Coffee Conundrum

A couple years ago I exchanged my drip coffee maker for a French press. I hardly ever used the coffee maker, and thought the French press would be a good space-saving alternative. Plus, I knew I liked the taste of coffee made with one and since I was rarely making coffee at home at the time, I figured I wouldn't mind the process (and subsequent mess) of using the press.

Of course this decision was made while I was still working and when I usually ended up buying a cup of coffee on my way to or while at work. But now that I've been home for about six months, the French press is getting more use than I honestly ever expected it to. It's also allowed me to develop a more fine tuned process of brewing and serving my coffee, which honestly has left me wondering if there isn't a better way (i.e., maybe I should have hung on to that drip coffee maker?).

Let me begin by explaining my current process of coffee making. First, I should say that I almost always buy whole beans (already roasted... I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment) and I prefer a dark rich-flavored roast, like French roast. I grind the beans when I'm ready to make the coffee... or I used to, I've started grinding about 12 cups worth at time these days, just to save myself a step on occasion. So as most people do with a FP:

I boil the water:

Then I add the coffee to the press...

While waiting for the water to boil I set up the filtering process I've developed... You see, I really don't like a mouth full of coffee grounds or sludge when I take my last (or any other) sip of coffee. And the press definitely lends itself to that happening since the grinds often get through the metal mesh meant to keep them out. This is where things start to get kind of ridiculous or, rather, where I begin to wonder if I should have just kept the drip maker. But, I must say, I often struggled to make a cup of coffee I really liked with a drip maker, and with this process I almost always make an enjoyable cup (or two). So this is what I have to help filter the coffee...

It's a yogurt strainer with a cone coffee filter on top of
a 2-cup Pyrex class measuring cup.

Now, I could probably just find one of those mesh filters meant for use in an electric drip maker, but I actually find that this works well. The yogurt strainer is short enough that there is plenty of room at the bottom of the measuring cup to let the liquid trip through and not have the filtered part soaking in the coffee. I also use the paper filter because it prevents a lot of the sludge from seeping through.

I've also taken to warming the milk before adding it to my coffee...

But it adds to the warm deliciousness of a perfect cup of coffee:

So it's a four (perhaps 5-6 depending on the day) step process (which also leads to a lot more clean-up), but I think it's worth it. I'm probably a bit of a wacko, and I admit, some days I just opt for tea because I don't feel like going through the whole process (and subsequent clean-up). But other days I make a cup of coffee I love so much, I think about marrying it. ;)