JJB Blog

Some thoughts: 1) Keep a pitcher of filtered water on hand at all times. 2) Learn to eyeball the right amount of water in the kettle, or mark the side at the right place. 3) Pour coffee directly from french press into your mouth.

Posted by Jeff on 9 January 2007 @ 12am

hahaha. well i can do step 1.

as far as step 2, my kettle is metal with a tiny opening and there isn’t much opportunity for eyeballing. but actually, what i CAN do is eyeball the level in my mug, and then I can cut an entire vessel (the measuring cup) out of the process.

step 3 will come naturally in time.

Posted by John on 9 January 2007 @ 12am

If you are up for making another purchase, an electric kettle generally has a window so you can see the water level, and markings so that you can measure out just the right amount of water. It’s faster, too.

I’ve always been amazed that folks in the US never got into the electric kettle bit. I don’t know anyone who heats water on the stove here.

You can also get one of those filter attachments for your faucet, and ditch the pitcher part of the routine.

Vicki

Posted by Vicki Smith on 9 January 2007 @ 9am

When I’m boiling water for my smallest french press (which can really only fill one regular-sized mug), I’ll usually put in twice the amount of water as I need. That being said, try marking the side of your filtering pitcher with the level of water that you’ll need. It’ll also take the measuring cup out of the picture.

As for the wait times, you can trim those on both the cooling time for the water, and the brew time. By waiting 30 seconds, the water in your kettle will have already cooled significantly, and won’t harm the grounds.

While you may have to get used to the different taste, it’s usually recommended to let a french press brew from 3-5 minutes (I settle on the middle, 4). Any brewing after that point in time will begin to extract more “bitters” than other flavours from the grounds.

I second the faucet filtration setup. The prices have fallen nicely, and you can get a Brita or other brand fairly cheaply. Good luck!

Posted by Peter on 10 January 2007 @ 8am

I want to get a faucet filter, but alas, it would not be compatible with my countertop dishwasher.

Okay so genius me figured something out: I have determined at what level of the press is one mug worth of coffee, and now I just put an arbitrary amount of water into the kettle (eyeballing for a little more than a mug) and measure the water precisely when I pour it into the press. Whoo hoo!

Posted by John on 11 January 2007 @ 12am

Which model of press did you get? Do you like it?

Posted by Matt Sayler on 11 January 2007 @ 8pm

Bodum. I like it a lot.

Posted by John on 12 January 2007 @ 3am

i did not see any step, when you press the lid/ down before pouring into the mug.

4 minutes is enough to wait.
the water needs to be boiling, so do not wait for it to cool.
if the instructions , say to cool it, it’s a precaution for not cracking the glass. Just pour it slowly

Posted by Myrna on 12 January 2007 @ 9pm

Hi Mom. Yes you are right, I didn’t mention pushing down the filter. But fear not, I do in fact do this step.

Regarding the boiling water– some people claim that boiling water will burn and damage coffee grinds, detracting from the flavor.

Posted by John on 15 January 2007 @ 12am

Hey, John. When I went to re-read my comment regarding the wait for boiling water, I realized that I had been vague on the amount the water would cool down. Since water boils at 212º, waiting the 30 seconds before you pour it should bring it comfortably within the 198-202º range – roughly the same range that most suggest that you brew coffee at.

Posted by Peter on 30 January 2007 @ 5pm

I assume you stir the coffee with a wooden chopstick before letting it steep. Important!

Ditto on the electric kettle to heat the water.

Another thought: We recently remodeled our kitchen and had an “instant hot water” faucet installed. The water temperature is adjustable and we have it set for the french press. It really cuts down on prep time for coffee. Because we keep our 1-2 day supply of ground coffee in an airtight conainerk it takes less than 30 seconds to set up the bodum for brewing.

Posted by Liz on 14 September 2007 @ 3pm