MntnMan62
Forum GOD!
I recently found a couple videos that showed how to brew french press coffee. The two videos were totally unrelated yet both espoused the same process which was somewhat different than the process I had been employing for the past couple years. And the coffee I was brewing never quite satisfied me, sometimes ending up somewhat bitter. So I figured I'd give the process a try. I had already been grinding my beans fresh for each carafe. But I was not measuring anything and instead doing things by eye. This time I measured the water and coffee beans ratio 1:15 using the new kitchen scale I bought just for this purpose. I was already allowing the grinds to steep for 4 minutes. But neither one pre-infused the coffee by pouring a little hot water in and waiting 20 seconds. So I didn't do that. Instead I just poured the hot water and let it sit for 4 minutes like I always did. But once the timer went off at 4 minutes, they both said to spoon off the grinds that had not floated to the bottom, otherwise known as the "crust" and discard it. So I did just that and then let it sit another 5 minutes. At the 4 minute mark I would have plunged the press down to the bottom but they said not to do that. So I didn't. I just used the press as a filter sitting just above the level of the coffee. What I ended up with was a very smooth, strong cup of coffee with no bitterness at all. I'm blown away that I can actually make a decent cup of coffee now. I want to tweak the recipe but I'm psyched for tomorrow morning to come. Like a little kid who can't wait for Xmas morning.