A question was emailed to me last week, asking about the right measurements for a French Press, here is what I use.

I like my coffee on the rich side, so I will give you my Coffeeken light, medium measurements.

The coffee scoop that I use is a 1/8 cup measurement or 30 ml of whole beans.  I do not level the cup, it is rounded, which makes up the difference when you grind the beans.

Next, set your coffee grinder to the largest grind it has.

Then start measuring out the amount of beans that you will need, and put  into the hopper of the grinder, be it a cone, burr or blade grinder

• 3 cup press, 12 oz, or 300 ml

1. Light: 1 1/2 scoops level, or 60 ml of whole beans.
2. Medium:  2 scoops, well rounded or 60 ml of whole beans
3. Coffeeken: 2 1/2 scoops, well rounded or 75 ml of whole beans

• 41/2 cup press, 20 oz, or 600 ml

1. Light: 3 scoops level, or 90 ml of whole beans
2. Medium: 3 1/2 scoops, well rounded or 90 ml of whole beans 
3. Coffeeken: 4 scoops, well rounded or 105 ml of whole beans

• 8 cup press, 32 oz, or 100 0ml

1. Light: 6 scoops level or 180 ml of whole beans
2. Medium: 6 1/2 scoops of well rounded or 210 ml of whole beans
3. Coffeeken: 7 scoops of well rounded or 225 ml of whole beans.

• 12 cup press, 48 oz or 1500 ml

1. Light: 9 scoops level or 270 ml of whole beans
2. Medium: 10 scoops well rounded or 300 ml of whole beans
3. Coffeeken: 11 scoops well rounded 330 ml of whole beans

Grind your beans. Put the coffee grounds in the French Press, heat your water to almost a boil, pour your water in. After 2-3 minutes have gone by, break the bloom and let it steep for 4 minutes then gently push the press down and enjoy!   

Storing Coffee, freeze or not to freeze?

Freeze or not to freeze , tis the question, on your beans. Now that I have done my poor version of Shakespeare, lets get to the heart of this question.

If you spend any time in various coffee shops or have a wide range of coffee roasters on your list, I'm sure that  you have at any given time, have joined in the discussion on what is the right way of storing your coffee beans. There is two schools of thought. one put your beans in a air tight container and store them in your cupboard away from heat and sunlight. The other is to put your bag of beans in the freezer or refrigerator. I myself prefer the first one. A air tight container, is easy, and does not allow any moisture or air to get to the beans, which is the big spoiler for your coffee beans. By keeping them in a container you do not contaminate your beans with any type of moisture, that you will get when you put them in the freezer. Allowing moisture to make contact with your beans is to activate the oils in the beans, as a result, you will get stale beans, with a bitter aftertaste. Storing them in the refrigerator is just as bad, that 5 alarm chili that you made and is sitting next to your bag of beans is now imparting its aroma and flavor on your morning cup of coffee. And if you have butter or cream, guess what, that pure taste you like, will not be there, the butter and cream will have a coffee taste to them as well. Coffee by nature has oils in the beans, the roaster, roast the beans to break down the bean, and bring the volatile oils out. These oils are aromatic, so they quickly fill up any space with their aroma, imparting their taste on soft flavor foods, and also be spoiled by stronger aroma foods, such as chili, curry, or any other hearty foods.

Keeping your beans in a airtight container is a safe bet, no leakage of coffee aroma in your food and no freezer aftertaste in your cup. If volume is your biggest problem, order smaller amounts of beans. Your shop, can set you up with what you need, quarter pound, is the most standard, small amount, you can get. Mail order roasters can get you half pound sizes, and gladly ship it out to you. Hopefully this has help you out.     

Coffee Grinders

Over the years I have purchased several coffee grinders, each one fitting my needs at the time.  Thinking about it now, I wish I would have looked forward to see myself getting deeply involved in making the perfect cup of coffee. I started with a blade grinder, the type that you find at any coffee shop, grocery or kitchen store, for around for $20. I had relative good luck, making drip, Molita filter and French press coffee with it.

The frustrating part came when I started to make espresso; there you need a better grinder. I finally settled on a cone grinder. At first I went through the least expensive approach by getting the burr grinder, that was okay until I was up to making espresso with a counter top, pour over espresso machine. The grind from the burr grinder was not small enough, nor could I fine-tune the adjustments to make a good shot of espresso. Once I swallowed my Scottish pride and decided to spend some money, I purchased the cone grinder. At last, my frustrations of bad coffee grounds were over.

So look ahead, this is one piece of equipment that requires some long range thought. Are you going to make espresso? Or just be happy with making regular cup of Joe? Spend some time, talk with fellow coffee geeks and find out what they recommend before you buy that next item on your path to coffee heaven. The time spent on thought and study will pay off.  

