Nom-Noms: French Press Experience

We're really, really big coffee fans in our house. On our cross country road trip, one of my biggest issues out in the woods was realizing that I was going 2-3 days at a time without caffeine, and in exchange waking up feeling like crap. The Husband and I both suffer from charming caffeine OD symptoms. He gets paranoid and really twitchy, and I over drink and then hurl, so I think that tells you how committed we are to the magical beans. 


We've had a Keurig for years and enjoyed the convenience, but at some point we did have to admit that buying K cups is not only absurdly expensive, but also basically destroying the planet. I'm not an environmentalist by any means, but I read enough articles to feel like a jerk. Enter the french press experience. Total game changer. We love our french press like woah. 

We have the Le Creuset in a nice ocean blue. I like that it's so beautiful that I can leave it out on the counter all the time and it just seems sturdier than glass. It's also enameled so the coffee stays warmer longer, plus it cleans up in about four seconds without ever staining. 

When it comes to grinding the beans each time, I finally upgraded from a hand grinder to an electric grinder and it's turned the process into a breeze. I throw water in a pot to boil, measure out the beans, hit grind, and wander off. Once the water's boiling, I pour it over the grounds in the french press, give it a few quick stirs then let it steep for 8 minutes. At the end of those 8 minutes, we're good to go! 

Because there's a hipster part of me that I feel compelled to trot out, I then have to worry about bean quality. Buying grocery store beans that aren't fresh ends up really not being worth it in the long run. I try to make sure that we hit the local coffee shops in our area to stock up on beans and with prices around $10 a lb it's not bad. I did just pay $14.50 for a lb at a different local shop, so if I'm getting screwed here, readers, please let me know!

 

My husband is a dark roast kind of guy (and then drinks it black in the one mug that we own that he likes) but I kind of love the different flavored or fruity options. Yes I know, every now and again I'm painfully basic but at least I'm not proud of it. I also want to try bullet coffee, but I can't come up with an excuse to stir butter and fat into my coffee before gulping it, no matter how many skinny supermodels recommend it. 

Are you a coffee fan? Do think having a french press is too much effort, or have you thought about grabbing one?