I have a secret delight every morning. It’s my cup of coffee made to perfection with my french press and organic ingredients. Am I a coffee snob? I have been called such, but I don’t view myself this way. I prefer to think of what I am doing as healthier for my body than brewing coffee in toxic plastics and using non-organic ingredients.
I know many of you out there have been banging on my door and bombarding me with emails, screaming for me to share how I make my coffee. It’s the world-famous secret guarded by monks for centuries..okay not really.
Alas, I shall share my secret for free even though this is worth millions. Millions, people! No, no thanks is necessary…..I’ll make the sacrifice and finally share my perfect cup of coffee with you.
Step One: Get some good whole bean coffee that is USDA certified organic. Specifically, a Guatemalan coffee will be very smooth and is the ideal candidate. I purchase mine at Cost Plus World Market.
Step Two: Grind a half a cup of beans for about a minute in a coffee grinder, until the grounds are nice and fine.
Step Three: Heat up about 6 cups of water in a french press.
Step Four: Add your coffee grounds to the hot water, stir and let sit for a minimum of six minutes covered. I know it is so very hard to wait, but you can do it!
Step Five: Fill a coffee cup with the steamy, aromaey (is that a word? It should be!) goodness to half way.
Step Six: Fill the rest of the cup with organic milk (I personally use raw milk in mine that is straight from the cow, but I can’t of course recommend that you do this. If you use raw milk, you risk your own peril and possibly utter delight).
Step Seven: Add two small spoonfuls of Organic Sucanat to your coffee (sheer bliss happening here ladies and gents).
Step Eight: Stir the creamy goodness until the Sucanat dissolves and then enjoy.
Now when I say enjoy, you must sit down and prepare yourself for that first sip. Close your eyes, take a sip, and the heavens will part as a chorus of angels sing. You will then envision yourself running carefree through a field of blooming flowers singing an eighties love song (click here for a good one).
Zap back to reality and you’ve discovered a morning bliss so perfect you will never want to begin the day any other way.
Note: If your coffee is too cold from the milk, then pop it in the microwave for a quick warming. Otherwise you can also pour it over ice and have a delicious iced morning brew. Refrigerate any leftover coffee for several more mornings of delight.
This is how I enjoy starting out my mornings. How do you make the perfect cup of coffee? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
I love coffee… Its not fair trade but Aldi’s Whole Bean Guatemalan is awesome $4.49 for 12oz? Anyways, my friends went to Costa Rica and brought us back one those sock coffee makers. Here is a picture of one, I am sure they are much cheaper there http://www.ticoshopping.com/Artisan-Coffee-Maker
Oh my the coffee was so good. But I do get stomach ails if I drink 2 or 3 cups of coffee sock or even french press after a couple of weeks. Not sure if the paper filters cut the acid or just the fact that in a traditional american maker it just passes through the beans in a couple of seconds instead of sitting in for an extended time?
Hmmm..that’s interesting. You may just have a sensitive stomach. But yes coffee is very acidic and it’s good to try and balance and not drink too much. I have to limit my coffee intake so that I don’t become a caffeine addict, but mmmm boy it’s hard!
How big is your French press? Where did you get it? I have one and like the coffee I make with it, but it’s so small it only makes one cup at a time, and that doesn’t get me through the day. I’ve seen them at Starbucks, but they’re so pricey that I couldn’t get one and still have any credibility telling my husband he can’t buy whatever new tech gadget he wants.
My husband got me my french press for Christmas this past year. I think it’s an 8 cup one. I’m not sure where he got it, but I think they have them at places like Bed Bath & Beyond, and there are usually 20% off coupons that come out regularly in their ads right? Might make for a good deal there. Or they also have them on Amazon, and you could use some Swagbucks gift cards to get one. I love my french press and it was worth every penny (even though I don’t know what he spent on it..lol).
Try thrifts store such as Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity or others. Have made some great finds at thrift stores, from press pots to even a Chemex Brewer with filters and glass lid. You can’t beat the price even with coupons.
This looks to me like the exact French press Crystal has in the photo.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=16301825
Did you know Rick Astley came out of retirement a while back and now sings soul? Yeah this coffee and some recent Rick Astley listening to the rain dripping off the eaves, pure deLIght! (no we aren’t having rain right now, just high temps and humidity but a girl can dream, right? haha!!)
