French Press Coffee Maker

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The origins of coffees are lost in many folk tales and depending on what historical account you read, the beginnings of this unique drink differs. Most historians agree that coffee was discovered in the 6th century how it was discovered is an ongoing debate. However the most common account is of Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi, who would let his herd of goats nibble on the sweet red berries of a strange bush. After the goats would partake of this cherry they would begin kick up their heels with exuberance and seemed to have a unusual burst of energy. Soon Kaladi decided to try the berries as well. To his amazement the is body was taken over by a warm sensation of invigorating energy. He later told the story of the divine berries to a monk at a nearby monastery. I was not long after, the monks were using the berries to stay awake during their late night prayer meetings.

Until the early tenth century, coffee was considered a fruit. Ethiopian tribes men would roll the berries with animal fat and use this meal to sustain them on long nomadic journeys. By the fourteenth century coffee restorative powers were well documented and had spread throughout Islamic world. The habit of actually drinking coffee was developed by the Arabic culture. Overtime the Arabs began to add coffee cherries to boiling water, thus and infusion was created. A few years later the coffee roasting process was discovered and the brew today we call coffee had begun to be developed. Coffee became such apart of the Arabs everyday life that in 1475 a new law was passed. This law stated that if a husband was not capable of providing his wife with a certain quantity of coffee it was grounds for divorce. Some would argue that not much has changed in today's society..

For centuries the process of preparing a cup of coffee was done by boiling ground coffee in hot water, thus creating and dark textured liquid. The coffee was then allowed to cool and as the grounds would settle the coffee was poured off for consumption. It was not until the late 1800s that a French man invented the french press coffee maker. By accident the Frenchman boiled the water by its self and upon realizing what he had done he went ahead and added the ground coffee to the hot water. What he was left with was a bunch of floating grounds. Not wanting to waste his coffee he poured off the mixture into a jar. He then fitted a screen to the jar and pressed the coffee grounds to the bottom. Next he poured off the liquid into to his cup and tasted the coffee. What he discovered was that the coffee was absolutely amazing. The coffee was so much better that the traditional boiling the coffee with the water method. Hence the french press coffee maker was born. In 1931 the first French Press was patented by Attilio Calimani and is very similar to the coffee presses we use today.

Today there are many other coffee brewers, such as the k cup coffee maker, but the french press coffee maker is by far the most common. The french press is present in millions of household and coffee shops through out the world. If you have never tried coffee from a french press you are missing out on one of the best cups of coffee you will find. The french press produces a rich, thick, delicious cup of coffee that is sure to please. The french press is fairly inexpensive to purchase and is not complicated to use. Making coffee with a french press is more art than science, but can be enhanced by following a few simple steps

Water
Put double the amount of fresh water in a kettle and bring to a boil (ideally heat until it is 198 degrees Fahrenheit). Clean filtered water is best to use. Remember if you have bad tasting water, you are going to have bad tasting water.

Ground Coffee
While the water is boiling grind your coffee. French press coffee requires a even grind and is best achieved by using a burr grinder. The grind size should be course as this will help the coffee to not seep through the screen of the press. As a rule of thumb you will need three tablespoons of ground coffee for every eight ounces of water. You can adjust this amount accordingly depending on if you like it weaker or stronger.

Prepare The French Press
Fill the empty french press with the water to heat the press. After a few seconds pour the water into your cup to heat it as well.

Place Ground Coffee Into French Press
Take your coarsely ground coffee and place it into the now empty french press coffee maker, and pour a thin stream of water evenly over the grounds. Pour water evenly over the grounds and stir with a long spoon. Make sure all the grounds are immersed in the hot water, this will assist in extracting the delicious oils and compounds out of the coffee, leaving you with a pleasing cup.

Let The Coffee Steep
Once stirred place the lid on the carafe but do not press. I like to let the coffee steep for three and a half minutes. Now you can adjust this steep time to your personnel preference, but three and a half minutes is a good rule of thumb.

Press The Coffee
After the coffee has steeped you are now ready to press the coffee. Push down on the plunger evenly and slowly, keeping the plunger straight as possible. If you are pressing the coffee correctly it will not allow grounds to be present in your cup. Make sure that the plunger is pressing easily. Ideally you want to use 15 to 20 pounds of pressure. If it is hard to press, then your coffee grind is to course and this will create a problem and likely damage the press.

The Pour
Once you have pressed the coffee pour the coffee into your cup immediately. You can also pour the coffee through a small strainer to filter out any loose particulate that is present. You are now ready to enjoy the richest cup of coffee you have ever encountered!