The Perfect Cup

Sometimes remarkable things happen at the most ordinary moments.

Over the past number of years, I’ve become quite the coffee drinker. I guess it goes back to college when I started drinking the stuff to help me get through my aggressive course/study/work load. But as I’ve entered post-college life, I’ve grown to enjoy the beverage as a beverage — although the caffeinating effects are still important in giving me a jump start on my work day.

More recently, I’ve grown to appreciate the nuances of different types of beans (dark versus medium versus flavored etc.) and even treated myself to a burr grinder last year to allow for the best quality grinding (the second most important part of making a good cup next to the beans themselves) we could manage without investing in professional-level equipment (absurdly expensive). From that point on, I’ve experimented with various grinding settings, grounds-to-water ratios, and brewing methods.

And then, on a ordinary Saturday morning while hanging with Melody in the kitchen, it happened: I made the perfect cup of joe.

While such events are inherently ephemeral, I thought I’d at least try to detail as best as I can the steps I took in making the cup for both my own reference and for anyone else who enjoys a good hot beverage!

Tools:

• Krupps coffee bean burr grinder
• Crate & Barrel three-cup French Press brewer
• Millstone French Roast beans

The process:

• On grinder, set quantity to 3 cups and set coarseness just a couple of notches below full coarseness (fully coarse grounds are recommended for French Press brewers, but I like just the faintest hint of bitterness)
• Boil water in tea kettle and activate the grinder only moments before water comes to a boil
• Dump coffee grounds into the French press, forming a little mound, and pour out just a little of the boiled water on the grounds to start a strong expresso base
• After about a minute, pour a little more water to about an inch above the coffee grounds
• After another minute, add enough water to fill slightly more than half of the French press and mix with a plastic mixing spoon (a metal spoon might add unwanted metal flavor)
• Wait a couple of more minutes for the coffee to be sufficiently brewed and press the French Press “plunger” filter down
• Serve and enjoy
• Voilà!