Set the timer to 100 seconds

How to use the online timer

A French press needs a proper steep before you plunge it, and 100 seconds is the usual window for a strong, evenly extracted cup without it turning bitter. Pour the water over the grounds, start the timer straight away, and leave the plunger alone until the countdown's done instead of pressing early out of impatience. The extra minute of waiting is what separates good coffee from average coffee.

Press Start and away it goes, counting down on its own without needing you to babysit it every few seconds. The only real rule is keeping this browser tab open, since the countdown pauses along with the page if you close it or shut the browser down entirely. Right at zero, a sound plays to let you know time's up, clear enough to hear from the next room over.

There's something to be said for a timer that doesn't try to sell you a premium version or bury the start button behind ads you have to swipe past. This one lives in a browser tab, plain and straightforward, doing exactly what it says and nothing else. You can leave the tab minimised while you get on with things, and it'll keep counting until it's time to let you know. Set a timer for 100 seconds, set the timer to 100 seconds, start a 100 seconds timer — it is the same countdown either way.