504083 Sat Mar 29 16:07:39 -0700 2008 32 31 Home Cooking 0 3541331 Hey Hounds. So I just jumped into the wonderful world of French Pressed coffee. A couple of weeks ago I had one at 4bucks and loved it. Since then I've been hooked. So I got me a FP and some beans today. I'll do my first coffee tomorrow. I have some loose leaf tea that I'll experiment with after dinner. So does anyone have any advice, tips, tricks or other worldly wisdom for this neophyte?? Thanks DT Sat Mar 29 16:07:39 -0700 2008 11291 Davwud 1 3541458 I'm no coffee expert, but just make sure the grind is quite coarse and that you use enough coffee. If I'm feeling particularly picky, I'll wrap a dishtowel around the FP while the coffee is steeping, to keep it warmer. I steep for 4-5 minutes. Sat Mar 29 16:51:37 -0700 2008 3541331 10985 MMRuth 2 3541490 I'll add a couple of steps that were taught to me. Whether or not they are absolutes, who can say? But just the same I use them as a part of my "ritual" when making FP. First, when I pour the water over the coffee grounds, I do it in a circular motion over the coffee, and not super fast. This supposedly lets the coffee pre-infuse. And secondly, after the water has been added, I will take a chopstick, and gently stir the coffee/water slurry a couple of times. I'm laughing right now, because just today I was thinking that I haven't made FP in a long time. Usually this is our "Sunday" method of coffee. With all of my fancy shmancy gadgets, I ended up replacing an expensive electric brewer with a $29 Mr. Coffee machine. You know something??? It makes STRONG coffee, and lately I'm having a blast with this. Just the same, I do know how enjoyable FP can be. Cheers Sat Mar 29 17:03:20 -0700 2008 3541458 11598 JeffW 3 3541493 I do both of those things too - though usually a spoon, not chopsticks. FP is our weekend coffee. I <gasp> make myself Nescafe in the mornings after my husband has left for work. Sat Mar 29 17:04:49 -0700 2008 3541490 10985 MMRuth 4 3541607 Same here. After pouring the water I give it a stir with a spatula. Love French press and could never go back to regular coffee. Sat Mar 29 18:00:24 -0700 2008 3541493 155549 Docsknotinn 3 3542558 Same here - pour water slowly in circular fashion after water comes off the boil and stir with special chopstick. I use 1 T of coffee for every 4 oz of water. One question I have is - what's the best way to get the grinds out of a spent pot? I don't have a garbage disposal, so use the chopstick to loosen the grounds than knock it into the trash. It's my least favorite part of making FP coffee. Any hints to make it easier? Sun Mar 30 07:50:47 -0700 2008 3541490 166856 Snorkelvik 4 3542564 I swirl a little water in the grinds and put them in the trash. I have a garbage disposal and have heard conflicting things about the grinds not being good for it, so I've opted for not putting them down the drain. Sun Mar 30 07:52:15 -0700 2008 3542558 10985 MMRuth 5 3543497 I don't put my grounds down the disposal either. there's usually some liquid along with the grinds in the bottom of my FP when I go to clean it...I dump that in a strainer, put some more water in the carafe, swirl around, dump in the strainer, tap a few times to get the liquid out and then dump in the trash. Sun Mar 30 14:09:08 -0700 2008 3542564 16406 ziggylu 4 3544129 Pour the remains out around your blueberry bush, rosebuch or rhododendron if you have those. They love the acidity. And it's fine to compost, too, if you're into that sort of thing. :-) Sun Mar 30 18:40:12 -0700 2008 3542558 42513 Mawrter 5 3544735 Some of the coffee shops here set out bags of used grounds so customers can take them for that reason. A very dilligent use of waste. Mon Mar 31 04:25:32 -0700 2008 3544129 155549 Docsknotinn 6 3544888 My local 4B has a big pail of grounds sitting off to the side for anyone who wants them. DT Mon Mar 31 06:04:16 -0700 2008 3544735 11291 Davwud 2 3541674 Mine is thermal so no issues with it cooling off. DT Sat Mar 29 18:30:12 -0700 2008 3541458 11291 Davwud 3 3541677 I aspire to thermal - once I break the glass beaker for this one! Sat Mar 29 18:31:01 -0700 2008 3541674 10985 MMRuth 4 3542477 I have a large thermal FP travel mug (I'm the only coffee drinker in this house) that I've been using daily for 4 years now. It goes with me on the road as well as at home and has stood up to some serious abuse. I'm ordering table top models for our future B&B, I'm so impressed with them. http://www.planetarydesign.us/ Sun Mar 30 07:11:50 -0700 2008 3541677 160677 morwen 1 3541574 I'm not sure how orthodox this is, but we put a coffee filter on the press to really strain out the grounds. No matter how coarse a grind I do I always end up with an icky coffee sludge at the end of the pot without the filter. Sat Mar 29 17:42:23 -0700 2008 3541331 36325 Procrastibaker 2 3541611 Have you tried just pouring gently after it's brewed? Just leave the last little bit. You might also try grinding your beans just a titch more course. Sat Mar 29 18:01:49 -0700 2008 3541574 155549 Docsknotinn 2 3541681 Well as I'm to understand the idea is to get rid of the filter. It soaks up the oils that make the coffee that much better. I've been drinking the decaf Komodo Dragon from 4Bucks and was stunned at the difference when I finally had one pressed. Supposedly for us no lead drinkers it's much more important since a lot of the oils are