Just writing the title of this article made my head and nose think of great tasting coffee. Making the perfect cup of coffee has so many variables. Variables such as what to make the coffee in, what coffee bean to use, grind your own coffee, how long to brew coffee and what coffee filter to use.
There are many ways to brew that perfect cup of coffee, a drip coffee maker is by far the most popular in North America, aka a Mr Coffee maker style of brew. Then you have an espresso coffee maker, the latest coffee machine is more of a convenience than a tasty cup of coffee – the capsule machines which use a plastic/metal coffee pod or coffee capsule. Coffee can be made in a percolator, instant coffee mixes and my favourite, the French Press method. There are several more methods for making coffee, but for this article, I will go into detail with the plunger or the French press method
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
The French press method is very popular with coffee lovers around the world. For me, it is not just about the taste it is also about portability and space saving. On the kitchen countertop, I can either put the French Press in the cabinet above the counter or leave it on the counter. Either way, it takes up very little space. There is no electric cord to worry about and no filters to have in constant supply. I travel a lot and I take my 4-cup fully stainless steel French Press with me in my suitcase. Easy!
Also, the very theme of this website is to introduce you to things that you buy only once. The Buy it For Life concept certainly can encompass this durable well-made product. The mesh filter will need replacing every few years but that’s all. Easy choice right?.
How to make the best cup of coffee using a French Press
- The brewing ratio is very, very important. It might sound like a big extra step, but WEIGHING the correct amount of coffee WILL give you a good cup of coffee EVERY time. 60 or 70 grams of coffee grounds per litre of water.After you make coffee this way a few times, weighing becomes second nature.
- Size matters. The size of the grain for a French press should be on the coarse side. Only burr style grinders can achieve this. For an excellent grinder consider buying the well designed and well made Capresso 560.1 Infinity. This grinder is far better than my previous noisy cheaply made Krupps coffee grinder.
- Boil the hot water and wait a minute or so for the water temperature to lower, this will give you a water temperature of about 200F or 95 C. Pour this hot water onto the ground coffee beans.
- Keep the brewing time the same. For my grind-size and for the type of coffee, 4 minutes is good. Of all the variables in the process of making coffee, I only VARY TIME to get the perfect cup of coffee that I need.
- The climate I am living in will dictate if I put the lid in place while the coffee is steeping or brewing. I like HOT coffee so in cold weather the lid goes on. However, in warmer weather, it is better to allow the coffee grounds to “bloom” as much as possible, very similar to how red wine needs to breathe before being served. No lid provides a richer and smoother flavour.
- Skimming makes an amazing difference. With the lid off and after 4 minutes of steeping the hot coffee, use a tablespoon to skim off the floating coffee bean particles and throw in the trash/compost. Turns out that these particles are the big reason this type of coffee making gets a bad name..coffee sludge in the cup bottom.
- Take the top half of the French press, the plunger part, and push slowly from the top and all the way to the bottom steady and slow.
- Pour and enjoy the best cup of coffee. Perfect coffee?
