Perfect The French Press

We are taking a break from home improvement today and stepping into my favorite morning routine. 

Making a cup of creamy hot coffee.

I am a coffee snob.  That's a true story.  I won't drink bad coffee.  Won't do it.  And you'll understand why after you experience the awe of the press.  You'll be so inspired that you dump your drip machine!

You guys, making French press coffee is the easiest (and cheapest) way to make coffee!  Okay, Keurig users... the second easiest.  But it absolutely makes the best cup 'o joe.  And it's about 95% cheaper than the Keurig.

If it's so simple, why do you need a tutorial?? Well, you don't.  This is for my dad.  Who refuses to make coffee because he's intimidated by any coffee-making process other than hitting a button on a drip machine.

How to Make French Press Coffee (single serving, 1 cup)

What you only really need:
 - A French Press
 - Ground coffee
 - Hot water

What I use:
 - An 8c. French Press (for making 2+ cups of coffee)
 - A 3c. French Press (for when I make myself coffee)
 - Burr Grinder
 - Tea kettle
 - Coffee beans
 - Coffee ground measuring device and scale.... kidding

You don't need two different kinds of coffee presses.  I have two because when I use my 8c. press I have to fill it.  And I only drink one cup, so I was tossing 2/3rds of my coffee every morning.  I recently got the mini press for a single serving and now I'm only wasting 1/2 cup.  (I suffer from an illness called... unable-to-finish-a-cup-of-coffee-before-it-goes-cold-usitis)

Making French Press coffee is easy, but the taste all depends on two very important factors...

1) Grounds
2) Water temp

I only purchase whole bean coffee that can be ground at home. This is the freshest.  And, yes, I can tell a difference. Before I had my own grinder at home I ground my coffee in store.  So, it is not necessary to own a grinder... but it certainly is nice to have.  My favorite grinder is one that has a setting to control the size of grounds made, the amount made, and can make grounds with a push of a button.  I have used this one (Bodum Electric Burr Grinder) daily the last 5 years and it works great.

The coffee grounds need to be very coarse to make good FP coffee.  Otherwise, you'll be left with sludge at the bottom of the cup, making the coffee bitter.  And nobody likes that.

The kind of coffee bean is also pretty important.  Each person has their preference as to what they like best - my favorite is a Colombian roast by Eight O'Clock Coffee.  I usually buy mine from Target for about $5 - that bag lasts me about a month.  Whole Foods 365 is my favorite organic alternative.

The second most important factor in making good FP coffee is water temp.  Google says that 195-205 F is the ideal range to brew coffee at.  But who actually whips out the thermometer and tests this? Okay, I did once... just to make sure my kettle was on par (it was).  So, I just heat my kettle until it whistles and that's my temperature gauge.

Are you ready for the really complicated 11 step process to making French Press Coffee?

1) Fill kettle about 3/4 full.  Don't cover the entire spout with water otherwise it may boil over.

2) Heat water on high.  I put the kettle on the power burner, which takes <5 minutes for the kettle to whistling-temp.

3) While the water is heating on the stove I use this time to prep the French Press.  This is where I use my button pushing skills (I'm a pro).  My grinder is pre-set to grind coarse coffee for a single serving (6 seconds = 3 TBSP = one cup of coffee).  The knob allows fine adjustments based on serving size/desired strength.

4) If you're using pre-ground coffee, measure 3 TBSP per cup.  3 TBSP is ideal for me with the Colombian roast.  (I'm using the small, 3c. French Press - I use 8 TBSP for the 8 cup press).

5) After the kettle whistles, I pop the spout open and let it breathe for 30 seconds.  My kettle tends to spit scalding hot water everywhere if I pour too soon, so I let 'er sit.  By the time I pour the water from the kettle, the water temp is about 190 F so it's safe to pour into the press (195 F-205 F is ideal brewing temperature).  (Water cools quickly, so that same water quickly cools to 150 after being poured into a cup). Too hot of water can scald the beans, and too cool of water may not fully brew the beans - to sum that up... Kettle-whistling water is almost perfection.  And good enough for me.

6) Slowly pour water over grounds thoroughly soaking them.  Some people might suggest stirring.  The less utensils I dirty the better - so no stirring here folks.  Just keep that water pouring slow.

7) Set plunger carefully on top of grounds making sure to not dig one side of the plunger into the water.  Otherwise you'll have grounds in your coffee... and that's not pretty.

8) Allow the water to mingle with the grounds for about 3-4 minutes.  Some people may suggest more time - I think 3-4 is ideal for me otherwise the coffee tastes bitter.  If the beans are still sitting on top of the water under the press, this is when I move the plunger down about 1/4 of the way and then back to the top.  This helps mix the grounds and allows them to settle.

9) While the coffee brews I grab a mug and pour about 2 seconds of cream into the bottom.  That's an official measurement.   Be a rebel and pour the milk first.  Save yourself a spoon and let the coffee do the mixing.  Stop the harassment on lightly used spoons! 

10) Go ahead and push that plunger all the down way to the bottom.  And pour away, friend.  Pour away.  (Packing the coffee down at the bottom of the press should stop the brewing process).  My press is a single serving one; it only fills one mug for me so I don't have to worry about the coffee sitting with the beans.

11) Enjoy the best cup of coffee you've ever had.

Now go toss that Keurig in the trash.  And make coffee like the pilgrims used to.

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