Often times, I’m in a rush and do not have time to prepare ‘good coffee’. There are very few things in life more rewarding than a good cup of coffee — the ephemeral experience of flavor, at the right temperature, that can literally change moods.
In recent years, I’ve become a student of coffee and could barista at any coffee house in America, having read a few books on the subject, toiling away in the kitchen to find what works best for me. A new challenge for me was being able to enjoy latte-type coffee without using dairy. The coconut creme in Trader Joe’s has the right consistency and sweetness to substitute milk, one of my favorite beverages on earth which is now explicitly banned — according to my new vegan religion.
I’ll run through my process, quickly — as I am dying to write about Jamie Dimon’s latest salvo at the bitcoin community.
Select the bean you like.
Personally, I like a dark roast, French mostly. I do not like the lighter roasts because they’re very acidic, fruity and have too much caffeine. Remember, the lighter the roast, the stronger the coffee. Most people believe darker roasts equate to more caffeine; but they’re wrong. During the roasting process, the darker the beans get, the more caffeine gets burned off.
Try to avoid ground coffee.
There is nothing better than grinding your own beans. If forced to use ground, be sure to store is in an air tight container or just drink the stuff as fast as possible. Do not sully yourselves with ground coffee, for the love of God. Also, when grinding the beans, do not grind for more than 3 seconds at a time. The heat from the blades can burn the beans and ruin your coffee.
Temperature
There are fanatics who take a thermometer to boiling water and the heating of the milk. Those people are lunatics. For the record, I haven’t done this in over 6 months. Bring the water to a ‘rolling boil’ for French Press brewed coffee. If doing a pour over, boil it a little longer — since the temperature will be reduced by the exposure to air. There are no other forms of coffee brewing that are acceptable.
Milk/Coffee blend
If you’re working with espresso, 1/4th espresso, 3/4ths milk make a latte. For a cappuccino, 50/50 split. If you do not have a high end espresso machine, buy one of those old school stove top ones that are found in every household in Italy. They might not produce crema — but they do make good espresso. For the record, I’ve produced crema using one — truly a rare feat. Back to the milk. Buy a frother that heats up the milk. They’re pretty cheap and bring the milk to the right temperature. If you’re doing it on the stove, you’ll ruin your pots or you’ll probably burn the milk, all but ruining an otherwise good cup of coffee.
Microbubbles
For a good latte or Cafe Au Lait, you need to properly froth the milk to create ‘micro-bubbles.’ This is the texture needed to lather in a thick, almost glue-like, milky substance into the black. If you’re winging it with cheap equipment, simply pour the milk into a french press and jerk it for solid 15 seconds, or until the volume of the liquid doubles.
Pour
After brewing in the French press for 6 minutes, fill half a cup of coffee and the other half with frothed milk, which you patiently left to sit for a few minutes. You do not need sugar, since the frothed milk is sweet and you’re not a 5 year child in need of sweets.
Drink and enjoy.
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But milk doesn’t hurt the cow. Why is it excluded? Are you a moral vegetarian or doing it for health reasons?
fuck moral. for health reasons
aerosmith is kinda overrated imo
French press is the bomb! On a cold early winters morning, it’s the best. Yes, you want to pulse grind the beans coursely. One problem I have, I wish it was a bit hotter after it is ready to drink.
Fly thanks for tip on the Trader Joe’s Coconut creamer, it is good stuff. After doing the whole 30 diet, I am trying to avoid dairy products mostly. Plus milk upsets my stomach in the morning and I think it ruins coffee anyway.
After you try French Press you can’t go back to drip.
This writing is pricelessly funny. And I have no doubt it is completely correct.
Right now I’m wondering about photographers with giant and presumably long lenses, who move to no more than three feet from the face of a public figure to take a shot. It’s offensive and disrespectful IMHO
I know a bit about optics. I believe a long lens with a giant objective lens produces the most flattering shot from ten or more feet away.
Time for you to move to Williamsburg.. you’ll need a prosthetic man bun of course.
Good stuff. I had to come back and study it during lunch break. Expounding on the grinder and the results (I prefer the coffee almost as a powder when it comes out) – what grinder do you prefer? You said blades which I find interesting as burr grinders can get a better powder for espresso. If o but off the shelf always get espressos ground Illy.
Illy brand, espresso grind. Confusing autocorrect
I have a cheap grinder. It really isn’t necessary to have an expensive one unless you’re grinding for espresso.
I like my grind silky smooth. Illy is great for espresso.
I like Pete’s French Roast. Really good off the shelf beans. I’ve tried them all.
Gay!!!
Regards
Chuck Bennett
What do you know about anything?
I just got back from Portugal and they had good strong coffee everywhere but starbucks. And, I only saw two starbucks in Lisbon.
No doubt Jason Treu could provide the definitive blog post on this matter.
If you’ve found a good French roast, yes they can be very good. Many of them however, simply taste burned to me.
For my taste buds I find Italian roast more to my liking. Pressed, perked or run through the Kuerig, it is full bodied and rich tasting, not leaning toward the acid side at as most lighter roasts and “breakfast blends” tend to be.
Burr grinder only, Blade type produce grounds of inconsistent size unless you are processing to the consistency of flour.
Italian is darkest roast of them all.
Lighter roasts have higher caffeine content, correct? I’m generally pretty easy going, but that morning cup of coffee is non-negotiable. I use a single cup pour over maker. Used to grind the beans but now buy ground coffee. A fresh cup of coffee is one of the fine pleasures of life. That buzz has resulted in a few 5 AM rants from me here, and I appreciate your tolerance.