If frost on the ground and a temperature of –1C isn’t reason for Coffee, I don’t know what is!
It was freezing when I got up this morning. I put on a sweater and a robe and I was still chilled to the bone.
I guess this means hell has frozen over when I am craving coffee on a chilly morning!
All I could think about was my French Press…
I ended up buying a President’s Choice Burr Coffee Grinder.
It took me a few fumbles to get used to how it worked, but now it is easy as pie. I like that I can set the grinder to coarse and just hit the on button.
As for my coffee beans, I bought Mountain Gems Organic + Fair Trade French Riviera.
The description, ‘Cool summer evenings on the French Riviera inspired this bistro style coffee. Deep roasted coffee builds a solid foundation for a perfect steamy café au lait.’
Umm, yes please!!
I put two tablespoons of beans into the grinder for 1 mug’s worth.
I’m not sure if that is the ‘right’ amount, but it tastes amazing when I make it this way!
Set the grinder to the coarse dial (far right) and click on.
Within about 5 seconds, you have your coarse grounds! Pour the grounds into the French Press.
Now pour your boiled water into the Press, leaving 1 inch at the top.
Set your timer for 4 minutes and walk away!
And slowly press…
Pour.
Add your milk. I use Almond Breeze unsweetened.
And guzzle down a taste of Paris.
I was amazed at how much this coffee tastes like the stuff I had in Paris!!! It is almost identical. It has a deep flavour with hints of chocolate and caramel. It is crazy to me that coffee can have undertones of chocolate and caramel! Awesome. I don’t even find that it is missing sweetener either.
Welcome, me to the dark side. muahuhauha. I can’t wait to experiment with different coffee blends.
I like my 3 cup Bodum (really it makes 1 mug’s worth) because I enjoy my cup of coffee in the morning, and then I switch back to my Japanese Sencha Green Tea for the rest of the day.
A nice balance, I think!
After my coffee and Gingerbread VOO, I bundled up for a very chilly + brisk run outdooors:
The run:
- Distance: 4.10 miles
- Time: 33:53
- Avg pace: 8:15 min/mile (the cold makes me run fast!)
- Splits: 8:36, 8:14, 8:12, 8:06
Very glad to have that done with for the day. It was freezing!
I am off to bake up a few orders including a huge order for Ambrosia. If I get all of that complete, I will be working on my new Glo Bar Flavour. Very excited about this new flavour. :) Have a great day!
{ 95 comments… read them below or add one }
I smell an amazing vegan pumpkin spiced latte coming from you on the horizon…
I absolutely adore french presses! That is literally all the hubs and I use when we have coffee once in a blue moon.
We keep the actual coffee maker down in the basement for when my mom comes to visit. It just doesn’t compare to a French press!
I make us french press every morning and love it. We like it strong, so I use I Tbs per cup of water… and I think my FP is 6 cups. BUT, we like our coffee STRONG… i.e. when you pour it (like in your picture) it is solid brown… cannot see through the liquid ;) and I have to use cream. Brian uses the so deliscious coconut creamer.
So happy you love your french press! I was worried you were going to write about how it was a fail!
Golly, you love your caffeine! One cup of coffee and then green tea all day long must keep you wired.
I really want to try coffee from a french press. I need to buy one for work so that I can use it in my office. Yay for chilly morning runs. I did one this morning too!
Haha, this post is wonderful. I don’t drink coffee so I don’t fully understand the grinders/presses, but I’m glad you found a system that works for you! lol.
Your post makes me want some cofee and I just finished a grande from Starbucks! Good call on grinding the beans yourself. That definitely makes a better cup.
I can’t believe you had frost this morning! Before we know it the holidays will be here and it will be 2011! I think I enjoyed my morning coffee as much as you did this morning!
I’m so glad that you have found a love of coffee, as it is amazing. The french press is sooo the way to go too. If you can find freshly roasted beans from somewhere (some coffee shops do it on the premises) and put those in the press it will be even more delicious. The french press allows the oils from the beans to seep into the water and create a richer flavor than the coffee maker does. Happy Java!
I bought a french press a year ago to save money on buying coffee and STILL haven’t used it. I just haven’t figured out how to use it. Is it possible to make just ONE cup of coffee with a french press instead of the whole thing?
My goodness, you have frost?! It’s 80* here!!
I love coffee soooo much but I’ve never used a French Press. Could you explain how it works?
I like my coffee really strong and dark and I love the coffees with chocolaty undertones. No fruity coffees for me!
