Patience Grasshopper – Smell The Coffee

How many times did the Sholin master utter the phrase, "patience Grasshopper" to David Carradine's character in the television series "Kung Fu"?  I have found a new way to appreciate patience.  It's called a French Press.  I don't mean the restaurant in downtown Lafayette but the actual appliance.  I got a French Press for Christmas and I love the whole process of making coffee in it.  First you have to bring water to a near-boil but not actually a boil and pour it over the coffee grounds, stir a bit with a wooden spoon handle ( not a metal spoon...might break the French Press beaker ) and let it sit for approximately six minutes.  Counting the five to five and a half minutes to heat the water in the microwave and the six minute "blooming" period, we're talking almost twelve minutes of life.  Seems like a better way exists.  It does.  I can put water in my Cuisinart coffee maker with grounds and have a full pot of 8 to 12 cups in the same 12 minutes.  Oh, but the taste difference!  Two 8 ounce cups made in the French Press is worth the time and effort.

This is like the Japanese tea ceremony, or for me a crawfish boil.  I like the process.  Sometimes more than the product.  In this case I enjoy the process and I love the end product.

I'm taking the time to smell the aroma of fresh French Press coffee.  I hope you'll give it a try sometime.