Upgrade your coffee

Hey Goddesses! I just got my new French Press! I am so excited to share it with you! Do you start your day with coffee? Do you make yours at home? I’ve been making mine at home now for about four years, and I have to tell you, it’s easier than you think and taste way better than you would imagine! Here are a few ways to upgrade your coffee with a French Press!

The cost was adding up

For nearly ten years, I was a Starbucks Fan. Not the biggest, but definitely a loyal fan who even turned my husband on to it. No matter where we were, I was only drinking Starbucks. But for some reason every time I would walk into one, my nose would get an instant itch and feel stuffy. I later learned it may have been the mold in the coffee beans! Scary shit I tell you, especially when you are highly allergic to mold! Disregarding it, I always left my local Starbucks skipping out the door with a smile and my grande red-eye, with a drop of steamed almond milk. It was my way of kickstarting my day like seven days a week! Crazy! Starbucks isn’t cheap, that is for sure! I would spend about four dollars a day seven days a week, which is twenty-eight dollars just on my coffees, but when you add Mario’s coffee, we were spending $50 a week!

Why a French Press

In the past four years, I probably broke three glass French Presses and wore out two of them. Now don’t go thinking I am some coffee addict, I only have one cup per day. They get wrecked in the dishwasher, or by slippery soapy hands, but it’s the only coffee maker for me! I had one of those k-cup coffee makers until I figured out that the inside must be filled with mold- you know how the water goes through the machine? How would you clean in there without taking it apart? I tossed mine! I’m also not a fan of those K-cups because I wonder how long the ground coffee is sitting in those containers before they even hit the store shelves. You may be shaking your head, but you have to think about these things, at least I do anyway.

Just in case you think I am crazy.

Check out these articles, here, here and here

So what’s a coffee lover to do?

Glad you asked! First, you need a French Press. As I said, I have used a bunch over the past four years. I found some at Home Goods, Whole Foods, and Amazon.

Here are a few I have had

The Coffee Gator Press– This one was awesome because I couldn’t break it! Stainless Steel, this one would withstand my slippery soapy hands. Over time, the coating on the outside started to chip, and I became worried it would spill in my cup of coffee. This French Press lasted me about a year.

The Bodum Chambord French Press – I like the sleek look of this French Press. It was my third one. It says dishwasher safe, but mine either ended up cracked or broken when I would pull it out.

And my newest most awesome French Press matches my Dutch Oven, by the fantastic Le Cruset! I LOVE this French Press. Made of high-fire stone and a beautiful glossy white finish, this is it for me! I have to say it does weigh almost three pounds, but if you use Le Cruset products, you know they are all pretty heavy. This doesn’t bother me.

Amazon suggested that I get the coffee bean grinder from Krups with my order. I thought and thought some more about it and finally decided it was worth the nineteen bucks to get. Anytime I would grind my own beans at Whole Foods, I obviously keep thinking about how they clean the inside of these things. DONE! I ordered it! Now I grind my own!

Let me teach you how to upgrade your coffee

Start by choosing a COURSE GRIND.

A French Press is different from a coffee maker in that a pour-over – like a French Press, the coffee steeps in the water and in a regular coffee maker the water passes through the coffee filter. So, make sure if you are grinding yourself, the grind is set at “course.” If you buy the Krups coffee grinder I suggested, then you are all set.

Put your 3-4 tbsp. of ground coffee into the French Press while your water is boiling (1-2 cups)

Shut the heat off when you see the water is boiling. Wait about 30 seconds and then fill your French Press, but only halfway. You want to “Bloom” your ground coffee to make sure it’s not too weak or to bitter.

Set your watch or timer for four minutes. (During this time, I make Sasha’s breakfast or feed her some blueberries to start).

Grab a spoon + after a minute start stirring

Take a spoon and slowly stir the coffee at the bottom. Fill to the top with water and place the lid back on.

Four minutes later…

Slowly plunge the Press down (very slow)

Sip + think about how beautiful life is now!

That’s it! Pour the most perfectly brewed French press coffee into your favorite mug and smile. Ahh! The smell, the taste, all the while you are in the comfort of your home.

Here are some things to try next time…

Add a tbsp. Organic cinnamon to the ground coffee before you add hot water
instead of Milk from a COW (GAG) perhaps you can add a tbsp coconut cream?? It’s so healthy for you, and it’s not from a cow’s saggy boob! One little can will last a week!
1 drop liquid stevia.
Every day, I add a packet of my Vital Proteins Collagen, because a girl can never have enough collagen! Think glowing skin, healthy hair, and nails!
Sprinkle cardamom in your coffee grinds. This is such a fall thing for me. I die for cardamom! I just ordered cardamom pods. I am going to try to brew them in my French Press to Minick a Turkish coffee (only healthier)