French press mastery

The French press has a reputation for mud, and the mud is technique, not destiny. The plunger is the culprit: driving it down stirs every settled particle back into the drink you are about to pour. The fix, popularised by James Hoffmann, is to stop using the press as a press and start using it as a settling tank.

Start normally: around 1:16, water just off the boil for most roasts, pour, and leave it alone for four minutes. No lid, no stirring, no ceremony.