French Press

The French Press method of brewing coffee continues to be our favorite. This press allows you to control the entire extraction process, including water temperature and steep time. You’re in control of unleashing the flavor from the beans, since it directly infuses all of the coffee grounds for the entire brewing process.

How to Use a French Press

1. Use 1 rounded tablespoon of fresh ground course coffee for each 6oz. of water.
   – 12oz. use 2 scoops
   – 17oz. use 3 scoops
   – 34oz. use 5 scoops
   – 51oz. use 8 scoops
2. Add water and stir.
3. Bring fresh filtered cold water to a boil. Allow hot water to sit for 15 seconds. Pour water slowly until ? full.
4. Saturate all of the grounds by stirring the French Press. Add remaining water to 1 ?“ from the top.
5. Place the lid onto the French Press and slowly press the screen into the coffee, partially plunge the infusing grounds and pull the screen up just below the surface.
6. After 3 minutes have passed, press the screen and the coffee grounds all the way to the bottom. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Cone Filter

1. Grind your coffee to the drip grind setting.
2. Put 1 rounded tablespoon of coffee per 5 oz. cup into the filter cone. If you prefer stronger coffee use more.
3. Once the water is boiling, remove it from the heat until it stops boiling vigorously. It should be about 200°F – the perfect brewing temperature.
4. Pour a small amount of water over the coffee grounds – just enough to wet them without floating. This is important because it allows the grounds to "bloom," so the desirable coffee elements can be released.
5. After the first wetting simply pour more water, soaking the grounds each time, but keeping the water level well below the top of the coffeemaker.
6. Once the desired amount of coffee is brewed, dispose of the spent grounds by lifting the filter out of the coffeemaker.

Automatic Drip

1. First, determine how many ounces of water you would like to brew and then measure two rounded tablespoons of coffee per six ounces of water.
2. Grind coffee and transfer into filter.
3. Add fresh filtered cold water.
4. Press brew button and allow the entire brewing cycle to complete in order to bring out the full complexity of the coffee and evenly distribute it through every cup in the carafe.
5. Be sure to stir carafe before serving.

Grinding Guide

You can have the best coffee grind in the world. Used incorrectly and it’s not the best anymore. Choosing the proper grind is as important as using fresh beans and clean water. The shorter the brewing time, the finer the grind should be.

For the best-tasting coffee possible, we recommend ordering whole beans and grind just before you brew.

Espresso
The finest grind. Made especially for home espresso machines.

Auto Drip
The finer of the drip settings. Use this in standard drip-brew coffeemakers with paper filters.

Drip
The coarser of drip settings. Also works with conical metal filters.

Course
The coarsest grind. Use in press pots or French press coffeemakers.

How To Enjoy Tasting Your Coffee

STEP ONE: Grind the coffee and raise the grounds to your nose and smell. Notice dry aromas are different then wet aromas.

When smelling the dry aromas think about what the aromas remind you of. Is it a garden vegetable, for example a potato or cucumber? A flower scent? Or perhaps a wood, nut or even a spice? Close your eyes and alternate between smelling quickly and smelling slowly. Be careful not to get too close and sniff up some grounds!

STEP TWO: Brew your coffee, pour your cup, raise it to your nose and smell. Let cool a few minutes and taste. When tasting the coffee look for three main attributes.

1. Acidity – How much does your tongue perk up?
2. Body of the coffee – How thick is the mouth feel?
3. Taste – Refer back to the fruits (blueberry or lemon), vegetables (potato or cucumber), nuts (almonds or walnuts) or spice (pepper or clove). You may also find caramel, malt or dark chocolate.

For more details on tasting coffee refer to our cupping process and see how we do it. To find out which Café Excellence coffee you'll like best check out our Coffee Taste-inator.