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The cafetière, or French press, is the most forgiving way to make great coffee at home. But it is picky about one thing: the coffee itself. Use a fine espresso grind and you get a muddy, bitter cup with sludge at the bottom. Similarly, use a coffee that is too light and delicate and it can taste thin. However, the right coffee, ground coarse, makes a rich, full-bodied cup with almost no effort.
The short answer: the best coffee for a cafetière is a medium-roast, full-bodied coffee ground coarse. Overall, our pick is 200 Degrees Brazilian Love Affair, ground for cafetière. It is our everyday coffee, its body suits the method, and 200 Degrees grinds it specifically for the cafetière.
Check Brazilian Love Affair at 200 Degrees
How we chose: Brazilian Love Affair is the coffee we drink most at home. However, we include the other picks based on 200 Degrees’ own descriptions, which we quote, and we say where we have not tasted them. We checked prices in September 2026.
Best coffee for a cafetière at a glance
| Coffee | Why it suits a cafetière | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian Love Affair | Full body, bold finish, our everyday coffee | £11.50 / 250g | Check at 200 Degrees |
| Groove Is In The Heart | Nutty Brazil plus fruity Guatemala | £12.50 / 250g | Check at 200 Degrees |
| Mellowship Slinky Decaf | Creamy decaf for the evening | £11.95 / 250g | Check at 200 Degrees |
| Discovery subscription | A new single origin each delivery | £11.45 / 250g | Check at 200 Degrees |
What makes the best coffee for a cafetière?
- A coarse grind. The mesh filter holds coarse grounds back, and they extract evenly over a four-minute steep. By contrast, fine grounds slip through and over-extract.
- Plenty of body. The cafetière keeps the coffee oils that paper filters remove, so full-bodied coffees taste rich and rounded.
- A medium roast. Enough development for sweetness and body, without the bitterness of a very dark roast.
- Freshness. Buy 250g at a time if it is pre-ground, or whole beans if you have a grinder.
1. 200 Degrees Brazilian Love Affair: best overall
In short, Brazilian Love Affair is 200 Degrees’ signature blend and the coffee we drink most. 200 Degrees describes it as medium roasted with plenty of body, a great crema and a strong, bold finish. As a result, in a cafetière that body comes through as a rich, satisfying cup that takes milk well. 200 Degrees also sells it ground for cafetière, so you do not need a grinder.
- Price: £11.50 / 250g, £35.95 / 1kg
- Subscription: £9.95 / 250g
Check Brazilian Love Affair at 200 Degrees
2. 200 Degrees Groove Is In The Heart: best for a sweeter, fruitier cup
Meanwhile, Groove Is In The Heart is a medium roast blend of Brazilian coffee from the same farm as Brazilian Love Affair, with a fruity, juicy coffee from Huehuetenango in Guatemala that 200 Degrees says is exclusively female farmed. Meanwhile, 200 Degrees describes smooth nutty notes from the Brazilian side. We have not tasted this one ourselves, but on paper it is a good step up if you want a little more fruit.
Check Groove Is In The Heart at 200 Degrees
3. 200 Degrees Mellowship Slinky Decaf: best decaf for a cafetière
200 Degrees makes this Brazilian decaf with the sugarcane process, which 200 Degrees describes as steaming the beans and using a natural solvent from sugarcane to remove the caffeine. It also describes the cup as creamy, with sweet citrus and maple syrup. It also comes ground for cafetière, which makes it an easy evening option.
Check Mellowship Slinky Decaf at 200 Degrees
4. 200 Degrees Discovery subscription: best for variety
If you want to explore single origins in your cafetière, the Discovery subscription sends a changing selection of 200 Degrees’ limited-edition seasonal coffees, currently including lots such as Mount Sunzu from Zambia. It costs £11.45 per 250g and 200 Degrees will grind it for cafetière.
Check the Discovery subscription at 200 Degrees
How to make great cafetière coffee
- Use about 60g of coffee per litre of water (roughly 30g for a 500ml pot). Then adjust to taste.
- Grind coarse, or buy coffee ground for cafetière.
- Use water just off the boil. First, let the kettle rest for about 30 seconds.
- Pour, stir and steep for four minutes.
- Break the crust on top with a spoon and skim off the foam and floating grounds.
- Wait a few more minutes if you can, then press gently just to the surface of the coffee and pour.
- Pour it all out. Otherwise, coffee left on the grounds keeps extracting and turns bitter.
For exact amounts for every pot size, see our cafetière coffee ratio guide. Keep your pot clean too, because old coffee oils taste stale: our cafetière cleaning guide shows how. After all, even the best coffee for a cafetière needs the right ratio and steep time.
Can I use supermarket ground coffee in a cafetière?
You can, but supermarkets usually grind their coffee medium-fine for filter machines, which makes a muddier, more bitter cafetière. Instead, look for coffee labelled for cafetière, or buy from a roaster like 200 Degrees that grinds to order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best coffee for a cafetière in the UK?
Our pick is 200 Degrees Brazilian Love Affair ground for cafetière, because it is full-bodied, bold and good value.
What grind is best for a cafetière?
Coarse, similar to sea salt. Our grind size chart shows what that looks like.
Is dark roast better for a cafetière?
Not necessarily. A medium roast usually gives the best balance of body and sweetness. By contrast, very dark roasts can taste bitter in a cafetière.
The bottom line
For a rich, easy cafetière, choose a medium-roast, full-bodied coffee ground coarse. Brazilian Love Affair is the one we drink every day, and it is even cheaper on subscription. In short, for most people, the best coffee for a cafetière is 200 Degrees Brazilian Love Affair, coarsely ground.
