So She Did Blog: on how to use a french press...

Oh how I adore my french press! I really don't think I can live without it. There are many different brands of french presses out there but I went with a Bodum. They have a pretty great reputation and after purchasing it off of Amazon I have fallen madly in love with it. Yes, I am going steady with my french press or press pot when I'm trying to be cute with it. No, I don't need professional help...Anyways I am such an advocate for this beloved method of making coffee that I am here to explain how to use one and show you that it really is worth it.

First of all, what is a french press? A french press is a circular shaped beaker usually made of glass that has a lid, plunger and a fine metal or plastic mesh filter. There are many varieties but what I just described is what most look like. They can come in stainless steal or plastic like mine. I like the style I have because of it's neat retro look and the color matches the rest of my kitchen. Because I am a devotee to my dear french press I will tell you that it makes a much better cup of coffee than the regular 'ol drip. I swear my life on it! The flavor is so rich and so pure it's like you are tasting all it's flavors for what they really are. If you join the french press club like I have take take my advise and use the following steps on how to use your french press...

1// First thing you need to know before you even going about making coffee in your french press is that your coffee needs to be ground course. Very important otherwise the grinds will just go right through the mesh filter. Unfortunately you it's really rare to find already course ground coffee in the grocery store so you will likely need to buy whole bean and grind it yourself right there at the store. Most grocery stores carry whole bean and have grinders right in the coffee isle. If you have a grinder at home than you are just plan 'ol awesome in my books. Grinding beans right before using them is the best thing you can ever do and you will be singing sweet songs when you sip that cup of joe. Course ground coffee is the most fundamental when creating a relationship with your press pot.

2// Boil water. Easy enough. Use a tea pot or just a pot. I use my regular water from my tap but if you don't care for your tap water then use bottled water. If your tap water tastes funny then for sure you coffee will as well.

3// Scoop your coffee into the french press. 1 tablespoon for each 4 ounces of water. For example, my french press hold 24oz of water but typically I brew about 16oz of coffee so that means I do 4 tablespoons of coffee. This formula works very well. Stay true to it. If you prefer weaker coffee then go ahead and use this formula and then just add some extra water after you have already made the coffee. If you end going less on the grinds of coffee then the ratio will be disrupted and over-extraction will take place which means bitter coffee! Noooooo.

4// Now it's time to put the hot water into the french press over the coffee grinds. Give it a stir with a plastic or wooden spoon especially if you have a glass french press! You don't want to crack it.
Note: In the cooler months you might want to run hot water from your sink and fill up your french press to "warm it up". This is just incase the glass doesn't crack when pouring that boiled water into a cold glass. Beware!

5// Place lid on top with the plunger pulled all the way up. And let the coffee steep in the hot water for 4 minutes. I like to twist the lid so that the spout is cover to keep in the steamy heat!