Best Coffee for French Press: Our Roasty Top Picks

If you’re passionate about making perfect coffee at home, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of brewing methods out there for you to try. In this article, we’re highlighting the French press method, a firm favorite in many households.

At A Glance: Best Coffees for French Press

Many die-hard coffee aficionados insist the classic French press makes a more flavorful cup of coffee than any other method.

Now, every home barista knows that regardless of the brewing method you choose, the flavor of your finished brew varies based on your bean quality. So, because we want to help you make the best batches of joe possible, we’ve taken the time to hunt down the very best coffee for use in a French press.

However, before we get into the buying guide, we need to explain why the type of beans you choose matters.

The Bean and the Grind

Reaching for the pre-ground coffee on the supermarket shelf is a Roasty Coffee No-No.

We understand that it’s easier, but if you want to fully experience the tasting notes and subtle nuances of your favorite coffee, you’ll want to invest in fresh coffee beans. This is especially true for the French press brewing method.

The ideal grind size for French pressing is medium to coarse because the extraction process needs maximum water surface area to be fully effective.

This grind size also facilitates a better release of carbon dioxide from the coffee grounds during steeping and enhances the finished brew’s flavor. The best thing about coarse coffee grounds is that they won’t pass through the press’s mesh filters, so there won’t be any grit in your cup.

Grind size makes using regular ground coffee with your French press somewhat risky. Though usually perfect for a drip machine, the stuff you find at your local grocery store is usually too finely ground for a French press.

The Bottom Line

The best way to ensure you get a batch of great-tasting, strong coffee from your French press is by taking the DIY route and grinding fresh beans yourself.

If you haven’t already, invest in a high-quality electric or manual coffee grinder (we’ve got a list of our favorites for you to browse here).

Alternatively, if you don’t want to spend more cash on another coffee appliance, your resourceful fellow coffee lovers at Roasty have a detailed guide to breaking down your beans without a grinder. Check it out now, and thank us later.

You can also buy your beans at a local coffee shop and ask a barista to grind the beans for you. Most commercial grinders used in coffeehouses have a French press setting that delivers the coarse grind you need.

Roasty Rankings: Our Top Picks for the Best Coffee for French Press

Now, we must answer the burning question: what are the best coffee beans to use in a French press?

Technically, you can use any roast of coffee with this brewing method. However, most prefer using a medium or dark roast bean, as those two retain the most oils and produce a brew that boasts a full and delicious taste.

That’s why most of the offerings on our list fall into the medium, medium-dark, or dark category. However, if you tend to steer clear of darker beans, feel free to choose one of our favorite light roasts instead.

Without further ado, allow us to introduce you to what we’ve deemed the best French press beans!

Atlas Coffee Club

To sample coffee from around the world without leaving your kitchen, consider Atlas Coffee Club. This company lands at the top of our list thanks to its dedication to freshly roasted coffee sourced from the top 1% of beans in the world.

This subscription-based coffee company supplies single-origin, specialty-grade, hand-picked coffee sourced from countries all around the world.

Each month, Atlas sends its subscribers coffee and a postcard from a new country. Your coffee comes with tasting notes and brewing tips to help you enjoy a new coffee each month.

New Atlas Coffee Club subscribers can make a variety of selections, including the amount of coffee they receive each month, roast preferences, and whether the coffee comes whole bean, ground, or in a K-Cup.

French press users will be especially glad to hear that Atlas will grind your coffee specifically for use with a French press (or one of several other brewing methods). This makes brewing your best French press cup of joe a snap, even if you don’t have access to a grinder.

Lifeboost Coffee

Lifeboost Coffee is a brand that prioritizes high-quality coffee from bean to cup. Lifeboost’s intentionally grown, hand-selected, and hand-roasted coffee beans are an excellent choice for any French press enthusiast.

The brand’s single-origin organic beans are among the two percent of the world’s shade-grown coffees, which means the sun’s harsh rays don’t interfere with the beans’ flavors as they grow. No pesticides are needed, either.

