Tuesday, July 22, 2008

In Search Of the Best Coffee for One

When Big J is out of town I don't even think about using our drip coffee maker except to give it a good cleaning. But that doesn't mean I don't have coffee in the morning . . . it's hard enough being a single parent, let alone doing it without coffee!

I have three methods of making coffee for myself (not including buying it after dropping little j off at summer camp): french press (or press pot), Bialetti Moka Express, and a single cup filter. In the week Big J has been gone I've used all three.

Generally I prefer using the french press, but it is an 8-cup press and, while a cup of coffee is only 6 ounces, 8 cups is just too much, I almost always leave at least a cup. Additionally, I have a hard time getting the grind just right. It needs to be fairly coarse, but with a blade grinder it is hard to get it uniformly coarse.

The single cup filter, which I often take when I travel, works okay. But it's only one cup at a time and I have to boil water at least twice. Seems a little wasteful. Also, when I used it this weekend I, again, had trouble with the grind and it was way too weak.

So today I broke out the Bialetti. We first had coffee made with the Bialetti when we were in Belgium, and I must say it makes a damn good cup of coffee. The only drawback, and it's pretty minor, is that after it cools down I have a hard time opening it up to clean it because of the vacuum seal. Again, pretty minor. But as I sit here this morning, I have to say that this is probably the best coffee I've had since Big J has been gone. It's strong, not bitter, and gives me about two 10 ounce cups without having to reheat. That sounds about right.

Oh, and my coffee of choice? Shenandoah Joe's West Coast French.

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