Glossary

• Acidity - A measure of the acid content of the liquid; in fine coffees acidity results in a pleasant sharpness. Not to be associated with the genuinely sour taste of inferior coffees.
• Aftertaste – The sensation of brewed coffee vapors released after swallowing. Characteristics will range from carbony to chocolaty, spicy to turpeny.
• Aged – Beans stored for a year or more prior to roasting, a wait that reduces acid while developing Sweetness and Body.
• Aroma – The sensation of the gases released from brewed coffee; may be described as ranging from fruity to herby.
• Baked – Possessing an underdeveloped flavor, the result of insufficient roasting at low temperatures.
• Bitter – Perceived by the back of the tongue and characterized by solutions of quinine, caffeine, and other alkaloids; usually caused by over-roasting.
• Bland – Perceived by the sides of the tongue and ranging in taste from “soft” to neutral. Found often in washed Arabica coffees such as Guatemalan Low Grown.
• Body – Associated with mouthfeel and texture, this should be a strong, full, pleasant characteristic; see mouthfeel.
• Bouquet – The total aromatic profile, resulting from compounds in the fragrance, aroma, and aftertaste.
• Bright – A term sometimes used for coffee with good pleasant acidity.
• Burnt – A bitter, acrid flavor sometimes found in overly dark-roasted.
• Buttery – A coffee whose full flavor and oily Mouthfeel bring to mind the richness of butter.
• Caramelly – A common aromatic sensation; reminiscent of candy or syrup.
• Carbony – A common aromatic sensation in dark roasted coffees, reminiscent of a burnt substance.
• Chocolaty – A common aromatic sensation in a brew’s aftertaste, reminiscent of unsweetened chocolate or vanilla.
• Cinnamony – A light, sweet, spicy flavor reminiscent of cinnamon.
• Clean – Coffee whose flavors are clear and untainted.
• Cocoay – A thin taste of cocoa, usually associated with Stale coffee.
• Dead – Like Flat, lacking in distinctive Aroma, Fragrance, or Aftertaste, sometimes particularly used to denote a coffee lacking in acidity.
• Delicate – Related to mellow; characterized by a fragile, subtle flavor; perceived by the tip of the tongue. Found in washed New Guinea Arabica coffee.
• Dirty – An unclean smell or taste that can be specific such as sourness or mustiness, or a more generalized taint that reminds one of eating dirt.
• Earthy - Like Dirty, tasting of the earth.
• Flat – Used when describing bouquet to denote a lack of strong perceptions in fragrance, aroma, and aftertaste; also called dead.
• Flavor – The experience of aromatics once the coffee is in the mouth.
• Floral – Having a subtle Fragrance pleasantly reminiscent of flowers, present in lighter roasts more often than in darker.
• Fragrance – The aromatic sensations inhaled by sniffing; can be described as ranging from sweetly floral to sweetly spicy.
• Fruity – An aromatic sensation reminiscent of citrus fruit of berries.
• Grassy – Used to describe an odor and/or taste in some coffees that is reminiscent of a freshly mown lawn, with an accompanying astringency like that of green grass.
• Green – Coffee that tastes sharp and herbaceous, usually resulting from too-early harvesting or under roasting.
• Groundy – Tasting Musty or Earthy, usually due to improper storage.
• Hard – A coffee that is neither Mild nor Sweet; sometimes used for coffees that smell of iodine.
• Harsh – A hard, raspy, often caustic flavor sometimes described as “rioy”.
• Hidy – Tasting of leather, usually due to the beans close contact with animal during storage or shipping.
• Lifeless – Lacking in acidity due to underbrewing. See thin.
• Light – An adjuective used to modify descriptions of acidity, Aroma, or Body.
• Mellow – A rounded, smooth taste, characteristically lacking in acidity.
• Mild – Refers to a coffee that lacks any overriding characteristic, either pleasant of unpleasant.
• Mouthfeel – The tactile sensations the coffee produces on your palate.
• Muddy – A dull, indistinct, and thickish flavor that can be caused by the grounds being agitated.
• Musty – A flavor that often occurs due to poor storage or lack of sufficient drying, aging or overheating. In aged coffees mustiness is not necessarily undesirable.
• Neutral – Lacking in any Strong characteristics – a desireable trait in coffees used as the base for blends. A flavor characteristic that is desirable in good blenders. Used to denote a lack of any strong flavors.
• Nutty – An aromatic sensation that is released as a brew is swallowed; reminiscent of roasted nuts.
• Rich – Used when describing bouquet to denote intense perceptions of fragrance, aroma, and aftertaste.
• Rioy – A somewhat grainy or starchy taste, like potato soup in texture.
• Rough – Characterized by a parched sensation on the tongue, related to sharp, salty taste sensations.
• Rubbery – Caused when fruit is allowed to partially dry while still on the tree, this is a fault that gives beans the character of burnt rubber. It is found mostly in dry-processed Robusta, not Arabica.
• Soft – The absence of the parched sensation on the tongue; related to bland.
• Sour – Related to over-acidity; a sharp, biting flavor, often from underripe beans.
• Spicy – an aromatic and taste perception reminiscent of spices.
• Sweet – Free of any harshness.
• Taint – A chemical change in the bean brought about by any number of internal or external changes, which results in a change in the coffee’s flavor.
• Thin – Related to under brewing, resulting in a coffee lacking in any acidity; also referred to as lifeless.
• Turpeny – Tasting like turpentine smells.
• Watery – Caused by the wrong water-to-coffee ratio, which results in the low level of oils in the coffee. This is a mouthfeel.
• Wild – A gamey flavor often associated with Ethiopian coffees.
• Winey – Reminiscent of a well-matured red wine; characterized by a full-bodied, smooth coffee. Often found in Kenya and Yemeni coffees.