had a little moment this morning that brought this topic to my mind. i had a rough weekend, got up kind of late this morning.. the little lady sweetly brewed up coffee knowing i was kinda short on time.. "aww thx bbgrl" as she hands it to me..
i take a pull from my cup and damn near spewed it all over the kitchen table..
"damn baby, did you skip some steps in the brewing method this morn?"
drops her face and says "yea, sorry"
"why?"
"i was impatient... i didnt think it really mattered.. but i can see that it obviously does!"
i didnt think it really mattered... i was speechless.
it matters. it always matters, but in our case it really matters, cuz we buy folgers pre-ground classic roast coffee... which is utterly unfit for human consumption without the following method employed. despite your disbelief reading these words right now- brewed well, it actually makes for a goddamn tasty cup of coffee. to such a degree that i personally dont think "good" coffee beans even really make much of a difference. for example, ive been gifted several bags of gucci coffee recently, and prepared the same way theres just not much improvement with the more expensive coffee. brewed drip and served straight, yes - better coffee does make the better cup. period. thats undeniable. but in my opinion, drip-brewed straight coffee is gross whether good or cheap beans. usually too sour/acidic for my taste. i can enjoy a good cup of black coffee, but it needs to be bloomed if nothing else, and salt and butter will always smooth out and enhance the flavor. imho.
but im sure even my method can yet be improved on. so im gonna post here, for anyone who may learn and benefit, add onto it, critique it, whatever, as well as open the topic for discussion in general. have a totally different method?? im all ears (eyes)
-water on
-ground coffee in french press
-fat pinch of salt into dry grounds - debitters the flavor
-dab of butter into dry grounds - softens flavor, adds some character. some say this is of little benefit if adding cream later, but i like it even with heavy cream
-boiling water off, let cool for half a minute. water temp should be just below boiling, not at boiling
-"bloom" the grounds - pour just enough boiled water into the press to make the grounds soupy, give it a stir, let set for a minute, stir again. this degasses CO2- which is acidic- making the finished coffee less acidic.
-finish pouring in water, give it all a swirl, press, pour into cup. i dont let steep any additional time, as blooming already opens up the grounds and additional steeping will just foul the flavor at that point
-heavy cream, fine grain sugar, stir, enjoy
and that my friends is more or less the best cup of coffee ive personally ever had. so far.
see room for improvement? how do YOU brew a goddamn excellent cup o joe?
-The B
i take a pull from my cup and damn near spewed it all over the kitchen table..
"damn baby, did you skip some steps in the brewing method this morn?"
drops her face and says "yea, sorry"
"why?"
"i was impatient... i didnt think it really mattered.. but i can see that it obviously does!"
i didnt think it really mattered... i was speechless.
it matters. it always matters, but in our case it really matters, cuz we buy folgers pre-ground classic roast coffee... which is utterly unfit for human consumption without the following method employed. despite your disbelief reading these words right now- brewed well, it actually makes for a goddamn tasty cup of coffee. to such a degree that i personally dont think "good" coffee beans even really make much of a difference. for example, ive been gifted several bags of gucci coffee recently, and prepared the same way theres just not much improvement with the more expensive coffee. brewed drip and served straight, yes - better coffee does make the better cup. period. thats undeniable. but in my opinion, drip-brewed straight coffee is gross whether good or cheap beans. usually too sour/acidic for my taste. i can enjoy a good cup of black coffee, but it needs to be bloomed if nothing else, and salt and butter will always smooth out and enhance the flavor. imho.
but im sure even my method can yet be improved on. so im gonna post here, for anyone who may learn and benefit, add onto it, critique it, whatever, as well as open the topic for discussion in general. have a totally different method?? im all ears (eyes)
-water on
-ground coffee in french press
-fat pinch of salt into dry grounds - debitters the flavor
-dab of butter into dry grounds - softens flavor, adds some character. some say this is of little benefit if adding cream later, but i like it even with heavy cream
-boiling water off, let cool for half a minute. water temp should be just below boiling, not at boiling
-"bloom" the grounds - pour just enough boiled water into the press to make the grounds soupy, give it a stir, let set for a minute, stir again. this degasses CO2- which is acidic- making the finished coffee less acidic.
-finish pouring in water, give it all a swirl, press, pour into cup. i dont let steep any additional time, as blooming already opens up the grounds and additional steeping will just foul the flavor at that point
-heavy cream, fine grain sugar, stir, enjoy
and that my friends is more or less the best cup of coffee ive personally ever had. so far.
see room for improvement? how do YOU brew a goddamn excellent cup o joe?
-The B