Let’s get something straight up front: I am not a morning person. My son’s school and my own job conspire to get me up somewhere around stupid o’clock in the morning. My morning ritual, then, needs to be something simple that my brain can handle on autopilot. Let’s take a peek:
In the center at the back is the scale and a small press pot. I use the press pot to measure out beans, because after a lot of trial and error, I decided that pouring coffee beans into the grinder is very error-prone for me and I need something easy. Forty five grams of coffee – check. (One time, with another grinder that had a clear plastic bowl for the beans, I managed to pour beans onto the lid of the bowl, sending them all over the kitchen. Jason nearly snorted cereal through his nose.)
To the right is the grinder. Yes, I grind my beans by hand – I can get a coarser grind out of this than I do with a normal coffee grinder, and it’s gentler on the beans. We picked this up on a trip to New Orleans years ago, before Katrina, in a little shop across from the Café du Monde. It takes filling the bowl twice to get through forty five grams of coffee. It’s repetitive. Mind numbing. Perfect for the morning.
To the left of the scale is the press pot. I use this to measure out water (plus a bit more) for the kettle, then put that on to boil while I’m grinding the beans. Once the water boils, pull it off the heat and wait thirty seconds – the best temperature for making coffee is around 180-200 degrees Fahrenheit, I believe, just below a boil. Put the grounds in the press pot, pour water over, stir to make sure the grounds are evenly wet, and set a time for four minutes.
Remember that “plus a bit more” water? That’s what you see in the coffee mug at the left. Pre-warming the mug with a little of the boiling water is a bit of gilding the lily, but I swear it actually does make a difference. So, while the coffee is brewing, I pour the last of the water in the mug and dump it out when the coffee is ready.
Plunge, pour, adulterate if necessary – a little cream, a little simple syrup – and enjoy. I can handle this in the morning.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s the dedication of a connoisseur. I’m impressed. Are you sure you do this in the EARLY MORNING??? I’m guessing maybe it’s just a pleasant dream.
(Hmm … thought I already posted this comment earlier)
I have a similar coffee setup, though I’m not sure mine is due so much to “simplicity” as a love of ritual (like any good drug-user, no?) I like to drink my coffee at work, when it’s needed most, but I make it at home, because I’m sorry, but I can’t drink office coffee. Still, I may enjoy making the coffee more than drinking it — I think the smell of freshly-ground coffee beans sitting in the French press always surpass that of the subsequent liquid.
I have a hand-powered burr grinder, too — some kind of Zassenhaus. I got it because I was told that I need a burr grinder to be a proper coffee geek, and it was the cheapest kind. Also: the most affected. But perfectly functional in a power outage (as is the French press; too bad we have an electric stove, or I’d be all set and alert for the apocalypse).
I wish I had the scale; as it is, I measure the proper amount of water for half a press pot using my innate drummer timing: it takes seven nods of the head with the faucet on high. Don’t know why I know that.
And I fully endorse pre-warming the mug. You spent all that effort making delightfully warm coffee. Why waste all that energy in the coffee just to warm the mug and cool the drink? Let some plain hot water do that! Also: this adds more to the ritual.
Your entries force me to write novella-length comments. Sorry.
Never apologize for novella-length comments. I love ‘em.
You’ve caught me out – I actually never thought of weighing the water for the pot either. I fill it to (roughly) the same spot each time, but that’s now all done by feel rather than measurement. I may have to try that.
I think the routine and ritual is an important part of it. There are a lot of half-awake zen moments of insight I’ve had while grinding the coffee. It’s an ingrained habit now.
You have a glass press pot. Why do you have to measure the water, Michael?!? I just pour it in to the “right” level, as defined by what “looks right”. Actually, I rarely make the stuff, as Phil has always made some before I got up.
NOBODY should drink office coffee. I’m convinced it will ruin your stomach.
Oh, I eyeball the water still – main reason is because I don’t leave water in the kettle, so I try to only boil about what I need (and maybe a bit more for the cup). The idea of weighing the water is that I’m already there with the scale, and would it matter? Haven’t gotten there yet.