Chris Pirillo » french-press

For Coffee, AeroPress Impresses

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:58:03 +0000

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What drink do you enjoy first thing in the morning? Is it coffee? Is it something else caffeinated? Join the club. Well, it’s not an official club or anything – just that there are millions of us who love the wake-up juice.

I recently learned about an easier way to make “French Press” coffee without the French Press. The AeroPress is an entirely new way to make coffee. Lower water temps and faster brewing combine to create rich flavor and lower acidity in your cup. The grounds are completely immersed in water, which is what gives you that bold, rich taste.

I picked up the AeroPress for only about twenty bucks, and have been using it regularly at home. It’s really easy to use: place the paper filter in the little cup and screw it onto the bottom. Add your coffee and water, then stir. Pop in the aero portion and press down gently. It “cleans” the chamber as it forces air down through the chamber.

It takes less than thirty seconds to press the coffee into your cup. Pop the grounds into the trash and rinse the chamber – and you’re finished! You’re left with a “sip-tastic” cup of coffee.

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For Coffee, AeroPress Impresses

A Portable, Recyclable French Press

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 15 May 2010 02:00:47 +0000

A Portable, Recyclable French Press

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Everybody has their own morning routine. Mine happens to include making a good cup of coffee. Mind you, there are several ways of crafting what tastes best – since “best” is typically relative. If you drink coffee, I’m wondering how you choose to make it (if you make it at all).

I need caffeine to get me going… in more ways than one. It provides quite a boost of energy, ya know? Okay, so I could down a 2 liter bottle of some random soda, but that’s full of junk. At least coffee and water are natural ingredients, yo!

The Xpress SmartCup Lid is faster and easier than using a normal French Press. It also cleans up in a snap. XPress is comprised of a disposable/recyclable lid, rod and press that will fit most standard 16 & 20oz. hot cups.

French press systems deliver a superior flavor profile, smoothness and finish for both coffee and tea. The XPress lid technology delivers the preferred qualities of the coffee drinking experience to everyday coffee lovers at an affordable price (compared to restaurant French press).

So, French Presses can be messy – and they’re far from portable. What say you to this little piece of coffee tech?

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A Portable, Recyclable French Press

Espresso!

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 04:01:34 +0000

Espresso!

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Pixle101 made this list as a reply to my perfect coffee video. He has tried the French press, and while he agrees it is great for brew coffee, he loves latte and au lait. So here are his 5 Tips to Espresso.

Buy a quality espresso machine. I do not recommend buying the cheapest brewer. On that note, there is no need in buying a fancy machine that will have so many features you will not need. Find one that will take metal pods. Start between the $180-$300 price range and you should be good. Make sure it has a steam arm that is long enough for you to start frothing your milk from the bottom.
Buy espresso ground. Espresso ground is like powder. If you really want to use coffee, then get a quality grinder that will grind the beans evenly and as fine as possible. I have not had any luck finding a grinder that would make the coffee so fine that it looks like dust. If you do use regular coffee, then make sure you use the correct pod. The pod will usually have one drip hole when compared to the espresso ones. Pack the pod as tight as you can. Do not buy Starbucks coffee. It is way overpriced. I recommend Peet’s, Port City Java, or New Orleans blend Community Coffee. Do not – I repeat – DO NOT use pre-packaged paper pods. They restrict a lot of water flow through the coffee, and do not offer a full flavor like the metal pods do.
Learn how to froth the milk. This is the most important step for latte. Frothing is easy, but when you can start at the bottom and work your way up, it steams the milk more evenly. (Thus the first tip on the steam tip being long) Use a metal cup with a wide diameter about 2″. Start as far down as your steam nozzle will let you and work in circles like a spiral. It does not matter what direction you use. when the milk begins to expand towards the top, work the nozzle up slowly to get evenly steam the milk.
Learn all the different types of coffees you can make with an espresso machine. There are many types of coffee to include the latte, cafe au lait, macchiato, or just about any coffee you see at your favorite coffee house.
Experiment with the amount of espresso, foam, and steamed milk you use. Try steaming the espresso and milk together in the same cup. Spoon the milk out instead of pouring it. try taking just the foam first then pouring the milk in. Its your cup of joe, go crazy and make your own recipe. Almost all coffee flavors in the coffee house are made by putting a shot of coffee flavor in the cup. Mocha is the only one I’ve heard of that you can do without flavor. Maybe someone can make a top 5 on a mocha cappuccino.

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Espresso!

How to Make Coffee at Home – French Press and Peet’s

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:16:12 +0000

How to Make Coffee at Home – French Press and Peet’s

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Wirelesspacket asked me how I do my coffee at home. He spends too much going to buy his coffee every day, and doesn’t like the taste of “store bought” coffees. I was all too happy to show him how I use a French Press to make my Peet’s every day.

I use a French Press to make my Peet’s Coffee every day. The biggest key is to not let your water come to a boil. You want it around 203 degrees Farenheit. The French Presses are very cheap and affordable, and easy to use. If you want some of the richest coffee you can get, a press pot can deliver. What may surprise most is that you can also get a relatively clean brew from it as well, if you have the right tools and prep everything correctly.

A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical jug usually made of glass or clear plastic, equipped with a lid and a “plunger” which fits tightly in the cylinder and which has a fine wire or nylon mesh acting as a filter. Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, leaving to brew for a few minutes, then depressing the plunger to separate the coffee at the bottom of the jug. Because the coffee grounds are in direct contact with the brewing water, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee’s flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine’s paper filters. French pressed coffee is usually stronger and thicker and has more sediment than drip-brewed coffee. Because the used grounds remain in the drink after brewing, French pressed coffee should be served immediately so as to not become bitter from over-extraction.

Coffee for use in a French press should be of a consistent, coarse grind. The use of a burr mill grinder gives a more consistent grind than the whirling blade variety. The ground coffee should be more coarse than that used for a drip brew coffee filter, and far coarser than that used for espresso, as anything other than a coarse grind will seep through the press filter and into the coffee. A French press is also more portable and self contained than other coffee makers. Travel mug versions also exist made of tough plastic instead of the more common glass, and have a sealed lid with a closable drinking hole. Some versions are marketed to hikers and backpackers not wishing to carry a heavy metal percolator or a filter using drip brew.

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How to Make Coffee at Home – French Press and Peet’s