I love my french press, but I always found it under-brewed my coffee. After reading the recipe for perfectly pressed coffee in The Sprouted Kitchen's cook book, I discovered that I was going about it all wrong. Dumping my grounds in the cold glass pitcher with vigorous stirring were all elements of my painful ignorance. I'm now entirely converted to this slightly more time-consuming but entirely worth it. I'm not going to give you the scientifically accurate and slightly exhausting step-by-step recipe that The Sprouted Kitchen provides, but rather I'll create an easy guide to improving your french press skills. Enjoy your awakening.
Pressed Coffee:
Start by boiling your water. You want the temperature to be just a touch above 200°. A screaming teapot holds water at about 212°. Make sure to remove the pot from the heat for about 10 seconds before adding it to your press pitcher. Meanwhile, fill your pitcher with hot tap water. This warms the glass so that less heat is lost when the hot water is added, resulting in under-brewed coffee.
Grind your beans. I use 3 tablespoons of whole beans per 8 oz cup of coffee. You want the grind to be larger for the french press. If you don't have a grinder, 2 tablespoons of ground coffee beans per 8 oz cup should suffice.
When the water is at the right temperature, add about a quarter of it to the French press. Using a spoon or a chopstick, lightly tap the grinds until they are entirely submerged, careful to agitate the brewing as little as possible. Cover and allow to brew for 45 seconds.
After the 45 second mark, use your spoon or chopstick to gently break the crust. Add the rest of your water and stir lightly with the chopstick six times. Cover and allow the coffee to brew for about 3:30.
After brewing, uncover and stir lightly. At this point, you will see a foamy layer at the top. These are the fines. Scoop them out with a spoon and discard.
Then you are ready to plunge and pour! If it's cold out, I found it helpful to warm up the mugs with hot water. It keeps your coffee warmer for longer.
Be sure to serve with an insanely delicious breakfast, like this make-shift bananas foster french toast breakfast with lemon zest and Chia seed Greek yogurt.
For another approach to pressed coffee, please visit here.
Since you wait 45 seconds before adding the rest of the water should you reboil it again until 10 seconds before adding? Otherwise, won't it be less than 200 degrees?
ReplyDeleteYes, you should reboil it. It's easiest to use a waterboiler, but a tea kettle or the microwave work too.
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