We've showed you how to make cold brew coffee with your handy French Press coffee maker. Today we take a look at how to make a great cup of coffee using the same French Press
There is an unmeasurable amount of effort that goes into even the smallest cup of coffee. Coffee itself takes years to grow on the Coffea plant before it is harvested, cleaned, packed, shipped, cleaned again, roasted, ground, brewed then served. The point being that there is a large amount of effort that goes into producing coffee and as such it only seems fit that the same effort and care should go into brewing your favorite cup of coffee.
Whether you are a coffee amateur or a self proclaimed expert it is always fun to try new and unique brewing methods. For this month's installment of Brew Habits we take a look at how to make the perfect cup of coffee with a French Press. Note: Tastes and preferences will differ from person to person. Play with these instructions to get the coffee just right for your taste!
Supplies:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole bean coffee or 8 tablespoons ground coffee
- 4 cups of cold filtered water
Equipment
- 1 Coffee Grinder (unless coffee is already ground)
- French Press
- Pot or kettle to boil water in
- Long spoon
Instructions:
- Measure out the coffee beans. If using ground coffee skip to step 3. Note: Ground coffee should be coarse, not fine.
- Grind Coffee beans. You want the grind to be as coarse as possible. The grind should be more akin to bread crumbs than sand. Pour grounds into French Press.
- Heat water to boiling, then let cool for 1 minute. Measure out 4 cups of water and add to your kettle/pot and heat to boiling. The perfect temperature for French Press coffee is around 195°F; this is just below boiling. Heat the water on a stovetop bowl or electric kettle to boiling, then take off the heat for about 1 full minute before making the coffee. If you want to make sure it's the right temperature, you can also use a thermometer.
- Add water to French Press. After letting the water cool for 1 minute post-boiling add to the French Press with the ground coffee.
- Stir. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Steep for 4 minutes. Allowing the coffee to settle and saturate the water for 4 minutes will produce a strong, flavorful explosion in your coffee. Play with the times to produce different tones in your coffee. Note: Do not plunge yet. Let plunger float just on top of the water until your coffee is fully steeped.
- Plunge the press. After 4 minutes place hand on the top of the French Press on the plunger and slowly, but smoothly press all the way to the bottom.
- Pour immediately and enjoy. Be sure to pour immediately after plunging, even if you are not going to drink it immediately. If you leave the coffee in the French Press it will become more acidic as it cools off. Pour into a thermos or directly into your favorite coffee cup for best results.
- Enjoy! Congratulations you have done it! Enjoy your perfectly made cup of coffee!
Remember to be careful around the boiling water and to have fun with this! Play with the steep times to find the perfect overtones for your liking and as always share your results with us on Facebook and Twitter!