To put it simply, shade-grown equals pure java!

Another thing to love about Lifeboost coffee beans is that they’re easy on the stomach. Coffee with high acidity levels can cause heartburn and digestive issues, but thanks to how these beans are grown and processed, Lifeboost Coffee products boast low acidity.

Sip this stuff to enjoy cup after cup of caffeinated goodness (or decaf, if that’s your jam) and experience no discomfort or pain later!

Huckleberry Roasters Flores Belas

Any batch of beans whose name translates to “beautiful flowers” has to be as lovely and sweet as fresh blooms in the springtime. So, by name alone, Huckleberry Roasters’ Flores Belas blend is already off to a promising start.

These medium-roast coffee beans come from Latin America, and when brewed, they boast flavors of milk chocolate, sweet caramel, and a hint of dried fruit.

If you’re a fan of drinking your morning coffee black (sans milk, sugar, or creamer), you’ll probably enjoy this brew. But even if you prefer adding a little something extra to your cup, you’ll still enjoy every sip of this smooth coffee!

Cuvee Coffee West Pole Dark Roast

Lighter roasts are often crisp and refreshing, but some days, nothing hits the spot better than a smoky dark roast. Take the Cuvee Coffee West Pole blend, for instance.

This combination of Colombian and Brazilian beans is dark and strong without tasting burnt, allowing you to experience all of the brew’s earthy flavors.

This unique-tasting coffee is perfect for slow sips on a lazy afternoon, thanks to its sweet and cozy notes of chocolate. It has a body that lingers, too, so the satisfying flavors of this brew will continue dancing on your taste buds even after your mug is empty.

Caffe Vita Bistro Blend

Picture it: you’ve pulled out your faithful French press on a lazy Sunday morning. You’ve got nowhere to be and all the time in the world to sit and sip a delicious cup of coffee. There are few better lazy day beans than Caffe Vita Roasting Co.’s Bistro Blend.

These medium-roasted coffee beans from South America, East Africa, and Indonesia produce a smooth and balanced brew everyone can appreciate.

As you wait for the flavors of dark chocolate, nougat, berry, and caramel to steep in your French press, close your eyes and enjoy the sweet smell of cocoa powder, nougat, and baking spice. So good!

PT’s Coffee Flatlander Signature Blend

An immersion brewer like the French press has a way of bringing your coarse ground coffee’s robust flavors to the surface, guaranteeing delicious java every single time. That’s why we recommend pairing the Flatlander Signature blend from PT’s Coffee with your French press.

The natural coffee oils from these beans produce sweet caramel flavors and bright, citrusy tangerine notes that create a perfect morning pick-me-up.

This South American coffee is roasted with care in Topeka, Kansas. You can trust PT’s Coffee wholeheartedly, as the company was the recipient of Roast Magazine’s “Roaster of the Year” award in 2009.

Good Citizen Coffee Co. Paubrasil Blend

If the coffee’s name wasn’t a dead giveaway, the beans used in Good Citizen Coffee Co.’s Paubrasil blend come from Brazil — Cerrado Mineiro, to be exact — before being roasted to light-medium perfection in Nashville, Tennessee.

This 100 percent traceable single-origin joe might become one of your favorite coffees for a French press coffee maker.

These Brazilian beans boast the sweet taste and aroma of juicy cherries and creamy milk chocolate — deliciously consumed black or with a splash of milk!

Joe Coffee Big City French Roast

As it turns out, the French press and French roast coffee beans are a match made in heaven. Don’t believe us? That’s okay- just pull out your Frieling French press and a batch of Joe Coffee’s Big City joe and find out for yourself!

French press enthusiasts love this brewing method because it preserves all of the coffee’s natural flavors, and the Big City French Roast packs a great taste profile.

Each sip of this joe boasts burnt sugar, roasted almond, and chocolate notes, creating a sweet and comforting coffee experience. These Brazilian beans can certainly hold their own, but don’t worry- they play well with milk, too.

