French Press Latte Recipe - Making Popular Drinks with a French Press

The French press, beloved for its simplicity and versatility, is not just for brewing your daily cup of coffee. Sometimes, you might want to use a French press to create popular drinks like lattes. Whether you're looking to elevate your at-home coffee game or experiment with new beverages, your trusty French press can be a valuable tool in your arsenal.

A latte is a classic coffeehouse favorite, featuring a harmonious combination of espresso and steamed milk. While a traditional latte requires an espresso machine, you can achieve a similar result with your French press. Here's how:

Ingredients You'll Need:

1. Coarsely ground coffee beans
2. Hot water
3. Milk
4. Sugar or syrup (optional)
5. A French press
6. A microwave or stovetop for heating milk

Step-by-Step Guide to Making a French Press Latte:

1. Brew Your Coffee:

• Start by measuring your coffee grounds. A good rule of thumb is to use about 1 ounce (28 grams) of coffee for every 6 ounces (180 milliliters) of water.
• Heat the water to just below boiling (about 200°F or 93°C).
• Add the coarsely ground coffee to your French press.
• Pour the hot water over the coffee grounds and stir gently to ensure even saturation.
• Cover the French press with the lid, but don't plunge it yet.
• Let the coffee steep for about 4 minutes.

2. Heat Your Milk:

• While the coffee is brewing, heat the milk. You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave until it's hot but not boiling.
• If you have a milk frother, use it to create frothy steamed milk. (If you don't have a milk frother and want to use your French press to make delicious warm frothy milk, skip ahead to step 3.)

3. Plunge and Pour:

• After the steeping time, slowly press down the plunger on your French press to separate the coffee grounds from the liquid.
• Pour your freshly brewed coffee into a cup.
• If you like sugar, we recommend adding it to your coffee now. Stir it in for about 5-10 seconds and make sure the sugar has the chance to dissolve into your hot coffee. This will allow the sugar to bond to the coffee and spread the sweeter flavor further in your latte. 
• If you'd like to use your French press as your milk frother, quickly dump your coffee grounds, and rinse out your French press. Add the warm milk to the press and gently but swiftly pump your plunger back and forth until the milk froths up. 

4. Assemble Your Latte:

• Pour the steamed milk into the coffee, holding back the foam with a spoon to let the milk flow first.
• Spoon the foam on top of your latte for that classic coffeehouse look.

Feel free to get creative with your French press latte by adding flavored syrups, cinnamon, or cocoa powder. You can also adjust the coffee-to-milk ratio to suit your taste, creating a stronger or milder latte. And of course you can use any creamer, dairy, or non-dairy beverages to make this French press coffee uniquely yours!