31 Days of Savoring the Sweet Stuff: Day 6- A Good Cup of Coffee

It wasn't until after college that I became a coffee drinker.  Something about going into work and starting the day with a warm cup of coffee in hand...I don't know....I just loved it.  When I got married, my husband introduced me to the french press.  At first I did not understand what all of the hoopla was about, but now, I get it.  The little ritual of making coffee in the morning is one of my favorites.  There are some days when I don't even get to enjoy more than a few sips, but just knowing its there, for some reason makes me happy.  If you have never made french press coffee before, or feel intimidated by the process (like I did), here are the simple steps to making an amazing cup of coffee.  I promise it will start your day off right.  A good cup of coffee is one of the sweet things in life!  (At least my life!)

French presses can be purchased at any kitchen-ey store (Crate and Barrell, Williams Sonoma etc).  

 The first step is to boil some water on the stove...

Then you take your beans...it helps if you grind them fresh just before making your coffee.  (I'm lucky that I'm married to a home roaster!)  Any kind of whole beans will do...what ever suits your fancy!

Then you measure out your beans...the recommended amount is 2 tablespoons per 6 oz of water.  (Sorry, when we took this photo, we were not using tablespoons b/c we were making a mass quantity of coffee...)

Grind your beans.  Its recommended to grind it coarsely...

Next...dump the ground beans into the french press...

Then add your water... (keeping in mind your water to grounds ratio...)

Then just let it sit...the grounds and the water (that is boiling) for 3-4 minutes

As an added bonus, you can use your extra hot water to warm up your coffee mugs while you wait...

After your timer goes off, use a wooden spoon (or whatever you have handy) to stir up the ground and the water.

*For some unknown reason, I seem to have forgotten to document the most exciting step! After you have stirred your grounds and water, put the plunger on top of your french press and slowly push down filtering the grounds through the water....

Now its ready! YUM!

One final step is to put any extra coffee from your french press into another container until you are ready to drink it.  By leaving it in the original container, the grounds will continue to brew and your coffee that remains will be SUPER strong.  So by putting it into another container, you just keep it at a consistent strength.  

 

Enjoy!