How to Make Lavender Coffee with a French Press in 10 Easy Steps

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Total time: 10-15 minutes

Are you looking to enjoy delicious lavender coffee without having to add syrup? If so, then this is what you’re looking for. This is a no syrup recipe for lavender coffee that uses a french press. If you’re wondering about lavender benefits, lavender is widely renowned for its soothing properties, so having it with your coffee can add a calming effect and allow you to focus. It also tastes very good, although the flavor it adds is very light–the lavender scent is much stronger than the taste. Scroll down a little to learn more about the benefits of lavender. Scroll down even more for the lavender coffee recipe.

Lavender imbues an herbal, floral flavor and fragrance that can become part of your daily routine. It can also be something you make for special occasions or for special guests. This recipe is based on my fundamental french press recipe, which has extra tips and explanations for using a french press.

Lavender Benefits (Some Technical Babble and Summaries)

Lavender has been shown through research to help calm the nerves, help insomniacs get some rest, and may even help with PMS symptoms.¹ Plus, it smells and tastes amazing.

Lavender smells great and is good for the nervous system

Since medieval times, lavender has been used for enhancing fragrance in crafts and treating overstimulation of the nervous system, as well as depression. The beautiful smell you notice coming from lavender is mostly from a naturally occurring chemical called linalyl acetate, and secondarily from linalool, a chemical that is commonly found in flowers. There is also evidence suggesting that lavender may have antioxidant and neuroprotective effects.²

Lavender has anti-anxiety effects

There is evidence that lavender’s anxiolytic effects may be attributed to its affinity for the NMDA receptor, a gateway for ions and glutamate. Binding to this receptor inhibits its effect and can have a calming effect on the nervous system. In the case of lavender, this effect is very mild.

In a study on dental patients, it was found that lavender fragrance soothed dental anxiety for those waiting for their turn to be tortured. It did not have long term effects on their fear of the dentist, but it did calm them in the moment.³

Lavender can improve mood

Lavender may also work on the serotonin transporter, a protein that transports serotonin (a chemical associated with mental well-being). The popular antidepressant class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), bind to the serotonin transporter as well. This does not mean that lavender has the same efficacy as Prozac, so don’t do anything dumb. Talk to your doctor about actual medical concerns.⁴

How does this lavender coffee recipe work?

This is a hot immersion coffee method. That means that the beans and lavender take a nice steamy bath, allowing the water to grab valuable compounds out of them in just a few minutes. It makes a slightly acidic but smooth cup of coffee with the soothing fragrance and flavor of lavender. You will basically use a french press as normal, but add lavender buds in with the coffee grounds.

This is an easy recipe using volume measurements, but I provide weights in grams as well.

Lavender Coffee Recipe for 8 oz (236 mL)

Equipment

• French press
• Kettle
• Grinder for herbs and coffee (you can use the same one or use two different grinders, and the type of grinder you use is your preference)

Ingredients

• 2.5 tbsp of ground coffee (12.5 grams)
• 1 tsp of lavender buds (1.8 grams)
• 8 oz of water (236 mL, also 236 grams)

Instructions

1. Grind the lavender buds so they release the oil a bit. It doesn’t need to be a powder, just break up the buds. You can leave them whole if you want the lavender flavor to be more mellow, or grind them smaller for a more intense flavor.
2. Set your water to heat up to 200 F (93-94 C). *
3. Grind your coffee coarse.
4. Put your ground coffee and lavender in the carafe.
5. When the water is at the correct temperature, pour it over the grounds. Do not stir.
6. Put the lid on the carafe, leaving the plunger up.
7. Allow it to sit undisturbed for 4.5 minutes.
8. Remove the lid and stir the brew with a wooden utensil. (Using a metal utensil can damage the glass of the carafe, and we want to avoid plastic in our coffee.)
9. Replace the lid and plunge slowly.
10. Make sure the grate on the lid siding is aligned with the spout, and pour into a mug.

Thanks for reading about lavender coffee

Now that you know how to make lavender coffee using a french press, you can use this recipe over and over again to bring delight to the senses. It’s a great way to start your morning, or give yourself a floral boost later in the day. You can also just use it on special occasions, or on those days when you deserve a little something extra. I hope you enjoy your lavender infused coffee, and feel free to check out the other coffee recipes on my site 🙂

Sources

1. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265922#benefits ↩︎
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/ ↩︎
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19968674/ ↩︎
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5437114/ ↩︎