*This blog was originally written in 2017. :)
I love coffee.
It wouldn’t be completely wrong if I said that I am a coffee-addict.
The beautiful fragrance of coffee, that’s all it takes to make me happy.
My day normally starts with me preparing a french press coffee for myself.
I can’t believe that I used to drink instant coffee instead of french press coffee every morning.
I am going to share a few things that I have discovered since I started this morning ritual of making and drinking french press coffee.
By the way, when I say “coffee,” I mean pure coffee without any sugars or milk here ;P
Trigger
It might sound overly simple but,
the trigger for me to start this morning ritual was my pure longing for the “cool” lifestyle that comes with starting the day with a french press coffee. Lol
I am the type of person who gets easily influenced by things, so I got influenced by youtube videos and some tv shows, and also one of my good friends who has his own espresso machine at his place influenced me a lot.
When I went to his place, that beautiful fragrance of coffee welcomed me.
He made a beautiful cup of latte for me and some other friends.
This didn’t inspire me to buy an espresso machine straight away,
But inspired me to buy a french press.
Wait… it’s not difficult at all.
Actually, I had always had a french press.
Yes, it was an impulse purchase.
At that time, I had no idea how to make coffee by using a french press.
I followed my instinct but succeeded in making only one disgusting cup of coffee…
The french press machine had been never used again since that incident….. lol
So I was bit different this time. I was serious.
I started researching how to make french press coffee properly on youtube.
Wait…. There are so many videos explaining it in fun and stylish ways.
This video might be the best amongst loads of my favorite videos.
Surprisingly, it was way easier than I thought it would be to make french press coffee.
Even when you compare it to paper filter coffee, It’s waaaay easier. ( You don’t need a paper filter, or skill to pour hot water gently. )
The most important factors are
To time it correctly. (let stand for 3-4 minutes.),
To stir the hot water and ground coffee well,
The ratio of hot water and ground coffee,
If you follow the perfect formula for these three factors,
Anyone can enjoy a cup of perfect coffee.
The good things that happened after I switched to french press coffee.
1) I started enjoying conversations with cafe staff and coffee roasters
Alright, you got a french press plunger, let’s go to get coffee beans !
It’s kinda difficult for a beginner to find the coffee beans that you need. What kind of coffee beans ? How much of it ? Coarse grind or fine grind ?
Don’t worry, all the questions in your mind will be answered by staff at a cafe or a coffee roaster’s.
When I was a beginner, I decided to go to a coffee roaster in my area (Yakuin, Fukuoka).
I liked the huge coffee roasting machine and the atmosphere of the shop straight away.
Of course I was fascinated by the fragrance of coffee.
I told the owner that I was a beginner of french press coffee.
He explained about french press coffee passionately.
The shop stocked many different type of coffee beans so he also let me taste samples.
I went back to the shop after I had run out of coffee beans,
The owner remembered my face and asked me “How were the coffee beans ? “
“I got new coffee beans today. Would you like to taste them ?”
He let me taste the new type of coffee beans.
And he told me to pop in the shop and have some coffees anytime.
Things were different before I started drinking french press coffee at home.
The only conversation I had with staff was just to order coffee.
Even though I always enjoy conversations with staff, I can never continue for too long considering the people waiting behind me in the queue.
BUT, if you were to buy coffee beans, it would be natural to have a decent conversation about coffee beans between you and cafe staff.
The more you visit a cafe, the closer you and the cafe staff will be.
I strongly believe that coffee can help bring people together.
2) No more disgusting gassy feeling in my stomach.
Fast, easy and cheap.
The attractive points of instant coffee to most of us are probably these three factors.
It’s like magic to be able to have a coffee instantly,
Especially in the morning when you are rushing to get ready.
It was more like drinking “caffeine” rather than coffee when I was a student and trying hard to stay awake and pumped.
BUT, I noticed one big change in my body after I stopped drinking instant coffee.
My stomach has been super healthy !
I once read an article saying that it was recommended to drink 5 cups of coffee a day.
So I used to drink 5 cups of instant coffee a day.
However, I was also having some discomfort in my stomach, like that gassy feeling, for a while.
I even had some sleepless nights because of this.
Believe it or not,
This disgusting gassy feeling faded away after I changed my coffee from instant to french press coffee.
Unlike paper filter or instant coffee, french press can extract the coffee oil which allows you to enjoy the pure flavors of the different types of coffee beans.
This explains why french press coffee doesn’t taste burned.
In my opinion, french press coffee has a clearer taste than other types of coffee.
In addition to the above,
The coffee beans for french press are more expensive than instant coffee, so it takes more work to prepare it. So this might stop you from having 5 cups of coffees a day. Lol
You are more likely to enjoy every sip of coffee that you made gently.
3) You are more excited to wake up in the morning.
When is your favorite time of day ?
I love the morning! I’m more keen to do something productive at the beginning of a day.
Even if I feel a bit depressed the day before, all the negative vibes will be gone when I wake up in the morning when I have more positive vibes.
It might be a bit of exaggeration, but this habit of having french press coffee in the morning changed me into this morning person with positive energy.
I really enjoy making myself french press coffee while listening to my favorite music.
I really want to take my time to enjoy the moment.
I started to wake up slightly earlier to secure this special coffee time every morning.
Sooner or later, my body got used to this and I turned into a morning person.
4) You become more interested in coffee.
You might have heard the phrase “Third Wave Coffee”.
Coffee drinkers became interested in the character of the coffee itself; where it’s from, how it’s created, who trades it, who roasts it, and how it’s brewed.
If I put this trend in simple words, “coffee to appreciate” represents this trend well.
You wouldn’t understand this sense of value if you “consume” instant coffee everyday.
Different sets of values vary from person to person.
However, I am so glad that I’m able to appreciate a cup of coffee.
You become pickier about your coffee because you drink it everyday.
As I became more interested in coffee,
I started to attend a coffee workshop which was held in a cafe in my neighborhood.
Looking for a new hobby ?
Want to become a morning person ?
I would highly recommend you to implement french press coffee to your lifestyle.
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