Coffeeholic

Suggest an improvement

Anything wrong, missing, or worth adding? We read every one.

What is it

Thanks — that's with us

We read every one. If you left an email we'll come back to you when it lands.

1Zpresso JX for Prestina

Immersion that finishes under pressure, with no plunger anywhere — the cup you drink from is the thing that presses. Coffee in, water in, a minute of stillness, and you push the brewer down into its own tumbler.

1Zpresso JX
Find your grinder… 1Zpresso JX
1Zpresso J-Max 57–80 1Zpresso JE 96–120
1Zpresso JX 22–29
1Zpresso JX-Pro 128–176 1Zpresso K-Max 80–87 1Zpresso K-Plus 80–87 1Zpresso K-Pro 80–87 1Zpresso K-Ultra 40–56 1Zpresso Q2 (Heptagonal burrs) 54–96 1Zpresso Q2 (Pentagonal burrs) 54–96 1Zpresso Q2 S 54–96 1Zpresso X-Pro 23–32 Baratza Encore 13–18 Baratza Encore ESP 22–28 Baratza Sette 270 13–20 Baratza Vario+ 28–39 Baratza Virtuoso+ 13–18 Breville Smart Grinder Pro 35–50 Comandante C40 MK3 17–23 Comandante C40 MK4 21–27 Comandante C60 Baracuda 30–37 DF64 Gen 2 28–39 Eureka Mignon Specialita 50–70 Eureka Mignon Zero 45–64 Fellow Ode Gen 2 4–8 Fellow Opus 16–29 Flair Royal 28–39 Hario Mini-Slim Pro 10–14 Hario Skerton Pro 3–8 Kingrinder K0 80–112 Kingrinder K1 80–112 Kingrinder K2 80–112 Kingrinder K4 23–32 Kingrinder K6 83–106 Kingrinder P0 46–59 Kingrinder P1 46–59 Kingrinder P2 46–59 MHW-3Bomber R3 Pro 60–100 Mazzer Philos 50–70 Moccamaster KM5 3–5 Niche Zero 33–40 Normcore Manual V2 25–35 OXO Brew Conical 17–23 Option-O Lagom P64 26–46 Sage Smart Grinder Pro 35–50 Timemore C3 Max Pro 13–16 Timemore C3 Pro 13–16 Timemore Chestnut C2 17–23 Timemore Chestnut C3 17–23 Timemore Chestnut S3 52–71 Timemore Chestnut S3 ESP 33–47 Timemore Chestnut X 28–41 Timemore Nano 20–23 Turin DF54 30–45 Varia VS3 31–44 Weber Key 50–70 Wilfa Svart 24–49 Wilfa Uniform+ 15–25
Manual grinder · 48 mm conical burrs

1Zpresso JX's setting

Clicks
22–29
Grind size
500–700 µm
Grind descriptor
Medium

These settings are consensus values computed from 1 independent sources (manufacturer manuals, reference charts and our micron model), monitored daily for changes.

See the 1Zpresso JX grind chart

Overview

Ours 1:16·15 g·240 g·90 °C·Medium · 500–700 µm·2:35 Make it yours

Brew with us

Prestina

Grind Medium 500–700 µm
Ratio 1:
Dose g
Water g
Water temp °C
Total time 2:35

0:00 Timer
— Flow
— Weight
—
STEP 1 / 9 0:00 / 0:00

Notes

We press slowly and stop the moment it hisses — that is air, not coffee, and pushing past it only bitters the last mouthful. The chamber is the fill line: if you can see the water, you have room for it.

Behind every step

  1. 1Weigh beans

    0:05

    Weighing instead of scooping is the only way to repeat a brew — beans differ in density and roast, so a scoop of one is not a scoop of another. Fix the dose and every other variable finally means something.

  2. 2Grind

    0:15

    Medium is the whole range here, and it is not a compromise: too fine and the metal filter chokes when you press, too coarse and a one-minute infusion cannot get there. Table sugar is the target — the same grind a drip machine wants, a step coarser than a V60.

  3. 3Set up

    0:10

    The Prestina has no plunger: the cup it stands in is what presses. So the assembly matters more than on most brewers — the filter disc has to sit flat in its seat and the chamber has to be square in the cup, or the press goes in crooked and the seal leaks down one side instead of building pressure.

