In recent years, it seems like November 1 has now officially become the start of the holiday season. The week after Halloween is usually the week when we see national coffee chains and smaller local coffee shops beginning to serve all their customer’s favorite seasonal holiday drinks. While we love the holiday season, it also brings to mind all the little details we need to figure out in preparation for the nearest upcoming holiday, Thanksgiving.
When you are having a holiday gathering, you definitely need to consider what type of coffee you will be serving your guests, and Som’s has an excellent variety of quality coffees to please anyone’s tastes. But have you considered the brewing method you are going to use to prepare coffee for your guests?
For large gatherings, most people would opt to use a 12-cup coffee maker to brew a larger pot of coffee for their guests at once. But for a smaller and more intimate gathering, you may want to consider an alternative brewing method. The French press method is perfect for brewing a small, flavorful batch of Som’s coffee for your guests.
Why a French Press provides a superior flavor
French Press brewing method extracts more dissolvable solids from your coffee because it involves steeping the coffee grounds in boiling water. This method will coax out all exciting flavor notes hiding in those magical coffee beans and produce a more pleasurable coffee drinking experience for you and your guests.
Instructions:
- If using whole bean coffee turn your grinder setting to about halfway between Medium and Course for a medium course ground coffee.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of coffee per cup to the bottom of your French Press. In other words, a 4 cup French press will use 4 TBSP of coffee for instance; although you can make it stronger or weaker according to your preference.
- Use filtered water or spring water and heat it in an electric kettle or pan until just before it comes to slow boil with some movement of the water and larger bubbles are beginning to appear. 200°F if you have a thermometer.
- Pour heated water into the French press up to about half an inch below the bottom of the lid. Do Not push the plunger on the lid down yet.
- Set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, push the plunger down on the French press lid and your coffee will be ready to serve.
- When finished, dump your grinds, rinse, and air dry.
