DESCRIPTION
I love coffee. It's hard to imagine starting my day without that ritual. In the beginning I had a traditional drip brewer. Was it nice rolling out of bed to coffee? Sure. But the day I saw mold in that perpetually moist chamber, it went right in the trash can. 🗑
I initially got hooked on French presses because they're so easy to clean. Honestly, in hindsight my coffee game started pretty weak. Over time I learned some tricks and tips from the internet and coffee-obsessed friends. I wanted to share what I've learned.
Forget Dunks and Bucks, get some fresh local roasts and make your own tasty bean water.
INGREDIENTS
3 TBSP Whole Coffee Beans
0.75 L Water
WHY A METAL FRENCH PRESS?
- Easy to clean.
- No paper filters.
- Basically indestructible.
- Portable.
Tips & Tricks
Skip the glass presses. Your coffee is basically cold after five minutes and I broke three of them in two months.
Go metal. 🤘
Use enough beans. A barista friend clued me in to the amount of beans they use. 80% of that was plenty to save some money and still taste way better than the skimpy coffee I was making before.
Grind your own beans. Pre-ground coffee goes stale much faster. You should still see little air bubbles when pouring hot water. No bubbles = stale.
Teeny pebbles, not sand. If you're using a traditional coffee grinder, just pulsing 2 or 3 times should be good. Being able to control the grind size is key and really elevated my coffee. I got a manual burr grinder and can tune it with a few clicks to different beans. I also love the physical interaction in my ritual.
Boiling water is too hot. Water boils at 212℉. This gives your coffee an acidic bite. Wait a sec after the kettle whistles. My Cuisinart kettle has a dedicated "French Press" button 10 degrees below boiling.
Try brown sugar. I keep white and brown sugar on the counter but I use brown most of the time. It's a more subtle sweet.
DIRECTIONS
- Get your water to just below boiling.
- Grind your beans and add them to the French press.
- Pour in just enough hot water to cover the beans. Wait about 30 seconds. This saturates your grind so it doesn't float to the top and produce a weaker cup of coffee.
- Add the rest of your hot water. Stir once or twice to break up clumps, then add the lid. Use any extra hot water to pre-heat your mug or thermos.
- Wait 5 - 7 minutes.
- Press the screen in gently to avoid grounds in your cup. Pour & enjoy!