Coffee: Making The Perfect Cup
Coffee
There are few better ways to start a day than sitting back and enjoying a cup of coffee or two before breakfast. Sometimes, I wake up hungry so i have to make a power shake or grab a homemade muffin or banana while waiting for the water to boil.
The way we make coffee and, as far as I am concerned, the best way to make coffee is with a French press.
A French press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger or cafetière, is a coffee brewer that was popularized by the French. Its operation is simple and it produces a stronger coffee than other devices.
A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical jug that is usually made of glass or clear plastic and equipped with a lid and a "plunger" which fits tightly in the cylinder and which has a fine wire or nylon mesh that acts as a filter.
The coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, leaving to brew for a few minutes, and then depressing the plunger to separate the coffee at the bottom of the jug.
This may take a bit longer than the automatic coffee maker but it is well worth it. We drink our coffee straight, no milk or sugar and taste is vital.
We grind our own beans. It takes only a few seconds to do and again, I feel the end product is worth the time. These are the three roasts we most commonly use:
FRENCH ROAST - Very dark brown with large amounts of oil on the bean's surface; a bitter taste and pungent aromatics dominate flavour. (Also known as New Orleans or Continental Roast.) This is a dark roast.
ITALIAN ROAST - Black colour with large amounts of oil on the bean's surface; pronounced burnt flavour that is pungent (strong) and bitter.
ESPRESSO ROAST - Designed for espresso machines, it is a dark roast similar to a Full City Roast.
The coffee itself, is fair trade and organic and we but it through the local Mennonite Church who buys it from a Nova Scotia based company.
It is more expensive than regular coffee at the Supermarket but is comparable or even cheaper than many premium brands. Once again, we value our coffee and are willing to pay a bit more.
Coffee has many other uses, other than as a morning beverage. The recipes here are worth exploring if you love the flavour.