removed during decaffeination. DT Sat Mar 29 18:32:07 -0700 2008 3541574 11291 Davwud 3 3543258 Good to know... thanks guys. With a new baby, though, my French press days are over for now. I'm lucky I haven't turned to instant... Sun Mar 30 12:23:43 -0700 2008 3541681 36325 Procrastibaker 2 3543332 That seems to be similar to the Aeropress, which I like for ease of clean up. A filter will permit a finer grind, and less coffee beans used. Sun Mar 30 12:54:51 -0700 2008 3541574 56131 jayt90 1 3541797 French press is the way to go. I will sometimes go to a local place that is a little pricey with okay food just because the coffee is French press and it's amazing. Sat Mar 29 19:32:29 -0700 2008 3541331 171290 Paul Weller 1 3542375 vive le cafetière à piston! Sun Mar 30 06:01:36 -0700 2008 3541331 105717 alkapal 2 3542500 Cafetière is feminine but yeah. One thing no one's mentioned is temperature. As when making espresso, the water should be slightly under boiling temperature. 195-200ºF is a frequently suggested target range. Sweet Maria's has a useful French press tip sheet: www.sweetmarias.com/brewinstr.frenchpress.html The two other secrets to a great cup are using good-tasting water (filtered tap in my case) and recently roasted high-quality beans you grind just before brewing. Sun Mar 30 07:22:40 -0700 2008 3542375 10520 carswell 3 3543033 so sorry. audited french! spanish is not necessarily fem. with an -a ending --- notably EL PROBLEMA!!!! Sun Mar 30 11:03:18 -0700 2008 3542500 105717 alkapal 1 3542543 I make my coffee every day in a cafetiere, a very common European method. However, now I am in the USA I haven't seen them much in restaurants. Make sure you tell the coffee shop when you are buying coffee that it is for a French Press. It needs more coffee than you think, IMO, and be careful not to push down too hard and stabilize the pot with your other hand or you could end up with a spilt and broken pot and a burnt hand - I have done this and it is no fun. Sun Mar 30 07:40:46 -0700 2008 3541331 22559 smartie 1 3542839 I use slightly finer ground coffee than is recommended (I grind my own) - and I use about twice the amount than I'd use of making filter coffee. I put the ground beans in the pot, barely cover with hot water and leave for about 3 minutes. Then I top up the pot and leave another 1 or 2 minutes, I use a pot that is much bigger than is needed for the number of cups I am making - if the pot is too full it can spray coffee all over the kitchen if pressed too fast. If the coffee resists pressing, I pull the plunger up a little to release the grounds - this makes the subsequent plunge easier. Sun Mar 30 09:51:06 -0700 2008 3541331 40746 Peg 1 3542842 In another couple of months (at least here in NYC), your French press will come in handy for cold-brewed iced coffee! I used the NYTimes recipe from last summer, but didn't dilute it. Leave grounds and cold water in French press overnight (at least 8 hours) and press in the morning. Best iced coffee ever. Sun Mar 30 09:51:33 -0700 2008 3541331 17392 JennS 2 3543293 No it won't. I hate iced coffee and tea. DT Sun Mar 30 12:38:57 -0700 2008 3542842 11291 Davwud 1 3543322 Basics: Coarse grind, water just off the boil but not boiling like around 200*. Pour water over coffee grinds, that have just been ground. Stir 5 times in a clockwise direction ONLY. Just kidding. Stir and let steap for 3-4 min. This is a biggy and not kidding, decant into another container so you don't get an over extraction from the grinds still in the FP. Sun Mar 30 12:50:30 -0700 2008 3541331 89493 scubadoo97 2 3543388 Why only clockwise? Why only five times? When I make FP coffee--every morning--"just off the boil" means I take the boiling kettle off the fire and walk across the room to where the coffee pot is. I stir with a chopstic that's dyed a nice deep brown from being used for this purpose every morning. Then I set a timer for five minutes. After pressing I put the coffee in a thermal carafe. I use a very coarse ground with a non-electric burr grinder (the one that looks like a box with a crank on top). I fill the hopper up and a little heaped up above the door, then after I crank it down till the hopper's about half full, I empty the little drawer and then fill the hopper up again. Here lately there's something wrong with my grinder--it's not grinding coarse enough to suit me but the adjustment screw is stuck--and I'm getting an excessive ration of sludge. Sun Mar 30 13:22:14 -0700 2008 3543322 32586 revsharkie 3 3543694 Please re-read my post. I was just poking fun at the idiosyncrasies in coffee prep. Sun Mar 30 15:40:24 -0700 2008 3543388 89493 scubadoo97 1 3543349 Careful, you're getting into a gateway substance leading to things like home roasting, and la marzocca gs3's Sun Mar 30 13:01:28 -0700 2008 3541331 138159 malabargold 2 3543697 Too late for me as I've been homeroasting for 5 years now and will offer this warning. Once you start you can never go back to store bought preroasted beans Sun Mar 30 15:41:47 -0700 2008 3543349 89493 scubadoo97 1 3544896 I bought a Bodum a few years ago. I went through about 3-4 pounds of coffee, bought and ground at Starbucks. I specifically asked for a French Press grind. I found that it was too much like drinking campfire coffee, the screen wasn't fine enough. It looked cool but I ended up giving it away. Mon Mar 31 06:07:12 -0700 2008 3541331 148300 filth