Learning the French Press

One of the things that has frustrated me the most for the past month is coffee - making coffee at home. I work from home running a business and caffeine is almost as necessary as my blood at this point. (If you know, you know!)

My awesome CPA before I moved told me that I should purchase a good coffee machine for my home because it was a business investment - if I could make the coffee at home I was spending more time at my desk working then going to get the coffee somewhere else. So I took the plunge and bought an expensive all-in-one, one-touch piece of crap... (I mean coffee machine, sorry).

It was the worst purchase I have made in a long time, cost me a small fortune, and hasn't consistently worked since I purchased it. It has all the bells and whistles, and is a "smart" coffee machine that syncs up with my phone... apparently not. I'd make a cup of coffee and it would brew the coffee back into itself in a dreg drawer rather than into the cup. I reached out to Amazon (where I purchased it) and they kicked me to the seller. After about two weeks of troubleshooting and following all the instructions from the seller they have ghosted me. So I now have a VERY large and VERY expensive paperweight. WTF.

So... in my attempts to live more simply and intentionally, I went to the thrift store and found a $7 French press in excellent condition. And then I found a YouTube video to teach myself how to use it.

I hand-ground the coffee, started the kettle on my stove, and prepped the press. While I was waiting for the coffee to brew, I reflected on the whole process this morning. Yes, it was much longer than it would have been if the fancy "smart" machine worked - but there was something hypnotic about it. It was an involved, intentional process that took my attention to complete. I thought more about how the coffee beans smelled, focused on prepping the coffee right, and felt satisfied with that first sip. I woke up slowly not just because of the coffee, but the process required my attention.

And you know what - it was the best damn cup of coffee I've had all month.