the plunger into the beaker.

Avoid being too rough or fast, as this can accelerate the coffee extraction, resulting in coffee that's too bitter.

The process is complete when the plunger reaches the bottom of the beaker.

6. Pour out the coffee

Although most of the coffee extraction has now happened because the coffee has been separated from the grounds, it's a good idea to pour your coffee out, as it may still extract a little and bring out more bitterness or sour notes.

Coffee consists mostly of water, so if you don't like the tap water in your area, consider preparing your coffee with bottled water to ensure it delivers on taste.

Other great coffee beans

Not sure yet about brewing French press coffee with the coffee beans mentioned in this article? Or just curious to see which coffee beans are out there?

I’ve got you covered! Check out the lists below to find great coffee beans for different brewing methods and recipes:

• Best Coffee Beans for Cappuccino
• Best Coffee Beans for Chemex
• Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew
• Best Coffee Beans for Espresso
• Best Coffee Beans for Latte

Conclusion

The best beans for a French press are fresh and coarsely ground.

Coarse grounds help prevent over-extraction (which can cause bitterness) and do not tend to float upwards again when you depress the coffee plunger.

Medium-to dark-roasted coffee beans are best, as they allow the solid flavors and hints of bitterness to come through in your prepared coffee.

To brew the perfect cup of coffee in a French press, you may need to deviate slightly from the recommended 1:14 to 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio or consider using filtered or bottled water instead of tap water.

French press coffee recipes to try

• Peanut Butter Coffee: 5-Minute Hot and Cold Recipes to Try
• Can You Make Espresso in a French Press? (Controversial)
• Caramel Coffee: A Homemade Recipe You Need to Try

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