Rites and Rituals... the art of the French Press

After an exciting and successful weekend at the Irvine Tournament, we stepped off the bus around 11:45 pm in the dark parking lot outside of the Avery Aquatic Center. “Great job,” JT said, “We’ll see you at weights in the morning.”

Internally, I cringed. I would only be getting six hours of sleep. Unlike most college students, sleep isn’t something I take lightly. I knew that after weights, I would definitely need a cup of coffee.

Despite that it’s a quick source of caffeine, coffee has become an integral part of my daily routine. I’m not addict (I can function perfectly well without it), but a connoisseur of the drink that many misuse during finals week or while pulling all- nighters. For me, coffee is a more of a ritual. When I prepare the drink and sit to enjoy it, it’s my time to reflect on the upcoming day while appreciating one of the simple things in life. A cup of coffee. However, I can make a really good cup of coffee, and I’m writing to show you how!

First, you need a French Press. It’s a manual coffeemaker that gets the most flavor out of the ground coffee beans because, like its name, it presses the beans to the bottom of the cup. Unlike an automatic coffeemaker, you have to heat up water separately until it boils. While the water is heating, I warm up milk in a separate cup that I will be drinking the coffee from. I’ve found that when I put in the warm milk first, it tastes better.

While the water is still heating, put about five tablespoons of ground coffee beans into the bottom of the French Press (for about 2-3 cups of coffee). Once the water is boiled, pour it over the coffee grinds until all of them are covered. Depending how much coffee you want (and how watery or thick you like it), add less or more water. For this ratio (5 tablespoons), I fill up the French Press about halfway.

Now, wait five minutes for the coffee to steep.

When five minutes are up, take the top of the French Press and push the plunger all the way down, pressing the grinds to the bottom and separating them from the freshly brewed coffee. Now, pour the coffee into the cup... And enjoy!