HOW TO: French Press for a Perfect Coffee ~ Casa Liberica

There are various ways of preparing your coffee but French Press is the method commonly used for the reason that it is the cheapest equipment, the easiest method and it gives the most flavorful coffee. Frech Press is also known as Press pot or Melior. Thus, different countries call this in many ways but it has the same procedure and it has the same design. It is a device used to brew coffee with hot water and a coarse ground coffee bean. Take note that the ground bean used here is coarse. If you tried to use a fine ground coffee, it will just seep through the filter and go along with your coffee. I am sure you don't want to drink your coffee with tiny bits of ground coffee right?

Basically, the principle behind the method is that you place the desired amount of coarse ground coffee and an ample amount of hot water to the device, making the two components together. This step is also known as steeping, you let the coarse ground coffee bean in contact with the water for a few minutes. Many people say that the magic happens on this step because it is where a peculiar extraction happens and different flavors come out. In fact, majority of the people who brews coffee prefer this kind of method mainly because of this reason. In addition, you can use this press pot on brewing your own tea.

Brewing your coffee using this method is pretty easy, I have laid out the procedures for you to have a perfect cup of brewed coffee and impress your friends.

Materials needed:

Kettle - You place your water here
Fresh Water - (Note: Use filtered, tap or purified water only and don't use distilled water.)
Stove - To put your water to boil.
Scale - Digital or normal kitchen scale to weigh your coarse ground beans
Timer - Timing is important in brewing your coffee
Fresh coarse ground coffee
Complete set-up of Press pot

Procedure:

Fill your kettle with water and set to boil

Remember: As a rule of thumb, for every two (2) tablespoons of coffee, used 6 ounces (180 mL) of water. But this can be adjusted to suit your taste preferences. In addition, don't forget that your water evaporates upon boiling and that you need to add 4 ounces (120 mL) more of water for pre-heating or scalding. Therefore, you need to heat at least 10 ounces (300 mL) of water.

2. While waiting for your water to boil, grind your whole coffee bean to coarse. (If you don't have yet a ready made ground coffee.

3. Stir the water inside and discard it.

4. Add your pre-weighed coarsely ground coffee.

5. Fill your press-pot half-full because your ground bean will form foams and swell as it comes to contact with water. Let it rise and subside for a few minutes..

6. When the foam subsided, add the remaining water to the pot and quickly set your timer to 4 minutes.

7. Cover your pot with the plunger cap and press the plunger just enough and ensure that the grounds

are under the water.

8. Every 1 minute, agitate the grounds by pressing the plunger up and down. This step prevents clumping and provides you better extraction.

9. After 4 minutes, slow and firmly depress the plunger.

10. Pour your coffee to your cup slowly to avoid agitation of the grounds and keep sediments at the bottom.

Now you can have your own freshly brewed gourmet coffee at home when coffee shops are full and your boss didn't allow you to have your coffee break.

There are available variations of this device so what I can say is, explore and experiment and see what works well with you. Remember that you don't have to be a geek or a genius to have a cup of coffee. Creativity and enthusiasm will give you the best tasting coffee you've ever wanted.

Next topic to be discussed will be TIPS on brewing on your Press pot.
Top 5 Tips: Press Pot Brewing

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We encourage you to try our very own Casa Liberica "Kapeng Barako" coffee. The finest coffee bean in the Philippines.

Philippines' Finest Coffee Bean

Casa Liberica

Thursday, January 26, 2012