Nothing better than a hot cup of coffee in the morning! Especially French Press…love mine!! I need to invest in a coffee grinder…stat.
i like coffee, but i am more of a fan of latte’s, i love espresso drowned in milk haha.
now i am craving a pumpkin spice latte!
I can’t believe that as a self-proclaimed coffee addict, I’ve never done french-pressed coffee! Must get myself one of these ASAP! I have a bean grinder, just now for the miracle machine!
I have been using Starbucks coffee, seems like I am missing out! :)
I’m sure someone has mentioned this before, but French presses are also excellent for steeping tea. :)
Yum! I am a big fan of coffee on cold mornings. I added a packet of stevia to each mug (I had two!) this morning, and it was delicious:).
I exclusively use a french press — it is different than drip, perc, etc. I never have it with sugar, and if it’s good enough coffee, I don’t add milk, either. Coffee should be good enough that you don’t need a lot of extras to it. It’s fun that you are experimenting with this. I’m surprised it said 4 minutes — usually 1-2 minutes is fine (and what most coffee shops use when you buy a pot of french press).
i am so loving reading about your new-found coffee adoration! i am dying for a french press myself. will def refer back to this post for instructions.
enjoy that cwa-fee ;)
I love my french press! And coffee on frosty mornings is the best!! Do you still drink green monsters everyday in the winter?
It is all about the FRENCH PRESS! Thanks for posting such great pics! On another note, BRRRR! And – look forward to the new glo bar flavor. :)
NCH PRESS! Thanks for the great photos.BRRRRI on another note and I look forward to the new glo bar flavor. :)
B
Brr
I’ve only had drip coffee. I wonder how different french press coffee tastes? It sure looks delicious. I can only imagine the smell. :)
Chocolate, men, coffee – some things are better rich. hahaha. ok lame joke.
But honestly, I hate to admit I’m not a big coffee drinker, I blame my european dad who exposed me to italian and french coffee. I often find myself in starbucks just stealing sugar packets.
Funny – I’m a morning coffee drinker, but the colder weather has left me wanting TEA! Total opposite of you! But it’s nice to have hot tea during the day now to warm me up.
French Press is definitely the way to go. And, I have the same measuring spoons!
On a cold morning coffee just wakes you up and keeps you nice and cozy.
I’ve never really been into coffee. But your blog makes it look appetizing! Especially that almond milk shot! =)
I don’t even like coffee, but this post gives me a craving! You could make anything look appetizing love!
Glad you’re living life on the dark side.
Dark coffee
Dark chocolate
Dark rum
Dark brown sugar
Those are some of my favorite dark’s :)
Great job on the grinder, the french press, the tutorial..nice!
Btw if you ever want to grind spices and dont want to lug out your vitamix to say grind up some nutmeg, coffee grinders are great. I recommend a 2nd grinder tho b/c sometimes after one grinds a hunk of cloves or nutmeg, it leaves a scent behind you dont want in your coffee :)
I have to agree on the superiority in taste of French Press coffee….and no doubt there are some health benefits of a daily cup…but I keep hearing that the FP coffee is among the highest in cholesterol-increasing cafestol…. I am waiting for a FP that uses a paper filter. Has anyone ever tried this?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htm
Welcome to the dark side, it’s super tasty over here!
my co-worker makes FP coffee everyday. maybe i should look into it for the weekends when i have time to let something sit and brew :) love it that you’re a coffee lover now!
I love coffee, but it just tastes better when there is a chill in the air. Yum! Can’t wait for that weather to head down south.
Mmm, coffee. We even take our French Press with us on holidays just in case the place we stay at doesn’t have one! Are we coffee tragics or what? :)
As for tasting caramel and chocolate, apparently coffee is similar to wine in that depending on the region, the way it was processed, the roasting process etc the flavours vary immensely. I have a friend who does coffee tasting at international events (like wine tasting). He reckons he can pick where the bean was from after sipping it. Who knew, hey?
If you can, try to get some Fairtrade coffee. I’m not sure what brands are available in Canada, in Australia we have quite a few to choose from. Welcome to the wonderful world of coffee!!
Wow! Can’t believe that you have frost there! I am not looking forward to that.
I miss mornings where I don’t have to heat my car up to melt the frost on it to be able to drive :P What do you wear when you go running in the morning? I’m still trying to get used to running in the cold!
I looooove french press coffee! Personally, I think it is way better than all other kinds. Glad to see others agree!
what are some tips for running in the cold? i am running a marathon in 3 weeks and I would like to know how to prepare with clothing, etc.
oooh freshly ground coffee is the best!! We were lucky to get a grinder as a wedding present and we have never looked back!
{ 1 trackback }