It’s one of those things I can count on. One of those things I look forward to every single day. Coffee. I just love coffee.

It’s no secret that I go to Starbucks almost every day and twice a day when traveling. My husband, however, does not go to Starbucks (without me) and loves coffee almost as much as I do. For over a year now, he’s mentioned that our coffee at home simply wasn’t good. Chase does get coffee out much, but every time he did I would get a text, “I think we need a new coffee pot. I just stopped at a gas station and got some coffee and it’s so good.” It didn’t take either of us long to forget that statement and he’s keep brewing the same ol’ stuff at home. Finally, we went to visit The Pioneer Woman’s Boarding house this past October. Not only was there a coffee shop there, they also brought us any coffee drink you wanted to your room in the morning (fancy, right?!) Of course, I got a fancy something or another, but Chase asked, “can I just get a pot of coffee?” Of course he could and the first morning they brought it to him, he said right then and there, “we must be doing something wrong. This coffee is good and our stuff at home is just not.”

So, I started doing some research. Could it be the cheap coffee I’m buying? The coffee pot? The way we are preparing it? Over the last 2 months, we have been experimenting and found it really comes down to two thing: the coffee you buy and the way you prepare it.

1. First and foremost, it’s all about the coffee. This has been the biggest game changer. Doesn’t matter how you prepare it or what you do to it. If the coffee isn’t good, there is no saving it. Buy good coffee and it will treat you well. I’ll admit, I was buying the cheapest (when it was on sale preferably. Remember, I go to Starbucks everyday. I don’t really care as long as Chase was happy with it. #confession) We have tried several different brands, and he’s been happy with pretty much all of them. However, I have only bought whole bean coffee and we grind only enough for what we need at that moment. This is the only variable I didn’t try: buying good coffee that was already ground. We already have a coffee bean grinder. So, why not buy whole beans? We’ve tried Starbucks Pike Place Medium Roast and Starbucks French Roast which is dark. We both agreed that we liked Pike Place better, but that’s totally a personal preference

1. Second, how you prepare it really makes a difference to. Chase made some brewed coffee with fresh beans in a traditional coffee pot one morning. Believe it or not, Chase is the bigger coffee snob and can detect good coffee better than I can. I happened to have a little time on my hand that morning and decided to try our new French Press and compare the flavor.  I watched several YouTube videos. Read lots of articles and decided to do the French Press because I could make a pretty good amount at one time (unlike a Pour Over.) Click here to see which one I have.  We compared the taste of the coffee made in a traditional coffee pot and the coffee made in a French Press. French Press definitely had a better flavor and taste. But I agree with what my husband said, “Yes, the French Press is better compared to the it simply brewed in a coffee pot. But I’ll take this good coffee prepared anyway before I’ll want some cheap coffee.” Again, the biggest difference is buying good quality coffee.

Preparing coffee in a French Press is definitely more time consuming that doing it in a coffee pot. But for our slower mornings, it is well worth it. It does require a little set-up, but I promise, non of it is complicated. Here’s what you need:

• a french press
• coffee bean grinder (Mine is ancient. But if I were to buy a new one, this is what I would get.)
• a gooseneck kettle (I don’t have one of these yet as you’ll see in my video, but it would be so helpful!)

Here is the BASIC way to make coffee in a French Press. There is really a lot of things you can do to “enhance the flavor.” I totally recommend you watch all the YouTubes videos and try them all. But first, do this to get the basics down before you overwhelm yourself with all the extras.

• Step one: heat water. Heat more than enough to fill your french press.
• Step two: For the amount I make, I grind 4 scoops of coffee beans.
• Step three: Grind those beans. (That sounds dirty… and it can be when you take the lid off. Be careful.)
• Step four:  Now that the water is hot (not boiling,) pour a little in the French press and give it a swirl to heat up the little gadget and then pour it out. (Ok, this step isn’t totally necessary. But almost every video I watched did this. So, when in Rome…)
• Step five: add ground coffee and fill the French Press up half way with hot water.
• Step six: let steep for 2 minutes. Put the lid on to keep everything nice and hot but don’t push it down yet.
• Step seven: After 2 minutes, fill the other half of the French Press. Again, let it steep for another 2 minutes.
• Step eight: After the timer is up, slowly push down the plunder.
• Step nine: Pour and enjoy!

Go see my little video of this process here!

If you follow these step, please take a photo and tag me! I’d love to hear what you think.

 

*This post contains some affiliated links in which you do not get charged a penny more for purchasing though! The companies just reward me for promoting their products if you purchase using my link. So, I’d really appreciate it if you did use the link above! Y’all are the best. Thank you!