Category: At Home

Coffee Talk: French Press

A few years ago, I heard about French press coffee, and some friends made some for me–it was strong, but I didn’t really notice anything that set it apart from normal drip coffee. Last week when I visited Dark Horse coffee, I had my second experience with French Press and it was amazing. I mentioned in last Friday’s post that it was the best cup of coffee I ever had. It made me determined to try French press at home! The stars aligned when a neighbor in our complex who works for Starbucks hooked us up with a partial bag of limited-edition coffee (Casi Cielo). It was ground specifically for French press (which means the grounds are coarser) so he also lent us his press so we could make it properly.

French Press

Learning to do French press is hard! We should have looked up instructions online–it would have saved us a lot of time (and coffee grounds!) if I had proceed with some sort of guidance. Let me explain: when I make coffee in my Mr. Coffee, I use more than one tablespoon scoop for each cup of coffee I make. For example, if I fill it up to the “4” line, I use 4.5 or 5 tablespoons of coffee. With a French press you do NOT need to do this! My first go-around I used 8 scoops and the end result was like MUD! It was undrinkable. Since the grounds steep in the boiling water, more like tea would do, the coffee is much stronger and you don’t need to use as much. We dumped the first batch and made the second batch with 4 scoops. Much better. Which brings me to my next point–I think this is much more economical! Where I would use 6-8 scoops in my Mr Coffee, I only used 4 in the Bodum and it was much stronger, more robust, and complex.

French Press

So, as far as I’ve figured it out… here is how to make French press coffee.

  • Boil water in a kettle.
  • Scoop your grounds into the glass.
  • (edited to update–let water sit for a moment so it is not actively boiling. too hot will distort the flavor!)
  • Add water to the grounds, give a little stir.
  • Let them sit for about 4 minutes
  • Then press the plunger down–the screen will separate the grounds from the coffee.
  • Enjoy!

Fellow coffee fiends, feel free to weigh in with any recommendations or funny stories in the comments! As a French press newbie, I’m sure I have a lot to learn from you.

I have a fun non-coffee-related post planned for tomorrow, but come back on Monday for a continuation of my coffee adventures… my experience with a pour-over! 

2-Second Tip: Frame Your Art

There comes a time in a person’s life when sticky-tack may no longer be the best option to hang art.

Don’t be afraid of putting holes in the wall! You can still hang your beloved posters, but putting them in frames dresses them up a bit. Hang them in an orderly fashion and your place will look more “grown up” in no time.

For example: We still love Led Zeppelin, but are no longer living in dorm rooms.

Framed Poster

Another tip: If you really are prohibited from putting holes in the wall, use 3M command strips to hold a frame, instead of a nail. Each package notes the load they can hold–from 2lbs to 8lbs and beyond.

This project took all of about ten minutes. :)

Make sure to check out some more 2-second tips for beautifying your space.

Rain & Records

So the song goes, “it never rains in Southern California.” Not true! This winter has been much rainier than usual for San Diego–at least it seems that way compared to what I am used to. I am thankful for it because I love having lush, green plants outside year-round.

A rainy day like this one is the perfect opportunity to stay in pajamas as long as possible, drink many cups of hot coffee and listen to records. Oh, and practice a little bit of low-light, moody photography.

Listening to Records

We were lucky enough to receive a turntable from Doug’s parents for Christmas. It has been so great to listen to records again–our other players (Crosley) both went kaput last winter! It took a little rearranging, but we hooked it up to my stereo (that I got when I turned sixteen??!) and the whole system has a spot in the heart of our living/dining area. In case you were curious–both units, as well as our TV and PS3 are all Sony. What can I say? We haven’t been disappointed (knock on wood) so we stick with a brand we trust.

Listening to Records

We have a small but well-selected collection of old and new records–lots of U2 and most of Led Zeppelin’s albums! We scaled down our collection a lot when we moved–parting with some gems to a local thrift store–because records are heavy!!

For us, it is “Monday” (Doug’s days off are Wednesday and Thursday) so I plan on getting some cleaning done and shooting more of the apartment this weekend. It won’t be long until you can see some whole room shots. I’ve been cropping the mess and unfinished bits out ever since moving in, but I think I’m finally ready to reveal our main living space!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. What are some of your favorite albums? I could listen to the one pictured, Attack and Release, over and over all day long!