One of the greatest myths that exist, is that Starbucks = good coffee, I think that as a coffee growing country we owe them the favor of putting coffee back in the spotlight and taking it back to the lifestyle that it is, instead of a mere drink. Coffee is indeed an art; from the minute you plant it, all the way to the moment you serve it! Much like wine. But I have to say that Starbucks doenst have a good coffee as a simple ‘plain cup of coffee’. they may have good coffee-based drinks, which are made with espresso, but that is a WHOLE different story.

Just like Schaefer said in the beginning of the article. Coffee is a lot like Wine. it all depends on the individual taste and likings! there are some ‘general rules’ that will help accentuate tastes and quality, but at the end of the day, it is all subject to each of us.

now, talking about methods; I own several methods of coffee-making devices. French press, aeropress, a regular black&decker coffee maker, the ‘drip method’ or the ’sock method’, the stove top or mokka. and I have tried the same coffee in all methods. they all have given me a different flavor with different kinds of coffee; where some methods did great with one kind, others did amazing with the other kind. its all very subject to different factors.

French Press/press pot: helps bring out a lot of the characteristics of the coffee. why? its simple. just because the water has a lot more contact/extraction with the ground surface. but the flavor will also be determined by how dark is your roast, and how strong you like your coffee. I have found this method to work best with medium and european roasts.

Aeropress: is a bit of an ‘innovative’ method. it uses a paper filter, and the extraction is a bit like an espresso. it also serves smaller quantities, meaning, you still have to add water if you are looking to drink a simple cup of coffee. the good thing about this and the previous method, is that they dont require to be powered. you just need hot water. The taste is a bit smoother on this press, but I cant help notice a better flavor-quality with darker roasts.

The Mokka or Stove top: is the best substitute for an espresso maker. altho, you have to be VERY careful with it because of the way its used. I agree with someone earlier who said that the coffee acquires a different flavor because of the metal. But I do have to admit, it happens mostly with the aluminum pots, not so much with the stainless steele ones. another common mistake that is made with these pots, is that its left on the burner untill all the coffee has been extracted. the best way to do it is: Once the pot has reached its necessary temperature/preasure, and starts passing the water thru, thats the key for you to remove it from the burner and leave it for a minute until it finishes the process. like I said before, unless you pay a couple of thousand dollars for a nice, good-preasured espresso machine, any other ‘home style’ espresso machine, will turn out to be a complete fiasco. So I do consider the Mokka to be the best ‘Home method’ for an espresso-like coffee.

so, once you decide what a good roast, and a good coffee is for yourself, venture in methods which are great at home and really unexpensive. I think I have spent in total, no more than $250 to buy ALL my different coffee making methods. and I do enjoy experimenting and tasting new ones!

and lastly, there are all kinds of measure for making coffee. the french press uses 14grms of ground coffee per every 6 oz. of water. but in average the calculations that better work is to work based on 10grms (about a round filled table spoon) of ground coffee per every 6 oz. of water. you will find that all coffee experts and coffee makers will fluctuate between 8-12 grms. as well as 4 – 8 oz. of water. but again, these are just guidelines and parameters to better help you, and guide you into finding YOUR OWN coffee/water relation, as well as method/roast level.

please excuse me if I had some grammar mistakes or typo’s. English is not my first language. I do hope this was useful for you!!

One note for the beginner, though: something else with which you should experiment is the proportion of coffee grounds to water. While Schaeffer suggests 1 tablespoon/cup (8oz), I’ve encountered coffee experts who recommend 1 tablespoon to every four ounces of water – and that’s what I’ve come to live by. There’s certainly not a “better” proportion, but tinkering with this is another way in which you can tweak your coffee to your personal taste.

Also, filtered water is best.

I always run a french press under hot water before adding the boiling water.. they’re fragile and I’ve had them crack from quick temperature changes. Also, it’s just more satisfying knowing that the coffee never touches anything cold before you drink it.. Like a professional barista will pre-heat any ceramic cups before serving you espresso.

We just launched a new step by step guide to how to make french press coffee and would love to hear what you think!

http://www.FrenchPressHowTo.com

Although I don’t use a French press – I do use a Bunn (I know – here comes the rush to coffee comments). It takes some skill to master this as the rate of water dispersion is greater than other coffee makers, and it takes the right combination of filter, grind, and coffee to hit a home run. For beans I bounce between French Roast from either Starbuck’s or my local Freedom of Espresso roaster. The smell of these beans is intoxicating. The next part – which some will protest- is to have them ground Turkish – almost like powder. The look on the proprietors face, especially if it is their first time, is priceless. Some have seen the setting but never indulged in it. It immediately opens up conversation as to what I’m using it for and how I make it. The other important part is to make sure all the beans you purchase get through the grinder – I have more than once had to instruct the grinder that they need to stick a spatula into the grinder as it takes so much longer to grind that I have ended up getting less coffee than I paid for. Since we go through better than a pound a week of this coffee, we rarely encounter the loss of flavor and aroma that is found with lesser beans and grinds.

The final product is fantastic. By placing 5 1/2 scoops of that French Roasted powder into the Bunn filter (Bunn filters are higher, better designed to fit into the maker and don’t collapse or have beans flow over like other filters)8 cups of water, and in 3 mins, the perfect aroma, color, and flavor. Enjoy!