Coffee Wrong (1/2)

The Hague, The Netherlands

Mothers have a special way of saying things to adult sons. When my mother visited way back, over Easter, while serving breakfast one morning she commented in a FoxNews, off-hand sort of way that "...during a conference last week a scientist from the FDA said coffee from a french press is hazardous to your health. Please pass the butter." Of course, this is where I get unsettled and my inner-monologue starts freaking out "Does my mother hate my coffee? Do I make bad coffee for Maggie? Did I miss the Surgeon General warning that we should all smash our cafeteras? Am I a good person?..." When I pressed her for details, she had none "Sorry I only heard the title. Please pass the honey" and later searches turned up nothing on the health hazards. Thanks!

Funny thing. While I was sulking doing searches did, they did turn up a lot of stuff about making good press-pot coffee. You will not be surprised to find there are entire sites dedicated to the practice. People take this stuff really seriously. They have even made (multiple) videos on Vimeo! That's right: Vimeo! Time permitting, check out some of these artful, g-rated videos on how to make coffee with a french press.

Videocast #2 - French Press Technique from James Hoffmann on Vimeo.	a french press method from hufort on Vimeo.
JJBean on YouTube

Here are the specifications and conditions for a decent, repeatable press-pot of coffee

item	req.	unit	note
Coffee	40	g	up to 60g
Water vol.	900	ml	900 g
Water temp.	200	F	367 Kelvin
Steep time	4	mins.	240k msec.
Shirt	Flanel	husky	wide

Here are the press-pot tips that I gleaned from all the searches and post-hipster, artful videos:

• Weigh the grounds
• Skim the grinds from the top of the beaker before plunging (use a wooden spoon)
• Use "fresh" water in the kettle for every pot. Boiling water releases the essential air.
• Pre-heat the french press with boiled water for especially lazy coffee drinking Sundays
• Use a burr grinder

Here is a list of good links on coffee that I saved from all that time wasted internet searching that day:
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee (Freakanomics)
Loving Coffee Without Being a Drip (NYTimes.com)
10 Crucial Coffee Tips: And Recipes for Enjoyment (The Kitchn)
How to Use a Press Pot (CoffeeGeek)
Coffee Brewing (CoffeeResearch.org)
Just how much ground coffee do I need for x amount of coffee? (Coffee and Caffeine FAQ)

Let me know if you have tips of your own or your mother has the same talent for getting your hackles up.