Methodical Coffee Late Night

What do you get when you combine coffees from Costa Rica and Brazil? Why, you get Methodical Coffee’s Late Night blend, a toasty dark roast coffee that’s worthy of your French press.

This Late Night blend with notes of dark chocolate and roasted nuts is the darkest and boldest batch of beans on this roaster’s product list.

But don’t let the name fool you- this creamy brew is caffeinated. So, unless you want to disrupt your sleep schedule or are seeking fuel during a grueling all-nighter, we don’t recommend consuming the stuff too late in the evening.

Madcap Coffee Finca De Dios

We don’t know about you, but we think it’s pretty safe to assume anything grown on the “Farm of God” — or Finca de Dios — is probably worth drinking.

The good folks at Madcap Coffee seem to agree with us, too, as seen by the Grand Rapids, Michigan, coffee roaster’s Finca de Dios beans.

Finca de Dios has been in the Prentice family for generations and has partnered with Madcap since 2009.

This Guatemalan single-origin comes from one of the highest-elevation lots on the farm, and when brewed in your French press, it has rich flavors of chocolate, amaretto, and cola.

Bring out a batch of this joe when you want to start your day on a sweet foot or cap off the evening with a dessert-like beverage.

Greater Goods Coffee Co. Kickstart

Kickstart your day with bold flavor from Greater Goods Coffee Co.’s Kickstart blend!

This coffee is an espresso blend, so it’s on the darker side of the roast-level spectrum. But don’t worry — these beans’ full-bodied flavors of dark chocolate and brown sugar come through just as well when brewed via French press.

Since each of the three single-origin coffees in this blend (from Colombia, Nicaragua, and Brazil, respectively) is an award-winner, you can have peace of mind knowing only the best made it into your cup.

Enhancing the Kickstart blend’s reputation more is that Greater Goods Coffee Co. received Roast Magazine’s 2021 Micro Roaster of the Year award. That means the brand holds itself and its products to a high standard — all the more reason to believe these beans are worth putting in your press!

Onyx Coffee Lab Geometry Blend

We’ll admit it: when we first read the name of this Onyx Coffee Lab blend, we were a little skeptical, as our prior encounters with the word “geometry” weren’t the most pleasant (flashback to high school math class).

However, using these beans is nothing like math!

Brewing with Onyx’s Geometry blend is simple because the beans are versatile; they can go from espresso machine to pour-over to French press method with just a change in grind size.

Onyx sources premium Colombian and Ethiopian beans to create this clean-tasting joe. Once brewed, you’ll notice traits from both origins, including fermented fruitiness from Colombia and depth and complexity from Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.

Primo’s Coffee Co. French Press Specialty Coffee

You might be stubborn with your coffee-making routine, insisting on using the same coffee beans in the same drip brewer every morning. However, we think there’s value in branching out.

Venture into the world of the French press brew method, and give new beans — like Primo’s Coffee Co. specialty coffee, for example — a fair shot.

These Nicaraguan shade-grown beans are hand-picked before making their way to Texas to be medium-roasted. Then, they’re packaged and shipped to coffee enthusiasts everywhere.

Brewing this mild, low-acidity joe gives you a sweet-flavored cup of coffee with hints of citrus. Grab a burr grinder to turn these French press beans into coarse grounds, then use them with this immersion brew method. Your taste buds will thank you.

Two Volcanoes Gourmet Guatemala Whole Bean

The Guatemalan medium roast by Two Volcanoes is a downright delicious option for French press coffee experts.

This single-origin gourmet coffee is roasted in small batches to highlight every flavor present in the joe. Furthermore, the beans are packaged immediately following the roasting process to preserve freshness.

Not only does Two Volcanoes roast these beans skillfully, but the brand also ensures careful sifting to remove any mutations or imperfections.

This care in the production, combined with the evenly balanced acidity and caffeine content, makes a batch of these beans an excellent option for many coffee lovers!

