ottawa foodies

This should be an easy one.. We have a 1 cup bodum coffee press in the office and I can't seem to make myself a decent cup of coffee. I use drip machine at home. I have never been able to master the bodum, so what are your tips? I can't seem to get that frothy lighter brown layer on my coffee either. My co-worker says stirring is not necessary, I've always thought stirring was mandatory.

Help! :)

Well, I just picked up the same Bodum and have been adding 2 full scoops (the one that comes with it; tbsp?) and a touch more as I like it fairly strong. I boil the water, and pour it until near the top, then stir. You absolutely have to stir it. I then let it sit with lid on for 4-5 mins (I prefer 5), then plunge and pour. To me, it's perfect.

The manual says to use coarse ground coffee, but I've played with this a bit and found that you can use fine grind, but should plunge slower. I haven't had it jam yet (or had any grounds in my coffee), but they do warn against it in the manual. I tend to use somewhere around a medium grind when griding my own beans for the Bodum.

My method is the same as Bobby Fillet: I use two scoops of beans, pour in boiling water, let it steep for 5 minutes, then push plunger down. The only thing I do differently is that I don't stir and also end up with a perfect cup. I guess it's a matter of taste? I also agree there is nothing wrong with using a find grind - I have never had a problem with the filter getting clogged.

thanks! i've been using 1 scoop and letting it sit 3-4 minutes. i'll try 2 scoops tomorrow.

If you use the right amount, it should start foaming almost immediately. Stir it up, then let sit, then press. That's at least in my experience.

With a French Press, I find coarse grinding with a burr grinder makes a big difference in taste. 1 minute steeping is fine. 2 minutes steeping max. The finer the grind the more quickly it will start getting bitter, so the steeping time and the grind size interact.

Also make sure the coffee is really fresh! French Presses will give you a full extraction of the flavour (good or bad). My favourite coffee for my Bodum is iDeal coffee light organic blend, course grind immediately before brewing. You'll also notice that it will give you that frothy layer.

I do a twist on the above, 2 scoops, pour in water to cover grounds, let it soak/get foamy, reboil water, after 30 sec/minute fill to top. Wait 4 minutes and plunge.

thank you everyone! i increased the amount of coffee and got the frothy layer. it tastes so much better now! i only let it sit 4 minutes, but will try to be patient and wait 5 next time.

hipfunkyfun Glad to here the coffee was a success! Once you have mastered a french press I'll bet you will never go back to drip-;)

Francis From your experience does the coarser ground coffee still produce a dark cup of coffee? I tried a coarser ground once and the coffee was watery - more tea-like in appearance. Maybe I ground the coffee too coarsely? I let it sit for 5 minutes but to no avail...

hipfunkyfun it's generally considered best to use water less than 205F - what I do is bring the water almost or barely to a boil, add some to my cup to warm it up and wait a few more seconds before pouring water from the kettle onto the beans, then stir; another good thing to do is wrap the bodum in a small towel or put it in a tea cosy with the press plunger protruding after putting the top on to keep the heat in while it brews (and 4 minutes really should be long enough - if not add a wee bit more coffee next time). Ya just have to remember to drain the hot water out of your cup before pouring the coffee in.

Pasta lover you should try my wife's morning bodum made with coarse grind medium to med-dark beans - the spoon practically stands up it's so thick and black.

Andy That coffee your wife makes sounds divine. It sounds like I have some experimenting to do-;)

I can only imagine the puzzled look I had on my face when coffee was made for us in England at friend's home - add coffee to press, boil water, pour over grounds, fit in plunger and press immediately. If it was good coffee it was wasted. If it was bad coffee it too was wasted. But boiling water at 240V - priceless!!! Maximum Voltage envy!

Pasta lover Nice to see that you like a challenge! Enjoy your coffee.

i don't know if i could ever convert. i like instant gratification plus enjoying things to excess. a big pot of drip coffee fulfills both requirements :)

however, i will let it sit 5 minutes, i'll just pace while it sits.

@hipfunky That frothy layer is called "crema" by the way, and it's highly prized by coffee people. It contains flavorful oils from the beans. Expresso lovers also prize the crema.

But you can't get crema from a drip system and paper filter - the paper filter absorbs the flavorful oils.

Same with an Aeropress actually - (1)the paper filter traps the crema, and (2) the crema is at the top of the water column (oil floats), so it gets pushed into the coffee puck, not into your cup.

The way to solve this with the Aeropress is to get the metal filter replacement, and to use the upside down method (brew the coffee with the plunger on the bottom and the metal filter on the top, squeeze out some crema first, then deftly tip the whole thing over into your cup and squeeze out the rest of the brew).

BTW, fresh coffee foams and makes more crema. Stale coffee doesn't foam - no crema.

This article has more information on crema that I could have imagined: coffeegeek.com

@pasta, yes coarser grinding makes a weaker brew - but a less bitter one. If you grind really coarse the coffee will simply stay watery and not be bitter at all (which may be fine for a percolator).

If you want to experiment with grinds, you have to get a good burr grinder. A blade grinder will simply pulverize the coffee into a variety of grain sizes.

The burr grinder which seems to be getting the most good reviews, for under $100 is the Bodum. Free super saver shipping in Canada too: www.amazon.ca

It's available in a variety of colors. I got a red one, but I wish I'd gotten the bright orange or lime green one now - my red one is boring, boring, boring. :-(

This grinder has gotten 262 reviews on amazon.com and it's getting very high marks: www.amazon.com

Refurb Baratza - www.andrewsgreenbeans.com/

Maestro @ 83.00 each. New lower price: $70.00, a 15.5% savings! In Stock!

Very highly regarded, but not nearly as sexy as the Bodum.

I agree with 4 minutes being enough time to get the extraction; after all, Bodum sells a countdown timer that only goes to 4. And I was crackers enough to buy one ;)

Bobby Fillet I thought that site was inactive - is he up and running? It still looks kinda dead...