Blooming the coffee with an initial amount of about 2x the weight of the coffee should result in proper extraction without having to stir.
Thanks for the rec of the Hoffman/No Press method. I hadn’t heard of it before.
I only stir once water added. I would bet the second stir is causing your issues.
I see others say not to stir at all. I find the stir make a more consistent cup with less bitterness. But, I think the other methods mentioned would solve your initial problem.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Def stopping the second stir.
Will experiment with initial stir vs a 30 second ‘bloom’ then just punch down the crust (but not stir).
I tried Victors paper towel disc but it was cut a shade too large so it was hard to press down but I managed it most of the way, got a very clean cup of coffee. Its a slightly foddly bit of extra work t cut the disc so Ill see how the other methods do on their own.
My stir is really just a swirl. (Because who needs one more thing to wash?)
You wash your coffee spoon? 
Sludge is a characteristic of French Press coffee. If your grinding course on a burr grinder you are right on that. After the plunge if you let is settle a bit and “decant” out of the press the first cup should be cleaner.
This is one reason to go pour over or Aero Press (what I use every day now)
You will always have a little sludge with French Press, but grind is definitely the issue if you have too much. Lots of good tips here already to tweak your method.
I’m shocked to read this. I love coffee in a French press because it has more body/richness than drip. That said, it’s also more work/cleanup.
If you find French press coffee too robust, consider steeping for less time – I find 4m works perfectly, though YMMV.
I used an Aeropress for about 60 days and just couldn’t find a groove with it. Thankfully it comes in a pouch that is now gathering dust in the basement with three to four other ways to brew coffee.
Agree - 180 deg, 4 minutes.
/thread
I’m surprised that nobody has discussed getting a proper grind for a press pot. I don’t know of any home grinder that reduces the fines enough (am using a good Baratza now), instead use one of the good, large store grinders like Ditting and Mahlkonig. And definitely not an espresso grinder which produces a consistently fine grind. So like everything coffee, for perfection you can invest big bucks in a large contraption and fiddle with it until you obtain barista esperto enlightenment.
Sometimes that’s exactly what I want… a richer more robust cuppa. If it’s cold, particularly. But it isn’t a particularly “clean” flavor for my palate. I don’t get what I get from a good pourover or a nice espresso shot.
I have a pretty decent grinder that I got when a coffee geek friend upgraded. But it’s almost impossible not to end up with some fine dust even when you’re opened up. I go back and forth btw espresso and larger pour over so it’s admittedly not ideal. I did order an Aeropress to try.
I have a Bodum Bistro grinder. It does well on finer grinds (with the usual caveats - messy and staticy) but I do mostly French Press. The coarse grind settings are very narrow and I find the grind not coarse enough and inconsistent (too much powder mixed in). I’ve heard good things here and elsewhere about the Baratza Encore but wondering if it’s going to be measurably better.
Don’t have any experience with the Bodum Bistro. I’ve used the Encore for several years. It’s a pretty good grinder with really consistent grinds. It won’t grind fine enough for turkish or espresso, but it does a pretty good job in the pour over to french press grinds. To the point where I’ve kept it around for pour over and use my Sette for espresso.
In any french press you’re inevitably going to have some residue that’s too fine for the screen to filter, the reality is that you’re never going to get a perfectly uniform coarse grind, no matter what grinder you use.
I think a special grinder for a french press may help in your situation. I just found an article about them but I don’t know their effectiveness.