Koffee Kult Dark Roast Coffee Beans

Colombian, Guatemalan, Brazilian, and Sumatran beans come together to create the perfect blend for French press brewing. Plus, they’re non-GMO and 100 percent arabica!

Devoted dark roast lovers will be especially pleased with this Koffee Kult offering, as the longer roasting time doesn’t eliminate the coffee’s natural flavors of spicy-sweet cinnamon and cocoa.

The result is a smooth, bright-tasting brew with a long finish and pleasant aroma that’ll have your mouth watering before you’ve even pushed the plunger to the bottom of the French press.

Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve Colombian Supremo

Did you know you can use an immersion brewing method like the French press to make cold-brew coffee? Well, you can! And Stone Street Coffee’s Cold Brew Reserve is just the batch of beans to help you do it.

This Colombian Supremo single-origin joe is made with 100 percent arabica beans, and after they’re roasted in Brooklyn, they’re ready to be coarsely ground and brewed at your house.

These dark coffee beans make a cold brew that’s low in acidity and bitterness but high in smooth, slightly sweet, well-balanced, and bold flavors. Enjoy it black, or pour in your favorite milk, creamer, or flavored syrup.

Death Wish Organic USDA Certified Whole Bean Coffee

If you’re anything like us, you’re only interested in brands and types of coffee beans that give a serious energy boost on those early mornings. That’s why we’ve included Death Wish Coffee on our list of French press-worthy beans!

Death Wish is an Amazon bestseller, so we think it’s safe to assume the brand is doing something right to caffeinate its customers.

Death Wish prides itself on producing the World’s Strongest Coffee, and a cup of this stuff supposedly has twice the caffeine of regular joe.

Death Wish’s high caffeine level results from combining USDA-organic and Fair Trade arabica and robusta coffee beans. This pairing produces a surprisingly smooth cherry and chocolate-flavored brew.

Peet’s Coffee, Major Dickason’s Blend

Peet’s, a well-known specialty coffee roaster, is based in the San Francisco Bay area and has been slinging beans since 1966.

One of the brand’s most beloved batches of beans, Major Dickason’s blend, combines the very best coffees from premier growing regions to produce a smooth and balanced cup of java.

Should these become your French press coffee beans of choice, expect to sip a rich, complex, and smooth brew with a full body and multiple layers. This interesting and sophisticated darker roast lends itself perfectly to this brewing method.

Avoid These French Press Pitfalls

Now that you’ve bought yourself a bag of premium coffee beans and have a burr grinder for producing a coarse or medium grind, what could go wrong?

Well, a few things. Everyone suffers the occasional caffeinating catastrophe, whether they’re using an automatic drip or a more complicated espresso machine. It doesn’t help that brewing French press coffee can be trickier than you think, creating more opportunities for your brew time to go awry.

However, with some patience — and maybe some trial and error — brewing with a French press is a piece of cake.

Here are a few common French press mistakes to note, plus tricks for avoiding them as you brew your favorite coffee beans.

Be Sure To Use The Right Amount of Coffee Grounds

Most coffee enthusiasts find themselves drawn to French press because the process lets you customize your drink more than you can with an automatic drip.

Things like the measure of grounds you use and the steeping time are totally under your control.

Unfortunately, it’s easy for anyone, from a beginner barista to a seasoned coffee geek, to get the coffee-to-water ratio wrong.

If you use too much coffee, the resulting brew may taste overpowering. Too little joe, and you could end up with a watery drink that tastes nothing like coffee no matter how long you steep the mixture.

Start by using a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water — one gram of coffee for every 10 grams of water. These measurements produce a mid-strength batch of hot coffee, which suits most people, from the average coffee drinker to the most dedicated java snob.

Those who prefer intensity over more subtle flavors should use a few more grams of coffee, but if you enjoy your beverage on the weaker side, experiment with shorter extraction times or smaller amounts of coffee.

Don’t Stew Your Brew

Stewing the brew, which is leaving your coffee in the French press too long, results in an over-extracted and bitter drink. This is probably the most common calamity that befalls home baristas when they first start using this method.

