A cup of morning tea is the perfect way to start the day, and the French press offers one of the best ways to brew one. If you’re like me, you’ve experienced a learning curve when it comes to steeping tea well, and using a French press offers its own challenges. I would hate for you to miss out on the robust taste of French-pressed tea, so let’s cover all of the basics you need to know.
When using a French press, add fresh water, heat the water, add the tea bags or leaves, and set the timer. Depending on your tea, effective temperatures will range from 160-200 degrees Fareneheit, and correct timing will be between 2-7 minutes. Remove the tea bags or strain the tea leaves and pour the tea. Remove the residual tea leaves with a wooden or plastic spoon. Clean the filter and press after each brew.
As you read on, you will learn how to use the French press machine properly with both tea leaves and tea bags.
In addition, you will learn how to maintain your French press machine and keep it working smoothly for a long period of time.
These tips will help you enjoy a robust, healthy cup of tea for decades to come.
How to Use Your French Press Machine? 7 Tips
You may have a French press machine, but the chances are that you may have trouble understanding how to use it properly to maximize its output.
The steps and tips below will:
- Maximize the taste of your tea
- Enhance the functionality of your French press machine
- Foster a long-lasting lifespan for your machine
Each of the tips that follow include details that will give you a comprehensive overview, as well as specific information, you’ll need for getting the most from your French press.
Here are 7 tips you can use immediately:
Tip #1: Soak All the Tea Bags and Leaves Evenly
In order to brew a well-balanced cup of tea, you want to distribute the water evenly between all the tea leaves and tea bags.
Once you have filled the pot with water, check the brew every 2 minutes and push down the tea bags floating above the water. This will help them become well-saturated.
If you are using loose leaves, they will naturally be exposed directly to the water. Use 1 tsp. of leaves for each 1 cup of water.
Tip #2: Set a Timer for Brewing Tea
If you really want to enjoy a fantastic cup of tea, you’ll want to set a timer when you start brewing the pot. This helps to ensure that, depending on the type of tea you are steeping, you leave it brewing for the optimal length of time.
The average steeping time is approximately 4 minutes, but the table below gives the best range for 5 types of tea.
Because the ranges vary, you may need to experiment and decide on the steeping time that results in a tea you love.
Refer to this table for timer recommendations:
| Tea Type | Optimal Temperature | Recommended Duration |
| White tea | 160 – 190 degrees F | 2 – 5 minutes |
| Green tea | 160 – 180 degrees F | 1 – 3 minutes |
| Oolong tea | 185 – 205 degrees F | 2 – 6 minutes |
| Black tea | 200 – 212 degrees F | 3 – 5 minutes |
| Herbal tea | 200 – 212 degrees F | 5 – 7 minutes |
Tip #3: Pour Out All of the Tea Out of the French Press
Some people make the mistake of leaving tea in the French press machine.
However, once your tea has steeped for the recommended time, you’ll want to pour all of the resulting tea into your cup(s).
Tip #4: Remove the Used Tea Bags from The French Press
Keeping your French press machine clean and free from used tea bags or tea leaves will keep each new brew fresh.
Removing used tea bags will ensure that you don’t experience the extracted acids, oils, and bitter tannins from used tea bags.
“Using a French press can result in a very flavorful and aromatic tea.”
TEA CROSSING
Tip #5: Understand the Importance of Water
Any cup of brewed tea is 99% water. Therefore, you need to understand the importance of the water used for brewing your tea in a French press machine.
The quality of the water will impact the overall taste and quality of your tea.
Ideally, you’ll want to use pure, fresh water for brewing with a French press.
For the best results, be sure to use water that is:
- Fresh
- Clean
- Completely pure
If your tap water isn’t resulting in a nice cup of tea, consider using filtered water or bottled spring water.
Tip #6: Keep an Eye on The Temperature
The brewing temperature of the tea is of key importance when using a French press machine.
You need to keep a close eye on the temperature of your tea because this will impact the overall quality. There are different types of tea, and they all require an optimal brewing temperature of 160 to 212 degrees.
Here is a list of different tea types, the optimal temperatures, and the time these would require in order to be brewed perfectly in a French press machine.
Again, refer to this table not only for timing recommendations, but for temperature recommendations as well:
| Tea Type | Optimal Temperature | Recommended Duration |
| White tea | 160 – 190 degrees F | 2 – 5 minutes |
| Green tea | 160 – 180 degrees F | 1 – 3 minutes |
| Oolong tea | 185 – 205 degrees F | 2 – 6 minutes |
| Black tea | 200 – 212 degrees F | 3 – 5 minutes |
| Herbal tea | 200 – 212 degrees F | 5 – 7 minutes |
Tip #7: Clean the French press Machine Filter Regularly
To enjoy an amazing cup of tea each day and extend the lifespan of your French press machine, you need to clean the filter every time you brew a pot.
Proper cleaning will help your French press machine function optimally for a longer period of time, but it will also help enhance the overall taste of your tea.
Every time you brew, you should:
- Take out the filter
- Rinse out any residual tea leaves
- Use warm water and a gentle brush to clean it thoroughly
- Consider using white vinegar and baking soda to clean the entire press thoroughly
What You Shouldn’t Do with Your French Press Machine? 4 Tips
There are a few practices you should avoid with your French press.
