French Press Sizes: Learn Which Size Suits Your Coffee Needs
French press is the one of the most popular home brewing methods in the UK, right after espresso. And before you decide this is your brewing method, you must consider how many cups in a coffee press you need on a daily basis. Otherwise, you’ll waste precious space in your kitchen cabinet with a dusty press no one uses.
Rule of thumb: there are common sizes of cafetieres, but they might have small differences depending on the brand you choose. Let’s find out more about it.
Standard French Press Coffee Maker, How Many Sizes?
Here are the different French press sizes (1):
- 3 cups (0.35 litres)
- 4 cups (0.5 litres)
- 8 cups (1 litre)
- 12 cups (1.5 litres)
IMPORTANT: These sizes are not standard 250-ml cup measurements, but common coffee cup sizes.
Based on this logic, a coffee mug, or a cup of coffee, is a little less than 120 ml in volume. So a three-cup French press coffee maker will generally make about 350 ml of coffee, and a four-cup French press will make 500 ml.
There are several brands available and different French presses have different cup sizes. So, our word of advice is to read their brewing capacity before purchasing.
What French Press Size Should I get?
You may have asked yourself this question. The truth is, when it comes to the French press coffee makers, size does matter.
If you’re a moderate coffee drinker, a 3-cup small French press would be sufficient for you. You get about 350 ml of coffee at a time, which is perfect for having several cups throughout the day. However, if you drink about 2 mugs of coffee at a time, you’d need at least a 4-cup cafetiere.
Still, size is not the only factor. It’s how you use the press, the coffee grounds and the right blend.
P.S. Not everyone knows how to make coffee with French Press. At Home Grounds, you can learn what’s a French press coffee maker, or which beans to use for French press brewing.
When Do You Need a Large French Press?
You need a large coffee press if two or more people will be using it. For example, an eight-cup cafetiere would be good. And if you’re a large family, a 12-cup French press is a must. Alternatively, a large coffee press is ideal for a small office with 4-6 employees.
Note: You could also use the large press as a method for a lighter brew – by producing a lower coffee-to-water ratio.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the standard French press sizes, you can buy according to your needs. If you live alone, a 3-cup machine is enough to make delicious coffee, but you may want to upgrade when you have friends over.
FAQs
The standard French press sizes from Bodum are 0.35 litres, 0.5 litres, 1.0 litre, and 1.5 litres. The larger models also come with fridge lids.
Just like Bodum, Mueller press sizes are 0.35 litres, 0.5 litres, 1.0 litre, and 1.5 litres. Mueller machines typically come with a stylish stainless steel finish.
If you want to make 1 litre of coffee, you’ll need half a cup of coarsely ground coffee beans. That’s about 56g of coffee beans. For a 0.5 litre French press, you’ll need a quarter cup of beans.
French press performs best with coarse ground coffee. Start with a 1:12 ratio of coffee to water. So if you have 30 g of coffee, use about 360 ml of water. Let the coffee bloom for about 20-30 seconds.
References
- What Size French Press should I get?: Identifying your ideal carafe size. Gadget Review. (2022, August 29). Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.gadgetreview.com/what-size-french-press-should-i-get
