Java Tip of the Day

There comes a day when your coffeepot is in the running dishwasher and you don't have the hardware handy to make your much anticipated Saturday morning cup of coffee. My tip is this: Get your hands on a bodum coffee press (sometimes called a French press coffee pot or a Brazil set). I had one of these back in college (it suffered a terrible demise on the dish drying rack of a shared suite bathroom), and just recently replaced it after being spoiled rotten with fantastic French pressed coffee every morning in England and Ireland. All you need to do is grind your beans (or have them ground) a little coarser than what you would use for auto drip, and heat some water on the stove. Put the ground beans in the bottom of the "beaker," pour almost-boiling water on top, slowly, and stir. Set the top and the plunger on top of the beaker and let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Then slowly push the plunger (no, actually, THIS kind of plunger) down to the bottom, effectively pressing the grounds out of the liquid. You'll find that the coffee will taste richer and more heavenly than Mr. Coffee's wares will ever offer. And the bonus is you can find a bodum at discount stores like Tuesday Morning for less than $10.