I used to drink about 3-4 cups of coffee per day when I lived at home with my dad. It was free, we had a Keurig so it was instant, and I love coffee. I cut back when I moved out of my moms house with R and have pretty much only had coffee out since I moved into my apartment alone. I was spending about $10 a week on coffee, which may not seem like a lot to those of you who get drinks that cost $4+. I drink black coffee with vanilla syrup and half and half; my drinks cost between $1-$2.
It really wasn't an issue of cost because ~$2/cup of coffee is not big baller spending. The problem was, I like my coffee good. I hate when coffee tastes like roasted leather, or has that bitter after bite (you'll find at Starbucks I love their Blonde pour-over). What I hate even more is paying for coffee that is unsatisfying because I won't drink it. I decided in November that I was going to start making coffee at home and to cut the nonsense out of it.
It also would give me an opportunity to use that collection of travel cups that I can't stop adding to...
Then I had to make some decisions. My apartment is an exactly 480 square foot studio. My kitchen is fucking tiny which I swear to god is the only thing I don't like about my apartment (my closet is gigantic.) I can't get a full size coffee maker; I just straight up don't have the counter space. My options broke down to espresso maker, French press, or hotel-sized coffee maker.
When R and I lived together, I was not allowed to make coffee. It always came out like jet fuel so I just let him take over that responsibility. Thinking about that, I decided against the hotel sized normal coffee maker as I was completely uninterested in making small, but whole pots of coffee I wouldn't be interested in finishing.
I actually can operate an espresso machine and make a pretty solid latte; I taught myself during a series of mornings at my old office job. My specialty is a mocha Nutella latte, and I love a mocha anytime. Plus that's like a $4 beverage i was salivating over the money I would be saving. I found the same espresso machine we had at work online and new for $40 so I was thinking of going that route, but once again it would leave me with something else taking up space on my counter.
Then one week in December R was in town and we went to Ross for something, and I went into the Home area and saw a little red French press coffee maker for $8. It had the double screen on the plunger to prevent more of the coffee grounds from coming through, and it all came apart to be properly cleaned. I bought it and haven't looked back. It makes about 3 cups of coffee for me, and while it was pretty cheap the glass container is really well blown. The best part? It's basically a big cup! It fits perfectly in my cabinet and doesn't clutter my counters.
Making French press coffee is one part steps, one part finesse. I have been making French press since I was 13 with my dad before we got the Keurig so I know that a 5 minute steeping is perfect for my coffee to be just the strength I like it. It is extremely important to get your coffee beans ground to a coarseness appropriate for the French press. They're gonna feel more like coarse sand than norma l coffee grounds, if that makes sense. This helps to avoid the bits flowing through the filter into your cup. Part of the magic of making coffee this way is the rich flavors you get from steeping this way, so it makes it important to have your own coffee grinder, or at least buy whole bean coffee and have it ground in store after purchase (Starbucks does this).
Here's a great video I found to explain how to operate a French press. Give it a shot, you'll at least feel pretty fancy.
It really wasn't an issue of cost because ~$2/cup of coffee is not big baller spending. The problem was, I like my coffee good. I hate when coffee tastes like roasted leather, or has that bitter after bite (you'll find at Starbucks I love their Blonde pour-over). What I hate even more is paying for coffee that is unsatisfying because I won't drink it. I decided in November that I was going to start making coffee at home and to cut the nonsense out of it.
It also would give me an opportunity to use that collection of travel cups that I can't stop adding to...
Then I had to make some decisions. My apartment is an exactly 480 square foot studio. My kitchen is fucking tiny which I swear to god is the only thing I don't like about my apartment (my closet is gigantic.) I can't get a full size coffee maker; I just straight up don't have the counter space. My options broke down to espresso maker, French press, or hotel-sized coffee maker.
When R and I lived together, I was not allowed to make coffee. It always came out like jet fuel so I just let him take over that responsibility. Thinking about that, I decided against the hotel sized normal coffee maker as I was completely uninterested in making small, but whole pots of coffee I wouldn't be interested in finishing.
I actually can operate an espresso machine and make a pretty solid latte; I taught myself during a series of mornings at my old office job. My specialty is a mocha Nutella latte, and I love a mocha anytime. Plus that's like a $4 beverage i was salivating over the money I would be saving. I found the same espresso machine we had at work online and new for $40 so I was thinking of going that route, but once again it would leave me with something else taking up space on my counter.
Then one week in December R was in town and we went to Ross for something, and I went into the Home area and saw a little red French press coffee maker for $8. It had the double screen on the plunger to prevent more of the coffee grounds from coming through, and it all came apart to be properly cleaned. I bought it and haven't looked back. It makes about 3 cups of coffee for me, and while it was pretty cheap the glass container is really well blown. The best part? It's basically a big cup! It fits perfectly in my cabinet and doesn't clutter my counters.
Making French press coffee is one part steps, one part finesse. I have been making French press since I was 13 with my dad before we got the Keurig so I know that a 5 minute steeping is perfect for my coffee to be just the strength I like it. It is extremely important to get your coffee beans ground to a coarseness appropriate for the French press. They're gonna feel more like coarse sand than norma l coffee grounds, if that makes sense. This helps to avoid the bits flowing through the filter into your cup. Part of the magic of making coffee this way is the rich flavors you get from steeping this way, so it makes it important to have your own coffee grinder, or at least buy whole bean coffee and have it ground in store after purchase (Starbucks does this).
Here's a great video I found to explain how to operate a French press. Give it a shot, you'll at least feel pretty fancy.