French Press Coffee

With a French Press, there are a few things to keep in mind when you clean it. Rinsing it out will clear it of grounds, but will leave an oily buildup on the inside. Soap and hot water will take care of the oil, but you need to beware of any soap residue that remains.

A simple rinse with hot water may be enough for a day, or a week, depending on who you ask, but you will need to do a thorough cleaning at times to remove the oils before they age.

When you are finished with your French Press, you’ll need to empty out the grounds first. While grounds can be put down a garbage disposal, they may clog the disposal after awhile. Emptying into the trash is a safer bet. Even better, dump them into a bucket and use them for composting. You may need to add a little water and swirl it around to get all the grounds out of the pot.

Most French presses are dishwasher safe, and a dishwasher will certainly do a good job of rinsing. However, be careful with glass French presses, no matter how you clean them.

How a French press disassembles may vary. Generally, the lid and plunger assembly will unscrew, leaving the lid on a rod, screen filter, and two flat metal pieces. The French press can be filled with hot water and a cleaning solution. The parts can be soaked in the sink in the same solution. The metal parts may need to be scrubbed with something more abrasive, such as a toothbrush or an espresso machine cleaning brush. If you use soap, you will need to rinse very thoroughly. Some coffee houses never let soap touch their French press. Some suggest using baking soda. You can also use an espresso machine cleaning powder.

Once it is clean, reassemble and let dry. When drying, you will want to either leave the lid off or put it on in a slanted fashion, so as to allow everything to air dry.