Best Italian Coffee for a French Press 

What is the Best Italian Coffee to Use in a French Press - a Buyer's Guide

We love our Italian coffee, and as my mum says, "it is hard to find a bad Italian coffee." That is true but in this article we wanted to check out what is the best Italian coffee to use in a French Press?

As people we will likely have our own favourite strength and flavour of coffee that we like. Some people like it weak, some medium, some strong and quite a few people like very strong coffee.

It is therefore hard to be exact for each individual. In this article we take a look at what Italian coffees are available on the UK market. We then check to see if these can be used in a French Press.

Clearly not all grinds of coffee can be used for a French Press which is a pretty unique coffee brewing method. So below you will find what we consider to be the best of the best.

For Those In a Hurry - The Winner is:

We provide a lot of useful information in this article to help you make the best choice of Italian ground coffee. However we also know that some of you may not have time to read all this article.

To help you quickly we have included our two main recommendations just below.

Our choice for the "best ground Italian Coffee for a French Press" is Presto Ground Coffee which is a medium roast Italian speciality. It has a well balanced and smooth taste with very little bitterness.

You can get these online at Amazon by clicking here.

If you own a coffee grinder, and want to buy the "best coffee beans for a French Press," then our winner here is the Lavazza Qualita Rossa Coffee Beans. They remain a constant favourite with our readers.

You can also get these online at Amazon UK by clicking here

What Are Your French Press Coffee Options?

Let's quickly discuss the two main options that you have when it comes to picking any coffee for a French Press. Those are:

1. Buying coffee that is already ground also known as pre-ground
2. Buying the roasted beans and grinding them yourself to the right coarseness 

Buying Ground Coffee

The majority of people will buy coffee that has already been ground and packaged. This coffee should be marked as being suitable for a French Press, cafetiere, filter coffee, pour over coffee, drip coffee, Moka coffee or an Aeropress.

All of those brewing methods have one thing in common. They use a medium coarse grind and then flood the grains with water to make the coffee. It is vitally important to have the perfect medium/coarse grind for this type of brewing.

This is a very different grind than would be used to make an espresso, as that would be a very fine grind, but useless for using with a French Press.

Always make sure that any ground coffee you buy is suitable for this type of French Press brewing - it should always tell you on the bag.

Buying Coffee Beans and Grinding Those Yourself

The other alternative you have is to simply buy any beans that you like. They will have been roasted and put into a sealed bag. You can then use a grinder to grind the beans to the right thickness or size.

Now that does take a bit more work of course, but it does make a much fresher and in our opinion, a better tasting coffee. There is additional work required, but you also open up a wider range of choices, in terms of coffee bean selection.

To do this though you will need to own or buy a coffee grinder. It will also take a little bit of practise to get the thickness of the grains just right. It isn't that difficult though, and is an easy thing to master.

There are three types of coffee grinder available. Just below we have provided links to each of these types, if buying one of those interests you.

1. Hand mill - a manual grinder - these do a good job but they do take physical effort and time to grind the beans
2. Blade coffee grinder - an affordable choice which use blades powered by a small motor to chop up the beans
3. Burr coffee grinder - slightly more expensive option but one that uses burrs to grind the beans and captures the best flavours

Best Italian Ground Coffees for  a French Press

There are a few to pick from. We checked out the many buyer reviews available for these types of coffee options, and then ranked just below the two that got the highest buyer satisfaction ratings.

That way you know that the huge majority of buyers bought these ground coffees, tried them and really enjoyed them.

1. Presto Ground Coffee - Medium Roast Italian Speciality
2. Aromistico Rich Strong Gourmet Dark Roast Premium Ground Coffee

If you are in doubt always go with a medium roast first as that is a milder option and generally speaking suits most people better. Anyone looking something stronger with a slightly more bitter taste, then give the dark roast a try.

Best Italian Coffee Beans for a French Press

There are lots of choices when it comes to picking coffee beans that are suitable for a French Press style coffee. Even when you limit those choices to Italian coffee beans, there are still lots of choices.

Lavazza remains a firm favourite with the folks who write at our website, and indeed this brand is a best seller online for very good reasons.

Personally I have been to Italy many times, and stayed with Italian relations there. They drink Lavazza and that is good enough for me.

Other brands like Presto, The Italian Job from Rave Coffee, Napoli, Cafe Ginerva and Pellini are out there. In all honesty, the particular brand that you may like is probably just waiting to be tried out.

Below we have recommended a couple of choices.

Just remember that if you buy the coffee beans, you will need some type of grinder to get the right medium/coarse grain.

Our Summary of Italian Coffees for the French Press Brewing Method

The ideal way to make good quality French Press coffee is to buy the beans, and then grind them at home. That way you are assured that you are drinking the best coffee.

There is nothing quite like fresh beans, which have been freshly ground just before being used. Using a good quality burr grinder then ensures that you get the full flavour squeezed out of the bean.

Now the reality is that not everyone has the time to do this. That leaves the alternative of buying beans that have already been ground for you. Always check the bag and make 100% sure that the grind is suitable for a French Press.

Many ground coffees sold, especially in supermarkets, are a fine grind designed to be used in an espresso coffee maker.