Kevin's Watch

+JMJ+

Sick of lukewarm Press Pot Coffee that is not as rich and full as desired? This method was cobbled together from some of the cutting-edge coffee bar techniques making the rounds.

• Preheat a thermal carafe. It keeps the coffee piping hot, plus you'll need a "mixing" container for the last step.
• Grind your coffee finely. Not pulverized, but quite finely compared to what is normally recommended for French Press.
• Measure your water into a kettle. Just heat the precise amount you need.
• Add the coffee grounds to the pot. No need to preheat a glass press pot.
• Boil the water.
• Pour only enough water over the grounds to barely moisten them (i.e. to the consistency of potting soil). This is a very small amount of water relative to total volume of brewing water used for the entire process. Gently and briefly mix with a utensil (non-metallic if the carafe is glass), so that all of the grounds get evenly wetted.
• Wait about 45 seconds, keeping the water in the kettle at a full boil.
• Pour water, filling the pot only about one-half full. Be sure to pour vigorously to ensure that the "crust" of grounds on the surface has been broken.
• As a crust will, again, rise to the surface, repeatedly poke at the surface this crust with a wooden or plastic dowel, breaking the crust and causing the grounds to incorporate. This process may take a minute or so.
• When the coffee is fully submerged such that no floating grounds are visible from the surface, place the plunger atop the pot and into contact with the surface of the brewing water.
• Immediately depress the plunger with firm and steady pressure.
• After the plunger has bottomed-out, pour the coffee into the waiting thermal carafe.
• Pour the rest of the boiling water into the thermal carafe. Slightly agitate the carafe to mix the water and concentrated coffee.
• After emptying and rinsing the pot, fill french press with water to retard coffee oil rancidifiction.

I now understand why some people pay $5 for a cup of coffee.

(Not a coffee drinker)

That's a bit of work to make some coffee, but maybe it's worth it. (I *am* a coffee drinker.)

+JMJ+

Cord Hurn wrote:That's a bit of work to make some coffee, but maybe it's worth it. (I *am* a coffee drinker.)

It's not quite as painful as the instructions might seem to indicate. Like so many things, the process is rather simple, yet describing it is not. When one gets the hang of it, it pretty much becomes unconscious.

The main goal was to 1) use the finest grind possible so as to 2) get the shortest brew time achievable, in order to 3) get the hottest final cup possible, yet without 4) causing the plunger to "lock-up" and be un-depressible.

OTOH, one could always use a Syphon (a.k.a. Vacuum) Brewer so as to always get a ludicrously hot cup, but some find such a brewer to be too fussy and fragile. This French Press method helps to emulate some of the qualities of the Syphon yet without the labor and the learning-curve.

This is the only way to have your coffee. Nice tip Wos