Mornings are B.S. Capital B. Capital S. B.S. I’ve never been a fan. I may get up at 4-f*ing-30am to get my workout on, but that doesn’t really make it ok to be awake before noon. I’m just sayin.

So, what is an anti-morning-girl to do under these circumstances? Learn how to make really, really good coffee, of course.

How can you know,
unless you are addicted so.
The smooth, velvet swish
of liquid, brown bliss,
coating all inner pores
with a soothing balm of
creamy, frothy joy.
Ah, to savor the flavor
of mellow, ground beans.
There’s not enough time,
it seems.

– Sandi J. Holland

I’ve had many a coffee-loving friend and houseguest ask me for my secrets over the years. There’s no real “secret” per say, but there is a process. I’ve decided to share it with you all. Its not as hard as it sounds. Mr. Wonderful has mastered it and can produce a reliably excellent cup of coffee on demand most mornings.

What’s that you say? Oh…no. I’m not spoiled, he just has a healthy sense of self-preservation. Hence the reason he is motivated to caffeinate the blonde beast before she gets well and truly unruly. Trust me, if he can do it, so can you.

First Things First. All French Presses Are Not Created Equal

There are a lot of ways you can mess up your coffee before you’ve even touched beans or water, and they all have to do with choosing a French Press that prioritizes form over function. Don’t fall victim to this. You need a basic, robust piece of equipment that can hold the correct quantity for your consumption, has a stainless steel mesh filter, and is easy to clean. Forget that pretty ceramic one you saw at Target, and go with a good old fashioned glass press with an insulated handle and bottom.

Here are a few good options if you’re in the market for your new bestest coffee buddy:

• This Stainless Steel Version, especially helpful if you’re prone to breaking things: Mueller French Press
• This little number comes with a convenient travel carafe, for every morning you can’t manage to get out the door but you’re seriously needing some caffeine: Coffee Gator French Press Coffee Maker
• Bodum Coffee Makers are simple and classic, and for good reason. This is my French Press, and I love it because even though it’s not fancy, it’s robust and makes a great cup of coffee. Bodum Chambord French Press Coffee Maker
• If you want to be extra bougie, or just simply buy something that takes the guess work out of plunging and pouring, here’s a sweet little high-tech option. Espro Copper French Press

There Are 2 Key Elements That Will Make or Break French Press Coffee

There are two things that really muck up French press coffee: water temperature — boiling water that scorches the grounds, or tepid water that doesn’t extract fully —and badly ground coffee with too much fine grit that makes the pressed coffee muddy and bitter.

These are the two factors that, to me, are most commonly ignored and yet easiest to remedy. All you need is a sense of how hot your water is and a burr grinder.

→ Takeaway: Getting the temperature right is easy (just take the water off the boil and let it sit for a minute before brewing).

Why a Burr Grinder Is Important for Good French Press

And then there’s the grinder. There aren’t many processes in the kitchen that truly depend on one gadget or tool, but good French press coffee is one of them. If you’re looking for a solid, reasonably priced option, try this.

Here’s why. A French press relies on having very evenly-sized grains of coffee, and they need to be relatively big. Smaller-sized grains will get through the filter, creating a sediment in your cup, and also get over-extracted, making your coffee bitter. It’s essential that all the coffee beans are ground to the same consistency and the burr grinder (what’s a burr grinder?) is far superior at making this happen.

→ Takeaway: If your French press turns out too bitter for you, or with a lot of gunky sediment at the bottom, then consider changing your grinder to a burr grinder. Or have your local coffee shop grind the coffee beans for you; their commercial grinders will do a great job as well. And if you don’t buy your beans at a coffee shop, know that my “boyfriend” Trader Joes has commercial grinders available. They’re idiot proof, and you go home with a fresh grind suitable to this brewing method.

Ratio of Water & Coffee for French Press

The instructions below make 32 ounces, a common size of French press that makes about four servings. But what if you want to make more or less? Here’s a general guide to proportions by volume. Note that coffee beans are measured before grinding.

• 1 serving — 1 cup water (8 fluid ounces) — 2 tablespoons coffee beans
• 2 servings — 2 cups water (16 fluid ounces) — 1/4 cup coffee beans
• 4 servings — 4 cups water (32 fluid ounces) — 1/2 cup coffee beans
• 8 servings — 8 cups water (64 fluid ounces) — 1 cup coffee beans

How To Make Coffee with a French Press

MAKES: 32 ounces SERVES: 1 Blonde Beast or 2-3 Regular People

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup freshly roasted coffee beans
• 4 cups cold water

EQUIPMENT

• Burr grinder
• French press, should hold at least 32 ounces
• Electric kettle OR a stovetop kettle
• Instant-read thermometer (optional)
• Long spoon

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Measure the coffee beans. Measure out the 1/2 cup coffee beans. (Or, if you’re making less than 32 ounces, refer to the coffee proportions chart above.)

2 Grind the coffee beans. Grind the beans on the coarsest setting in a burr grinder. If you don’t have a burr grinder, grind in brief, sharp pulses in a blade grinder, stopping every couple seconds to invert the grinder and give it a sharp shake while holding the lid on. Your coffee grounds should be rough and coarse, but still evenly-sized, without a lot of fine grit. Stumptown describes the ideal size and shape as “breadcrumbs.” Pour the grounds into a French press.

3 Heat the water to boiling, then cool for 1 minute. Heat cold water in a stovetop or electric kettle to boiling, then take off the heat for about 1 full minute before making the coffee. Water for French press coffee should be heated to 195°F. This is below boiling, which is 212°F at sea level. If you want to make extra-sure it’s the right temperature, use a thermometer (Mr. Wonderful is obsessive with his coffee thermometer…he’s also an engineer that obsesses about measurements of all kinds).

4 Add the water to the French press. Pour that perfect temperature water over your perfectly ground beans right away.

5 Stir the brew. Stir vigorously, using an up and down motion. If you have a very snug fitting press to your French Press, you can often get away with plunging the press down about halfway, then bringing it up again to get everything moving. Be careful though, too many vigorous plunges or a loose seal will result in grinds in your final cup, which is icky.

6 Steep for 4 minutes. Let steep for 4 minutes to produce a robust brew. If you want to tweak your French press as you learn its nuances, you may find that different roasts of coffee do better with slightly longer or shorter steeping times.

7 Plunge the press. When the timer goes off, press the plunger all the way to the bottom. Pour yourself some.

8 YUM. Drink the coffee immediately.

RECIPE NOTES

Warming the French press: One step I didn’t include here, for the sake of simplicity, is warming the French press. If you have time (and presence of mind) in the morning, heat the water to boiling and rinse out the French press with hot water to warm it.

Use a carafe: If you are not going to drink the coffee immediately, don’t leave it in the French press, where it will continue to sit on the grounds and get bitter. Pour into a thermal carafe to keep it hot.

XOXO,