I’m not one of those “coffee is the nectar of the gods” sorts. I don’t live for the “buzz.” In fact, I admonish black cups that yield overly-jittery mornings that linger past lunch. But a morning without coffee (or, I’ll be generous, without tea) becomes unmarked, lost in a haze of more and less important “to-dos” of the day. A morning coffee isn’t nourishing in the way an omelet with red peppers is nourishing. In fact, if you look at the world through the lens of life-sustaining foods, no five-calorie drink realistically makes the cut. If wouldn’t kill you to delay coffee drinking for a few hours; if you put off peeing or taking some important pills, the results could be disastrous. In short, a cup of coffee is a comparatively superfluous delight.
Drinking coffee signals: I want the house to smell good.
It says: This is just for me.
It always says: Shut up and don’t nag.
And even in a travel cup it says: Baby, sip me slowly.
Exhibit A: Tea steeping
Enter: The French Press. I love coffee shops, but I love protecting my already-deflated wallet more. A french press is a relatively inexpensive start-up purchase, it uses no electricity, the coffee grounds can be composted and the gizmo itself is versatile–I use my french press to steep loose-leaf tea, too (see Exhibit A and B). Making coffee at home is easy-peasy and takes fewer than ten minutes.
Exhibit B: Making chai tea
A note about coffee grounds: The best coffee, I think, is prepared with beans that are ground the day-of. But if you don’t have a bean grinder, not to worry: You can still have a great cup of coffee so long as you use beans that have been ground relatively recently (ideally the last couple of weeks; short shelf-life). If you like coffee from a particular cafe, buy a bag of their coffee beans and ask them to grind the beans for you. Keep in mind: French press coffee requires the beans to be ground slightly coarser than that of a drip-coffee machine, so be sure to mention you have a french press at home. Alternatively, most grocery stores have a coffee grinder in the coffee section–if you purchase your coffee there, grind it yourself and choose the setting.
What you need for one cuppa coffee:
French-press
8oz. water
2 tablespoons coffee grounds
Method:
1. Heat one cup of water on the stove. Meanwhile, measure two (heaping) tablespoons of coffee grounds into the bottom of the french press. When water comes to a boil, remove from heat. When the water ceases to bubble, pour into the french press. Stir with a spoon and then put the lid on top to keep the water warm. Set timer for 4 minutes.
2. Press the “plunger” down to the bottom of the glass jar to trap the grounds. Pour coffee into a cup and drink black or with preferred additions (sweetener; cream). In summer, add ice cubes.
Awesome!!! so interesting. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for making my day!!