About 2 1/2 years ago I went on a quest to find the perfect home brew. I had always liked coffee done in a percolator, so I decided to do some research into percolated coffee. During the course of my research, I found this method has been much maligned. Not because there was anything inherently wrong with it, but simply because most people thought the only way to percolate coffee was using a stove top model. The stove-top model requires you to bring the water to a boil in order to pecolate. This is absolutely the worst insult to coffee you can make. Boiling water wrecks the coffee, brings down its' anti-oxidant value and it tastes like it has been cooked which in essence would be true if you use this method.
For a great cup of percolated coffee, you need to use an electric percolator. There is a world of difference between coffee percolated on the stove and an electric percolator. Unlike it's stove top counterpart the electric percolator is a wonderful way to make a good cup of coffee. It doesn't boil the water - it is designed to heat the water to just below the boiling point, which is exactly where it needs to be to extract the best flavor and the oil from the beans. We've made it this way for years. First with cheaper percolators bought at Walmart, then I decided to get serious and buy a top-of-the-line percolator. After doing a bit of research I settled on a Hamilton Beach model. During the course of research I discovered an important first step to making your own great coffee. Grind the beans yourself just prior to making the coffee. Fresh ground beans make a much better brew than any pre-ground you can buy. Once ground, no matter how you try to preserve the coffee, it will be going stale.
Until approximately 6 months ago, we used an electric percolator to make our coffee. At the time I began to notice the coffee didn't taste as strong as it once did. Our percolator, though somewhat expensive, doesn't have any settings for brew strength. You just fill it, put the grinds in the steel basket and then onto the stem and finally seat it in the percolator. Put the lid on, plug it in and in 12 minutes the coffee is ready. To get a stronger brew I decided to add more coffee, which didn't seem to help. After several days of mediocre brews I decided to do a bit more research into the best way to make coffee. I had been convinced the percolator was a great way but was open to trying something else because no matter what I did with it, our electric percolator wasn't making a good cup of java any more.
This is when I discovered the French Press. Like the percolator, it doesn't use a paper filter so it is an environmentally friendly method, however it is a bit more labor intensive. In my opinion the extra labor is well worth the results - a perfect cup of coffee every time!
In conjunction with the purchase of our first French Press I bought a new grinder. The consistency of the grind is critically important to making coffee in a French Press, so blade type grinders that chop the beans are not recommended - they are the worst for consistency of the particle size. Burr mill grinding is the only way to get a consistent grind, but the flat type is not good because the friction between the plates heats the coffee beans which can make the coffee go a bit stale during the process and lower the anti-oxidant value.
The best grinder for a French Press is a Conical Burr Mill grinder such as the Cuisinart Programmable Conical Burr Mill (CBM-18C). I first tried a more expensive Breville Conical Burr Mill Grinder but I found it made it huge mess with the grinds because the grinds container was an odd shape and literally full of static which caused the grinds to stick to it. Furthermore the grinder was nearly impossible to clean properly. The only thing I liked was it was relatively quiet. After a few days with this grinder, I returned it and purchased the Cuisinart ginder instead. All conical burr mill grinders operate at low speeds so friction is not an issue with these grinders. The Cuisinart is a bit noisy, but the grinds container is easy to clean and with a bit of effort you can clear almost all the grinds from the grinder. So there is very little waste which is rather important when you're buying high-priced beans.
Last but certainly not least, the beans and the type of roast will make a big difference in the taste and strength of your brew. We prefer the dark roasts, but also keep a couple of medium roasts on hand for some variety and we have decaf beans I use for brewing coffee later in the day. So far my favorites are Starbucks Cafe Verona (dark), Espresso (dark) and House Blend (medium) and for a decaf coffee we love Kicking Horse Extreme Bold. These days I really look forward to making my morning brew - a great tasting cup of coffee every time. Of course there are other methods still, but I've found one that works great for me. More than that I cannot ask!
Although I don't think it can be considered artful, there is an art to making good coffee. In the case of the French Press, it is a completely manual process that you control. Grind setting, time spent ground, time spent brewing and water temperature are all factors which will affect the taste of the final product.
The particle size of the grind determines how much actual surface area of the beans is exposed. For the most flavorful brew you want as much surface area exposed as possible. The French Press requires a coarse grind, however, on conical burr mill grinders there is range of coarse grinds. So which is the correct one? It comes down to the amount of bean sludge you are prepared to consider acceptable. As you move towards the less coarse settings of the range more sludge is evident in the brew because more dust is created while being ground. The stainless steel strainer used in the French Press is not fine enough to remove this dust so it ends up at the bottom of your cup. I have found a setting of 16 works well for me which is 2 settings below the most coarse setting of 18 and more or less in the middle of the coarse range which starts at 13.
Water temperature is critically important for creating a wonderful aromatic infusion of heavenly proportions. It cannot be boiling as it will burn off the delicate oils and it can't be too cool or you won't extract the oils. Correct temp is between 195F and 205F, with 200F being considered the absolute correct temperature.
Here is how you brew great coffee using a French Press: bring the water to a boil, then let it sit for 20 to 30 seconds before pouring over the grinds in the carafe. Using a chopstick or similar implement, stir the grinds as you pour just enough water to cover all the grinds, wait for a count of 15 - 25 seconds for the grinds to bloom, then pour the rest of the water in, giving your brew a few stirs while doing so. Start the timer as you put the lid on the press. After 4 minutes, push the plunger down and pour the coffee into mugs or a serving carafe. Do not leave any coffee in the press as it will continue to brew. The serving carafe will keep the coffee warm for hours on end. Four minutes is the minimum time for a full pot of coffee (51 oz). You can let it steep as long as 5 minutes but beyond that acidity will begin to creep in, imparting a bitter taste to the coffee. For lesser amounts of coffee you will have to adjust the time spent brewing down to as little as 3 minutes.
So there you have it. As I stated earlier there are other methods but I have found the coffee I make in our French Press to be extremely satisfying. The coffee is always flavorful and never tastes at all bitter. And you can definitely notice the taste difference in the various beans available.
A final word about the grinding process. Try to time the grind so you are ready with the grinds when the water comes to a boil. Once exposed to air the grinds start to go stale so it is best to minimize the time between grinding and pouring the first bit of water over the grinds.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it informative. I would encourage everyone to give this method a shot. The results will speak for themselves and IMHO you won't be disappointed!
