A good cup of coffee

We love a good cup of coffee.  Normally, before we head out to the barn in the morning to milk the cows, we'll turn on the coffee pot so that we have coffee made when we get back inside.  We have a regular Black & Decker "Mr. Coffee"-style drip pot that we use every morning.  It makes good coffee, but I'll tell you what.  There are several things that can take a good cup of coffee and turn it into a great one:

• The type of coffee you're using, and
• The type of coffee maker you're using.

Normally, we'll use either Community Coffee Dark Roast or CDM (Cafe du Monde) Coffee & Chicory.   Both are pretty strong and the chicory takes a little getting used to, but both are good to us.  I already discussed the drip pot that we use, but this afternoon, on our quest for the perfect cup of coffee, we're pulling out the pièce de résistance, The French Press.

The French Press is a coffee maker that uses a simple process to make an exceptional cup of coffee.  In a way it is similar to 'camp coffee', if you've ever had that on a camp-out.  Here's what you do.  Our french press holds 32 ounces of water.  I pour 5 rounded scoops of coffee into the bottom of the french press and put 32 ounces of filtered water to boil on the stove. 


5 rounded scoops of CDM coffee in the bottom of the french press

When the water has come to a boil pour it directly into the press.  

Boiling water added to the press

The lid has a circular screen that can be pushed down by a plunger on top.  What you want to do is just put the cap on top so that you block any steam from escaping.  Don't plunge it down yet.  Let it sit and steep for five minutes.  Sometimes I'll wrap a dishrag around the french press to hold the heat in.


Put the cover on to block any steam from escaping

Once five minutes has passed, press the plunger all the way down.  Doing this will keep all (well, most) of the coffee grounds down at the bottom when you pour.  One of the secrets of the french press is that there are no paper filters to draw any of the oils that provide flavor.  All the flavor is retained in the coffee for your enjoyment.  Every Sunday we have "Truffle Sunday" or 'merienda' where we have a good cup of coffee along with some decadent dark chocolate truffles and visit and plan our up-coming week.  

Coffee's on!

And here it is, quite possibly the perfect cup of coffee!


Escaping the daily grind

One word of caution, though.  There is a national brand coffee that advertises that their coffee is "good to the last drop."  You don't want to drink the last drop of this cup as the bottom of the cup will have a few coffee grinds that the screen didn't filter out.