How to make a latte with french press

Q: Can I froth milk in a French Press?

If you dont have a machine to froth your milk, then simply pour some milk in a French press. Take the lid off the cover, only leaving the whisk plunger, then plunge/whisk the milk for 5-10 mins until it froths.

To heat milk in the microwave: Put milk into a glass container and microwave 15 seconds at a time. Heat for 15 seconds, stir, then microwave for 15 more seconds until you see steam coming out of the milk.

Don’t overfill. Don’t fill more than half the French press with milk since you want to have room for the milk to double in volume. It’s best when you fill it up a third of the French press so that milk doesn’t spill out.

Don’t underfill. The milk must go past the strainer by at least half an inch once the lid is placed. The milk won’t froth properly if the strainer is only touching the top of the milk in the French press.

The best froth is when there aren’t a lot of big bubbles, just tiny ones that create microfoam. A steam wand from an espresso machine creates the best froth since you have the most control in terms of microfoam and foam. An electric milk frother is next best since it heats and froths milk at the same time. After those two, nothing beats the froth created in a French press for home use.

Make frothy hot chocolate in a French press! Make hot chocolate and pour into a French press. Pump until it doubles in volume and pour into a cup.

When you heat milk, it increases its perceived sweetness so warm milk will taste sweeter than cold. If you’re trying to reduce sugar intake, look to heating and frothing milk for your coffee so you don’t have to add any sweeteners.

Chris is creative director of Left Right Media branding and marketing agency in Austin. As a photographer and former engineer, Chris enjoys covering topics at the intersection of art and science.

Table of Contents Show

The Best Iced Coffee Is Cold-Brewed
Start Your Iced Coffee the Night Before
How To Make Iced Coffee - French Press Method
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe Notes
Can you use French Press to make latte?
How to make espresso latte with French Press?
Can I froth milk in a French Press?
How to make French Press milk coffee?

updated Sep 12, 2022

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Credit: Chris Perez

Summer is coming and it’s going to be hot. The kind of hot that makes you not even want to go outside. The kind of hot that makes you consider a mesh top as work-appropriate attire. It’s OK, though. I got your chill pill. It’s a cold brew French press recipe that makes the best iced coffee, and it can be your new morning breeze.

If you are determined to kick the coffee shop habit and make your own cold brew iced coffee at home, flavored the way you like it, strong and heady and above all cold, I’m here to help.

Credit: Chris Perez

The Best Iced Coffee Is Cold-Brewed

Let’s get one thing out of the way: Great iced coffee is not had by plunking ice cubes into a glass of hot coffee. Not at all. If you’ve ever tried that, you know that the coffee is immediately diluted by all that ice, and it never achieves true chilly nirvana.

Instead, the best iced coffee is made by changing the coffee-brewing process itself. Instead of using hot coffee, fresh from the pot or the French press, I make a cold-brewed coffee, steeped and chilled overnight in a French press. It emerges from the refrigerator extra-cold and extra-strong, ready to be diluted just a little by your ice and milk.

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Start Your Iced Coffee the Night Before

As you may imagine, making a cold-brew French press means using cold water. It also means more time, as the coffee grounds need more time to steep. Letting it sit overnight is best. But this extra time and cold-brew process also means a more delicate flavor and a less bitter finish.

This is how many coffee shops make their iced coffee, that stuff you crave this time of year. They make an extra-strong, extra-smooth, cold-steeped brew that is just as good as hot coffee, but in its own special way.

Credit: Chris Perez

Speaking of a finish, I always enjoy adding a final ingredient or two to the French-pressed brew. Try sea salt, caramel, chocolate sauce, or fudge (or heck, try them all at once). It’s hot out there, remember — your day deserves a sweet beginning.

Try our homemade sweet cream recipe!

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How To Make Iced Coffee - French Press Method

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YieldServes 1

Show Nutrition

wheat-free
fish-free
peanut-free
vegetarian
shellfish-free
pork-free
pescatarian
gluten-free
tree-nut-free
soy-free
egg-free
red-meat-free
alcohol-free

Per serving, based on 1 servings. (% daily value)

Calories 56
Fat 0.1 g (0.1%)
Saturated 0.0 g (0.2%)
Carbs 12.1 g (4.0%)
Fiber
Sugars
Protein 2.0 g (3.9%)
Sodium 20.1 mg (0.8%)

Ingredients

1/3 cup
whole coffee beans
1 1/2 cups
cold water, preferably filtered
Ice
Milk
Sweeteners, such as flavored syrups, caramel, or melted chocolate (optional)

Equipment

Coffee grinder
French press

Instructions

Grind the coffee beans. Grind 1/3 cup of coffee beans until they are coarse enough to be filtered by the French press, yet fine enough to infuse well. On my burr grinder, I grind right in between middle and fine.
Combine the ground coffee and water in the French press. Pour the ground coffee into a French press and top with 1 1/2 cups of water.
Stir to incorporate. Gently stir the coffee with the water until well-blended.
Put on French press lid. Make sure the plunger is in the up position.
Steep the coffee overnight in the fridge. Leave the plunger in the up position so the grounds infuse the water overnight.
Plunge to separate the coffee from the grounds. The next morning, plunge the French press to separate the coffee from the grounds.
Make your iced coffee. Fill a glass with ice cubes and fill partway with milk. Fill the rest of the glass with iced coffee. Stir to combine and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Large-batch iced coffee: If you have a larger French press, you can make a larger batch of iced coffee using the same ratio of ground coffee to water. Plunge and transfer any unused coffee to a new container. Iced coffee can be kept refrigerated for about 1 week.

Iced coffee variations: If you have a sweet tooth like me, you may want to stir in a spoonful of cajeta caramel or chocolate fudge. Sea salt or cinnamon also make a nice touch.

Can you use French Press to make latte?

Press the plunger down on the French Press and then pour into your mug or glass. Using a spoon, hold back the foam as your pour the hot milk into the mug. Scoop the remaining foam onto the top of your latte.

How to make espresso latte with French Press?

Homemade Latte using a French Press.

Heat 1 cup Milk on the stove (or with a microwave). ... .

While the milk heats, add 1/4 cup fresh ground coffee to the French Press (regular grind is fine)..

Add about 150-180 ml hot water (just under boiling). ... .

Let coffee steep for 3-4 minutes..

Press down on the French Press..

Can I froth milk in a French Press?

If you don't have a machine to froth your milk, then simply pour some milk in a French press. Take the lid off the cover, only leaving the whisk plunger, then plunge/whisk the milk for 5-10 mins until it froths.