Friday, May 18, 2012

Food

One of the most popular methods of brewing coffee in the entire world is with the french press.  There are tons of different models and types on the market, ranging in prices and offering various designs including some that are even portable (for travel or even camping excursions).  Using a french press to make coffee is pretty simple once you understand the method, which can take a little practice to understand but is very intuitive and produces incredible coffee.  Like the article here, this will guide you through the basics of making french press coffee at home.

  • To use the french press you will need to heat water up on the stove.  The best possible temperature to be brewing at is 200 degrees Fahrenheit which is a little below boiling, so you should make a concerted effort to keep the water for your coffee brewing just below boiling.  This will result in the best possible extraction.
  • Grind your coffee to a very course setting.  It is critical that you grind course so that you don’t run the risk of ending up with coffee grounds in your actual coffee.  It needs to be course enough that when you plunge the wire mesh down into the coffee it traps it all below, leaving nothing but delectable coffee above.
  • Pour the coffee into the bottom of the french press and follow it with the water.  It is recommended that you keep the lid on above the coffee so that you don’t lose any heat in the brewing process – the water’s heat is a necessary part of the extraction, so any lost heat can result in a weaker cup of coffee.
  • After one minute lift the lid and stir up the coffee and the water.  This will help with the extraction as well, resulting in a more tasty cup of coffee.  You will notice that the coffee has ‘bloomed’ when you lift the lid, a lot of the grounds will have risen to the top – by stirring it all up you can get the grounds back into the water.
  • Wait another three to four minutes and then plunge the wire mesh down into the press.  This will trap all of the coffee grounds down below the surface, leaving nothing but delicious french press coffee above.

Voila!  That’s how you make amazing french press coffee – it’s very simple but results in an incredible tasting cup of coffee that can be made quickly and offer a great flavor profile that other methods of brewing cannot.

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