Cannot get over the ingenuity of the French Press.
Maybe the one story that's been told over and over again for me is this story about the snobby barista in Cincinnati who has NEVER had flavored coffee before. I think about him every time I want flavored coffee. I used to be a big hazelnut fan but after meeting Hannah, flavored coffee just wasn't good unless it was the classic French Vanilla. After so many months gushing about La Colombe (which I will still say is my favorite roaster to date despite the farmer-roaster-barista-consumer loyalty I've seen and experienced in Cincinnati), I was ready for my flavor dosage. This time, from Starbucks.
To be honest, you can't go wrong with Starbucks beans. I also can't find a place that has mastered iced soy chai's better than S-bux, but then again, I don't try them everywhere I go.
Iced coffee is kind of new to me. It never grew on me because it wasn't anything like what got me hooked on coffee in the first place. Iced coffee tastes like iced tea when you drink it black, which is how I drink coffee... and I am not a tea person, though I will drink it if I've had coffee already in one day. So then I discovered adding milk to iced coffee, which gives it the luxurious taste I was once familiar with when I thought venti iced quad upside-down carmel macchiatos was what got you a good name in high school. Sugar? I can't even imagine.
So today, I made my third batch of iced coffee (once with the La Colombe Corisca, once with the La Colombe Nizza, and today with the Starbucks vanilla), made simple syrup, and thought about the beauty of a French Press. I don't think I can ever go back to automatic since this FP came into and changed my caffeinated life as I know it. Not only does it bring out the flavor of your beans unlike any auto drip (can't say the same for any other handcrafted method), but you can also make an easy cold brew without a fuss.
The French seem to do things well-- trendy bull dogs, toast, fries, movies, kissing, and for decades, the Press. If there are any beginners out there looking for a new alternative method to brew (or spend too much money on iced coffee), I suggest the French Press. I use the 8 cup Brazil Bodum, but I do caution that the beaker can break easily-- mine was replaced with an inexpensive Ikea press, and has been working fabulously since I still have the quality of the Bodum press, handle, and base.
It's way past my bed time, but I was excited to share my thoughts on this innovation.
