Coffee the way it should be

We like coffee, but neither of us has been satisfied with most cups of coffee. When we're at restaurants, ordering a cup of coffee is a crapshoot. Even at home, where we have the best quality coffee we can find and a very good machine, it never came out the way we wanted.

So how did we want it? Well, whenever we'd go to France, we'd order coffee wherever we could. Time after time, we'd order coffee and get a great cup. Wonderful, smooth flavor. That little bit of oil from the coffee beans floating on top of the coffee before it gets stirred. Not just good... great! So what could we do to get closer to this at home?

Well, one thing we encountered regularly was the french press coffee maker. Well, it was France, after all, but perhaps this was part of the trick. We'd certainly heard that the french press was one of the best ways to make coffee. So we went to Bed[,] Bath & Beyond to do some shopping, and we found what we needed: a Bodum Chambord 8-cup French Press. Here we see it during its first use (this is before being pressed):



Interesting thing about those eight cups it makes. They're eight "four ounce" cups. Four ounces? Maybe some people drink cups of coffee that size, but those people aren't me (or Marc)! :)

We grind our own coffee beans. For the french press, they have to be kept to a coarse grind. It takes the same amount of coffee beans for this french press as it does to make a full pot of coffee in the regular coffee machine.

And how many actual cups of coffee do we get from each use of the french press? Two!

Yes, two. So if want some punch from your coffee, well, this will do it. Lots of caffeine! (Of course, we have decaffeinated coffee, too, but what fun is that first thing in the morning?)

Bottom line: this little thing is wonderful! It's quick, too. Just put in coffee, hot water, stir, wait 4 minutes and press. Voila! It's coffee! Wonderful!

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One last note, if I've made anyone think about getting one: when we remodeled this house, one gadget we put in the kitchen was an instant hot water dispenser. It makes the french press a lot more convenient to use. If you don't have that but you want to use this great coffee-making method, buy one of those quick hot water makers (like this one). They're cheap and will make the process a lot easier.