  4. 4Add the grounds

    0:10

    Coffee and brewer finally meet, and it is worth its own beat rather than a clause in another step: the filter is rinsed, the kettle is hot, and until the grounds are in there is nothing to brew. Give the brewer a tap to level the bed — a bed sitting at an angle sends the first pour down the low side and extracts unevenly from there on.

  5. 5Add water

    0:15

    The chamber holds 240 ml and the valve keeps it there — nothing drips through while it steeps, which is what makes this an immersion brewer rather than a very slow filter. Off the boil is right: around 90 °C, hot enough to extract and cool enough not to scald a medium grind.

  6. 6Stir

    0:05

    Stirring is only to sink the floating grounds so everything is wet at the same moment. Keep it gentle — an agitated bed packs down against the filter and turns the press into a fight.

  7. 7Steep

    1:00

    One minute is the recipe, and it is short because the press is doing the last part of the extraction. The coffee is sitting in still water the whole time; the clock, not your technique, is what decides strength.

  8. 8Press

    0:25

    There is no plunger — you push the chamber down and the cup drives the water through the bed. Slow and even, about twenty seconds: the duck valve opens progressively under pressure, and rushing it forces the seal instead of the coffee.

  9. 9Enjoy

    0:10

    Coffee keeps changing as it cools: aromatics fade, acidity sharpens and sweetness comes forward. Drink it soon after brewing, and taste it as it drops in temperature — that's how you learn what to adjust next time.

Fix it by taste

Two levers, and grind is the first. Start at 15 g medium, 240 ml at 90 °C, one minute of infusion, twenty seconds of press. Sour and thin? Finer, or infuse ninety seconds. Bitter, or hard work on the press? Coarser. Change one at a time and press at the same speed each go — an even press is what makes it repeatable.

  • The press fights back or stalls
    Grind too fine, or the bed packed
    Fix · Coarsen a step and stir gently — force does not extract, it just strains the seal
  • Thin and sour
    Under-extracted
    Fix · Grind a touch finer, or infuse thirty seconds longer
  • Leaks down one side while pressing
    Chamber not square in the cup
    Fix · Lift it, sit it flat, and press straight down
  • Muddy last mouthful
    Pressed past the hiss
    Fix · Stop the moment it hisses — that is air, not coffee

What you need

The Prestina and a grinder that holds a clean medium; nothing else, which is the point. The stainless filter is permanent, so there is no paper to run out of on the road, and the whole thing rinses under a tap in seconds.

Beans & roast

Medium roasts suit it best — the body it builds flatters chocolate and nut over bright acidity. Fresh grounds matter more than origin here; a minute is not long enough to rescue stale coffee.

Variations to try

  • Stronger cup

    18 g at the same water — closer to a small, unpressurised espresso in body

  • Longer infusion

    Ninety seconds for light roasts, which need the extra time

  • Iced

    Brew onto ice in the cup; the press chills it on the way down

Prestina FAQ

Is the Prestina an espresso maker?

No. It brews by immersion and then presses, at a fraction of espresso's pressure — closer to an AeroPress than to a machine. What you get is a full-bodied cup, not a shot with crema.

Why does it get hard to press?

Almost always the grind. Too fine, or a bed compacted by vigorous stirring, and the filter chokes. Coarsen one step and stir just once, gently, to sink the floating grounds.

Do I need paper filters?

No — the stainless filter is permanent, which is why the cup keeps more oils and body than a paper brew. Rinse it out straight after pressing and it stays clear.

Grinders dialed for this method

Full grind chart →
OXO Brew Conical
OXO Brew Conical Electric grinder · 40 mm conical burrs 17–23
Timemore C3 Max Pro Manual grinder · 38 mm conical burrs 13–16
Timemore C3 Pro Manual grinder · 38 mm conical burrs 13–16
Comandante C40 MK3
Comandante C40 MK3 Manual grinder · 39 mm conical burrs 17–23
Comandante C40 MK4
Comandante C40 MK4 Manual grinder · 39 mm conical burrs 21–27
Comandante C60 Baracuda Manual grinder · 60 mm conical burrs 30–37
Ratio calculator Grind settings for 58 grinders Make your own version Alpha