Bold & Syrupy Dark Roast Press
Tasting goal: Cocoa, molasses and smoke — heavy body without the burn
Best for: Dark roasts and classic South Indian–style blends — great with milk. Dialled for dark roast Blend.
Brew spec
- Method
- French press
- Species
- Blend
- Roast target
- Dark
- Pours
- 1
- Dose
- 30 g
- Water
- 450 g
- Ratio
- 1:15
- Temperature
- 88–90°C
- Grind size
- Coarse
- Total time
- 3:30
Grind converter
Coarse · ~1000 µmGrinds ~0–1090 µm
Recommended setting
36
dial setting
Settings are approximate community estimates. Use them as a starting point, then taste: more bitter → go coarser, more sour → go finer.
Brew this recipe hands-free
The assistant walks you through every pour, tare, and pause for this recipe, with a randomly selected background loop running throughout the brew.
Current phase
Setup
30 g coffee · 450 g water
Add 30 g of coarse dark-roast coffee, tare the scale.
Press play to start. A randomly selected coffee-room loop plays throughout the brew while the coach speaks each instruction over it.
Dark roasts give up their flavour fast — brew them like a light roast and you get ash. This press runs cooler, coarser and shorter, trading nothing in body for a lot less bitterness. The tighter 1:15 ratio keeps it punchy enough to stand up to milk.
Use this recipe when…
- Your bag says dark, French roast, or it's a chicory-free South Indian–style blend.
- You want a heavy, comforting cup — black or with hot milk.
- Your last press was bitter and you blamed the coffee.
The method
- Add 30 g of coarse coffee, tare.
- Pour — start the timer and add all 450 g of 88–90°C water in ~30 seconds. (No thermometer? Boil, then wait 90 seconds.)
- Steep — lid on, plunger raised, until 3:00.
- Press slowly to the bottom (~20 seconds).
- Decant immediately — dark roasts turn ashy fast if they sit on the grounds.
Adjustment notes
- Still bitter? Drop to 85°C or steep only 2:30 — dark roasts are the one place under-brewing is nearly impossible.
- Too mellow? Tighten the ratio to 1:14 rather than steeping longer.
- Adding hot milk? Brew at 1:13 so the cup doesn't wash out.