A cafetière consists of a glass or stainless steel pot with a plunger. The plunger has a fine metal filter at the bottom. You put coarsely ground coffee in the pot, pour in hot water, let the coffee steep and then gently push the plunger down. The filter holds back the grounds and your coffee is ready to pour. Simple, effective and delicious.

A good basic ratio is 1 tablespoon of coarsely ground coffee (about 7 to 8 grams) per 100 milliliters of water. For a 350 ml cafetière you therefore use about 3 to 4 tablespoons of coffee. Want your coffee stronger? Add a bit more coffee instead of using less water. Play with it until you find the ratio you like.

This is a point where many people go wrong. Finely ground coffee passes through the metal filter and ends up in your cup. That gives a cloudy, gritty coffee. If you use coarsely ground coffee, the filter holds everything back neatly. Moreover, a coarser grind gives a nicer, rounder flavor profile in the cafetière. Grinding fresh just before use is the very best thing you can do for your coffee.

After use, remove the plunger from the pot and discard the grounds. Rinse all parts with warm water. Occasionally you can take the plunger completely apart to clean the filter thoroughly. Build-up of old coffee oils causes an unpleasant, dull aftertaste in your next cup. Clean equipment is the foundation of great coffee.