It all starts with the coffee itself.
The first quick rule to making the perfect cup is to make sure your supply is fresh. Green coffee, as in those straight from the crop, stay fresh for years. Roasted whole coffee beans keep fairly well. But once you remove them from their vacuum-sealed pack, they begin to lose flavor after a week. Ground coffee begins to lose flavor an hour after grinding, and ground coffee, in minutes.
Step 1: Grind the roasted whole bean coffee
"Grinding coffee fresh is the single best thing that you can do to improve the quality of your coffee." (Kenneth Davids)
Papa buys two small packs of coffee beans from Starbucks every week. He sticks to the medium varieties but always has a bold option for his single shot espresso fixes. Sometimes, for his morning ritual, he combines the coffee beans into his grinder: 3/4 medium and 1/4 bold.
Grinding is the part I dislike the most because I don't like the loud sound the grinder makes. Papa also doesn't allow me to touch the grinder. Too dangerous, he says.
Since he uses the French press for his morning coffee, Papa grinds his coffee to a medium grind, meaning about 8-10 presses of no more than two seconds per press.
French press and conventional (nonfilter) drip require a medium to coarse grind. (Kenneth Davids)
Step 2: Add hot water
Brew with hot water, as opposed to lukewarm or boiling water. A temperature of 200 degrees F is ideal, which means bringing the water to a boil and then waiting a minute or two before brewing. (Kenneth Davids)
Papa insists on using bottled water for his coffee. Water he says, is essential since any cup of coffee is basically 99% water.
If you use bad, really bad, water, you might just as well throw away this book and buy a jar of instant! (Kenneth Davids)
Step 3: Take the plunge!
This is the part I love the most! I like the sound of the air wushing out. Although at times I get impatient because Papa insists that I wait for at least 55 seconds "to allow the coffee to breathe" in the hot water. And he also wants we to press slowly and deliberately.
It's a sacred ritual for Papa. A one-play act that re-stages itself every morning. And I must play my part, consistently and always with the same passion.
The plunger pot is an enthusiast's brewer. It appeals to those who like to dramatize their coffee making. With the plunger brewer, coffee is not an after-dinner option that emerges routinely from the kitchen. It is the product of a small but satisfying ceremonial event that unfolds at the table. (Kenneth Davids)
Need I say more. :) Bravo, papa! Encore!
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