I started drinking coffee when I was 13, and at that time it was simply what my parents had in the cabinet. Usually just whatever was on sale that week. It wasn't until I was sixteen and got a job as a barista (before people even knew what the hell a barista was) at a mall coffee place name Barney's coffee in the mall that I begin to realize that this morning drink could be much more than just a drink. Like most I first started drinking the mixed drinks such as lattes and macchiatos. Much like a college freshmen starts with frilly mixed drinks with umbrellas prior to getting to the stage of straight bourbon and scotch, I graduated quickly to the greatness of simple black coffee.
While I have tried coffee from many different regions, and each have their great features and tastes, I have found that my favorites come from either Africa or the Arabian peninsula. My all time favorite is from Yemen called Arabian Mocha Sanani. This particular bean is not available all this time, and the flavor is very different each time you buy it, but if it is available I highly recommend it, no matter the price. My standby coffee is Sumatra.
Brewing method is something that people debate about constantly. I used to be one of these people. I ground my own coffee. I timed it meticulously. I did everything that you can imagine a coffee snob would do. Then I realized I wanted to drink more coffee than I had the time to do all this meticulous things and when I actually had a job, that time was not there. I got a keurig brewer with my new house, and surprisingly I was extremely happy with the results despite giving up the control I had over my beans. That being said, my go to brewing method is still my French press maker. If any of you fellow coffee lovers have not tried this method, I implore you to head to amazon, pick up a seven dollar press, and give it a whirl.
To brew in a French press, you need to do a couple of steps. First you need your beans to be coarsely ground. Next you need to make sure you use the proper amount for your maker and the amount of water. I put 27 ounces of water in my maker and use approximately 10 tablespoons of coffee. You then pour water that is just off the boil on top of the grounds. For this I actually use my keurig. Three of the largest setting is perfect for my press. After you fill it stir your grounds with the water. Do this until you get a nice white foam on top of the coffee. Then set your time for four minutes. I like to re stir the coffee about halfway through. When the timer goes off, press the screen over the grounds in a steady firm motion.
The taste and mouthfeel you get from the brewing method is wonderful, and when I'm not being lazy and have the time to take the five minutes, this is my favorite method for coffee.
What type of coffee do you like? Do you ever venture into the world of flavored coffee, or stay with the simply coffee flavored coffee? Do you switch your beverage up depending on the season?
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