Elimination of such practices can help extract all the flavor from your tea bags and make sure that your French press machine keeps running smoothly for years.
Let’s take a look at 4 things you shouldn’t do with your machine:
Tip #1: Do Not Over-Steep or Under-Steep Your Tea Bags
As mentioned earlier, you should not over-steep or under-steep the tea bags in the French press machine.
If you under-steep the tea bags, the tea will come out extremely weak and still look watery when you drink it. On the other hand, if you end up over-steeping the tea bags and let them steep beyond the recommended time, your cup of tea will likely taste extremely bitter.
Tip #2: Do Not Use Boiling Water
Boiling water will end up burning the tea bags and the tea leaves, and this will also create a bitter cup of tea.
Ideally, you should bring the water to a boil and then let it settle for at least two minutes before pouring it into the French press machine for brewing tea.
Do not pour the boiling water into the French press. This could ultimately damage it.
In addition, let the boiling water settle to a lukewarm temperature before using it to make your cup of tea.
This tip will not only improve the taste of your tea, but will also protect your French press from damage.
Tip #3: Do Not Use a Metallic Spoon
You should never use a metallic spoon or utensil to clean out the leftover tea leaves or tea bags from your French press machine.
Since the glass is quite sensitive, any contact with hard metal could easily crack the glass and ruin the pot.
Consider using a wooden or plastic spoon for cleaning out the filter and the pot itself.
Tip #4: Do Not Use Soap to Clean Out the Tea Leaves
When you brew a pot of tea in your French press machine, there are bound to be residual tea leaves after the brewing session. However, you should not use soap to clean out the pot or the filter.
Although you might find inconsistent recommendations on this point, it’s possible that soap bubbles can become trapped between the small pores of the filter mesh and affect the taste of your next tea brew.
Which Tea Bags Can You Use with a French Press?
You can use a wide range of tea bags for your French press machine. These tea bags include:
- Pyramid Tea Bags
- Square Paper Tea Bags
- Commercial Tea Bags
Each one of these tea bag types comes with its own set of pros and cons. The choice depends upon your preferences and expectations for your tea.
Let’s take a closer look at each type and how it might work with your French press.
Pyramid Tea Bags
Loose leaf tea (which I cover below) is the best to use with your French press machine. This is because loose leaf tea allows the tea leaves to come in direct contact with the water. However, the next best thing is using pyramid tea bags.
One of the benefits of using these tea bags is that they come pre-proportioned so you don’t have to do the guesswork. Just make sure that you are using the right amount of water, and it will offer an amazing pot of tea.
These tea bags can be steeped multiple times for multiple pots of tea.
Square Paper Tea Bags
These tea bags are capable of providing the robust flavor of a full-bodied tea. This is because these tea bags are filled to the brim with fine-cut tea leaves. Moreover, the paper is also thin enough to allow the water to extract the necessary flavor from the leaves, but thick enough to maintain its integrity in hot temperatures.
The water in the steeping vessel can easily flow through these tea bags, interact with the tea leaves, and offer a stronger tea than pyramid tea bags.
These tea bags are created from chemical-free and compostable material. These can be steeped once, and then easily recycled without harming the environment.
Commercial Tea Bags
These tea bags are commonly found in grocery stores, are square in shape, and come with a thread strongly tied at the top. These tea bags are commonly filled with shredded tea leaves and residual tea dust and are not considered to be high in quality.
These tea bags may not offer an extremely strong or full-bodied taste, but these are quite perfect for enjoying a perfectly decent cup of tea. These can be steeped just once before all the flavor is extracted from the leaves.
How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea with a French Press
In addition to using tea bags with a French press, you can steep loose tea leaves for an even more vibrant tea.
The ratio of water to loose leaves result in tea that has more flavor and goodness.
Remember to strain and remove the leaves after they have steeped for the correct amount of time. Allowing them to steep for too long will always result in a bitter-tasting tea.
Follow these steps to steep loose tea leaves:
- Pour fresh, clean water into the press
- Heat to the temperature you need for your particular tea type (see the table below)
- Add your tea leaves using 1 tsp. of leaves for each 1 cup of water
- Steep for the recommended time (see the table below)
- Strain the leaves immediately after the recommended steeping time
- Clean your French press thoroughly
| Tea Type | Optimal Temperature | Recommended Duration |
| White tea | 160 – 190 degrees F | 2 – 5 minutes |
| Green tea | 160 – 180 degrees F | 1 – 3 minutes |
| Oolong tea | 185 – 205 degrees F | 2 – 6 minutes |
| Black tea | 200 – 212 degrees F | 3 – 5 minutes |
| Herbal tea | 200 – 212 degrees F | 5 – 7 minutes |
Drinking a cup of tea can reduce your stress and offer you a relaxed feeling throughout the day. And, using a French press can result in a very flavorful and aromatic tea.
These tips can not only help you extract the best possible flavor from the tea bags and loose tea, but it can also ensure that the French press machine serves you well for a longer period.