As soon as you’ve finished brewing your coffee, pour it into a thermos or carafe. Better yet, drink it all while it’s still fresh!

Don’t Settle For Poor Grind Quality

We’ve already mentioned this, but it’s worth saying again: the French press is an immersion brew method that requires medium to coarse grinds.

If the coffee is too fine, you won’t be able to press it down properly, or it will run through the mesh filter into your drink.

The best way to ensure the correct grind size is to buy whole beans and invest in a decent coffee grinder (we suggest one with burrs instead of a blade grinder).

If you don’t want to buy any more coffee tools, ask your local barista to use the commercial machine at the café to do the job for you, or order a French press grind from Atlas Coffee Club!

Frequently Asked Questions

Will French press coffee raise your cholesterol?

Wondering whether or not a brewing method can alter the health benefits of a drink seems silly at first, but this is a question worth asking. So, will French press coffee raise your cholesterol? 

Coffee brewed in a French press retains more of its natural, flavor-filled oils than regular drip joe does because there are no paper filters involved to absorb them.

While they produce a better-tasting cup of coffee, these oils (called cafestol and kahweol) can be dangerous if consumed too frequently.

However, if you limit your pressed coffee intake, you’ll be fine.

Can I make anything else in my French press?

Absolutely!

Craving a latte but don’t have an automatic milk frother or steaming wand? No problem! You can use these handy coffee brewers to froth milk.

Are you an avid tea drinker? Add loose tea leaves and hot water to the French press, let the mixture steep for five to 10 minutes, then press yourself a perfect spot of tea.

You can even use a French press to rinse grains, like rice or quinoa!

Does French press coffee have more caffeine?

Roasty reader, when you drink as much coffee as we do, you must monitor your caffeine intake.

Since there’s nothing worse than the post-coffee, wonder-if-I’ll-ever-sleep-again jitters, you should know if or how much your preferred brewing method (in this case, the French press) alters your drink’s caffeine levels.

The short answer is yes, French press coffee has more caffeine than the standard cup of joe. A four-ounce cup of coffee made with this brewing method contains between 80 and 100 milligrams of caffeine, which is more than the amount of the stimulant present in a cup of regular drip brew.

Of course, the brewing method is not the only thing that determines how much caffeine is in your cup. The type of coffee used, bean variety (arabica or robusta), water temperature, grind size, and extraction time also dictate how jittery you’ll be after your morning cup.

So, if you’re seriously looking to cut back on caffeine, you’ll have to consider all of these factors.

What is the best decaf for the French press?

If it’s coarsely ground, you can use whatever decaf coffee you want with your French press. We recommend checking out Verena Street’s Sunday Drive blend if you don’t know what beans to try.

Because these beans are decaffeinated via the Swiss Water Process, they don’t lose any of their robust flavor or sport a chemical aftertaste, making them a worthy contender for use in your French press.

This medium roast is smooth, rich, and bold — everything you want from your caffeine-free French-pressed brew!

What is the best pre-ground coffee for the French press?

We understand not every coffee lover cares about grinding fresh beans at home or has the means to do so. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy good French press coffee! Invest in a coarse pre-ground option, and you’ll be brewing with the best of them in no time.

The Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve blend we mentioned above also comes in a coarse, pre-ground form. So, if you’re diving into French press brewing but don’t have a grinder handy, this dark roast comes to you ready for use.

As we mentioned, if you order from Atlas Coffee Club, you can choose to have your coffee ground for French press and delivered ready to steep. This is a great way to obtain freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee for your French press!

Wrapping It Up

The French press is perhaps the most reliable method of producing a brew that maintains all of the beans’ robust flavors. Be sure to use a coarse grind for maximum flavor extraction, and if possible, grind the beans yourself instead of using pre-ground coffee. That is the best way to guarantee freshness and perfect grind texture.

To find out which of these coffee makers we’re crazy about — and get a few tips on how to make the best French press coffee — check out some of our French press reviews here.

Happy Caffeinating!