Ha! love it
I wonder how this would be with a little chocolate almond silk??
Mmm..I’ve added chocolate before and it makes it like a cafe mocha! So good! I bet the almond silk would be divine!
i wish m y 2 1/2 yr old didnt think my french press was such a cool contraption and break it =[ luckily it was empty and sittin on the counter waiting to be cleaned.. but still! this makes me want to go buy an new one =]
love the french press! and we also just started buying french market coffee..New Orleans style with chicory
There is NOTHING like French Press!
Thank you for sharing! I have a french press and have used it just by eyeballing it. GREAT to finally know HOW to make it!
BTW – when you say “Heat up about 6 cups of water in a french press” – do you actually heat it IN the press? I usually boil mine and then put it in the french press once it is hot.
Thank You!
I usually microwave the water, but boiling it and then adding it to the press is good as well. You have to be very careful if you microwave it though.
I have never had French Press, would like to try.
I do this SAME process…only I use an African coffee. I got my press from IKEA very inexpensively and instead of milk and sugar I use a little chocolate almond milk. It is my reason for getting up some mornings.
I also love it over ice. I have found that I seldom get to it while it is warm so I just pour it over ice and pretend I meant for it to be that way. 
Wow I miss having real half & half in my coffee in the mornings! I drink coffee-mate– it is the only substitute I can stomach. It is made up of all sorts of nasty things, but I try to ignore that for one hour a day while I am having my coffee in the morning =/
Try making your coffee in a Chemex (using unbleached filters) . Great coffee. I think it makes the coffee taste less acidic. The website does say it removes bitterness and I agree. I just love mine! http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/
I’ve had a french press several months now…AWESOME! I heat my water in a glass measuring cup and pour it in practically boiling…will have to try the organic coffee too…mine only makes 2 cups at a time though
Thank you Crysta, will certainly try the brown sugar. I have a french press put haven’t used it for quite sometime, preferring manual drip brewing. From the color, it seems that you are using quite a bit of coffee to the water. Do you know in grams or ounces exactly how much coffee you are using? Is your cups the standard 8 ounce? Thanks for the article, I did enjoy and it was most informative. RLM
Yes I believe it is the standard 8 cup and I use approximately half a cup of grounds. There are times when I will let it sit and brew for more than an hour, too
Completely agreed! I love my French Press!
This brought a smile to my face — especially your milk *disclaimer!!
LOVE this post — but NOT the microwave !! — which would totally kill all the great benefits of the raw milk… and why buy organic if you radiate it anyways? ;/ …. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/microwave-ovens-the-proven-dangers.html
Have to agree with you on this Summy
All we use is a french press. (Well, all my HUSBAND uses is the french press…he always makes coffee for me
)
Using French Presses raise your cholesterol so just be aware it might not be best if anyone has high cholesterol.
Yummy! I love my french press too and it is truly the best way to make coffee!
Love this post Crystal! Your picture of you enjoying the first sip just says it all LOL.
LOL, thanks Susan!
LOVE our french press!
Love french press!
What type of grinder do you use? With a french press it isn’t so important- you could go with blade or burr, but be careful not to use a grinder that heats up, or it will re-roast your beans, blackening them to a charcoalized crisp. Also, I would never recommend steeping your grounds for more or less than about 4 minutes after stirring (speaking of which, if you leave it open for a good 30-45 seconds after stirring, the grounds will have an opportunity to bloom and release their oils, resulting in a far more flavorful extraction.) I prefer locally roasted beans, because I live in Tacoma, WA where there is easy access to Valhalla and Stumptown, but I work in Olympia, WA where there are Volcano beans, and more importantly OCR. (Olympia Coffee Roasters, currently holding a tie for the best coffee in America. That’s official, not my own opinion haha.)
Also, it’s a good bit more work, but I would recommend looking into pourover coffee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sela-8BF9Q
Sorry, us Seattlites take this all too seriously.
Love my French press too, I think it might be aromatic that you were looking for.
French press is THEE best! Snob I am!
try to buy local when you can…we need to support small business
try to buy local when you can…we need to support small business