More Coffee Fun

      Here's another variation on the Coffee Tray. This one is for yummy French Press coffee, my daughter's method of choice. These little demitasse cups are part of my vast collection of white ware. You know how I love the white!

     The French Press coffee maker was invented in France in the late 19th century. Over the years it was refined and was finally patented by Felieno Bondanini, an Italitan, in 1958.
     You should use a coarse grind of coffee because finer grinds will seep through the filter. I find French Press coffee to be a bit oily. This is because these essential oils in coffee beans become trapped in paper filters. The French Press has a wire or nylon mesh filter, allowing more flavor and these oils to escape to your coffee cup.
     The press is smaller and easier to store than traditional coffee makers and you may adjust the strength of your coffee. They are great for making a small amount of really fresh coffee.
     You should not let French Press coffee stand because it will become bitter rather quickly. Actually this is a taste the French find apealing. You can make tea using loose tea with the French Press but it should be consummed quickly because of the same bitterness will likely occure.

Home Vignettes




The Coffee Bar

  How many times do you grab a latte or some other overpriced coffee drink when you are out shopping? For a while I got so in the habit, I purchased a Starbucks card just so I could get the coffee quicker! Well, I set up this little Coffee Bar for what a few of those cups of black gold cost and I can have my cappuccino or latte anytime I wish.Here's how I stocked The Coffee Bar. Should I bring my espresso machine out from California or buy a new one? It seemed easier to just buy a new one. I did not buy an expensive machine. Remember we are doing this rather than buying expensive coffee out.

This brings to mind a story I must share with you. A few years ago I decided to accept a job at a major fun venue in Southern California. Names will not be mentioned here but use your imagination. The salary might have been good for the company but not too good for my taste in clothes. Before my first day at work, my husband and I went out to buy a few suits I would be needing.

After selecting a few suits and trying them on, I decided on three suits. I showed my husband and asked what he thought. He replied in true form, "Yes, Lisa. I think spending four figures on clothes to wear on a job that pays two figures an hour makes perfect sense".  So you see, we cannot buy a four hundred dollar espresso machine because we are not buying a five dollar cup of coffee!

You will also need cups. I love those huge heavy cups for my latte and I found these black ones at Pier One. They hold the heat and give you plenty of room for making those heart shaped designs with the foam. Those two little espresso cups came from Ikea and only cost a few dollars.

In the tray I have a couple of canisters with screw lids. One holds the ground coffee and the other packets of artificial sweeteners. Once again, since we are keeping this reasonable, I opted for ground espresso. In the future I may bring my coffee bean grinder to Virginia but for now I am using pre-ground. We use it quickly so the taste is still good. There's a bottle of my favorite flavor syrup, hazelnut.



Coffee making supplies



Here are the tools you need for the perfect coffee drink. A measuring spoon. Most measures that come with coffee machines are a one tablespoon size. I have a silver one that is a two tablespoon size which is good if you are making a whole pot of coffee. Beside the measuring spoon is a tamper. This is used to compact the coffee grounds in the basket. Next I have a battery operated frother. Sometimes you need a little extra help with the steamed milk and this little gadget works really well. A note on these frothers. Since I was buying all this stuff in Richmond where I am still learning my way around, the only one I found was at a popular bath-kitchen store. The price was twenty dollars which seemed very expensive. I knew mind at home came from Ikea and cost much less. On my next trip to my favorite Scandinavian store, I got this one for two dollars. Worth the wait!