Our first French Press

Good coffee is one of the joys of our everyday life.

Living in coffee-savvy Vancouver in the late 90s, we absorbed the coffee culture into our pores. From Julie's work at our college's coffee bar, Footnotes, we learned how to choose the best coffee - made from arabica (the best beans), bought in whole bean form, and then ground in small batches at home. Steve even acquired the taste of coffee for the first time, during this exploration of what makes for a great cuppa.

Lately, we've been improving our coffee-making process even more. First, Julie read the Coffee House Mysteries, a series featuring a barista at a coffee bar. The books are filled with coffee tips, and we learned that leaving coffee on the burner of a drip coffee maker actually burns it over time. As a result, we bought a coffee thermos, and our coffee tasted even better.

Then we visited Minnesota's Caribou Coffee, a fine coffee chain headquartered in Minneapolis, and one of our favourites. They advised that a French press produces the best coffee of all. So off we went to get a French press.

What we found? A French press really DOES do the best job. Besides that, it's a very small, portable and inexpensive kitchen item that can be bought for about $10 and is dishwasher-safe. The process is a little more lengthy than a drip coffee maker, but it's worth the trouble for the end product. Here's how it works:

Our French press - photo by Julie

First, put the kettle on to heat some water. While that's heating, grind your beans. Place 1 Tbsp of ground coffee per 4-ounce cup in the bottom of your French press. When the kettle boils, let it cool just slightly from the boiling point, then pour the water over the grounds in your French press. Place the filter & plunger on the French press but do not push it down yet - set a timer for 4 minutes (our press came with one pre-set). When it beeps, press the plunger down very slowly to filter the coffee.

Then - voila, du café magnifique! The coffee will be noticeably different, with a somewhat murky look, as well as deeper colour and far richer flavour than a drip maker produces.

The French press has made our already pleasant everyday coffee routine even more special and interesting - we hope it will do the same for you.