I opted for tea today instead of coffee at Starbucks.
Apparently I just spent $2.11 for someone to mow their lawn, stuff the shreds into a holey baggy and toss it into my mug of hot water.
Awesome.
Taste bud woes
Cream vs. Skim
I’m not nearly as picky about eating healthy as I used to be.
But even I draw the line when the barista mixes up half and half cream with skim milk.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a big deal if my large coffee wasn’t made up of roughly 50 percent milk, but since it is, I had to say something.
I’ve never sucked directly from an udder, but I’m guessing that’s pretty much what my beverage would have tasted like.
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French press perfection
I never drank coffee until I got to graduate school. And even in the beginning it wasn’t a necessary endeavor, just a social outing, a great excuse to gab with friends about life.
But these days, it’s become a bit more than a casual beverage choice.
First I bought individual packets of instant Folgers flavored coffee to bring with me to school. Add some hot water and voilà!
Then I found a coffee maker in the “free” section of our apartment complex and bought the cheapest coffee I could find at Walmart.
Next I invested in a French press and upgraded to an extra bold Starbucks ground coffee.
What’s next? I’m investigating how to make really good pressed coffee. Here’s what I learned this morning through a little Internet research:
1.In the 1900s, the French press was called a “cafeolette,” a name not quite as cool at the “cafetière à piston”–which it’s also been called–but far better than the once common moniker: “coffee plunger.” Yuck. Gourmet-coffee-lovers-haven.com.
2. Use a coarse grind to make sure that the mesh screen filters the coffee grounds and separates the liquid from the sediments. INeedCoffee.com.
3. Coffee is mostly water, so go for fresh, preferably filtered “high quality H2O.” According to Gourmet-coffee-zone.com, the ideal temperature for extracting the optimum flavor from the ground coffee is between 195 F and 200 F.
4. Aim to cover all of the grounds relatively equally so that they’re fully saturated for the most robust flavor. Frenchpresshowto.com.
5. Warm your mug with the hot water left over after pouring. Cafefanatic.com.
6. Steep for four minutes for a large pot, only two to three for a smaller pot. Whatscookingamerica.net.
7. Push the plunger straight down to prevent the grinds from escaping above the filter and into your coffee. Coffee-makers-cafe.com.
8. Pour into your favorite mug, sip quietly with a good book and reflect on life.
Need pics? No worries. Coffeegeek.com to the rescue.
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Earth Day, CU Boulder
Happy Earth Day everyone!
Have you gotten into the festivities yet by planting a tree or recycling something?
One thoughtful group of fraternity brothers at the University of Colorado was kind enough to hand out free coffee and hot chocolate. The vessel in which the liquid was being offered: Styrofoam!
Sigh. Really, guys? You do realize that’s going to go rot in a landfill for the next 873 years, right?
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Guilty
So the following confession might put me in the same camp as Scar from the “Lion King,” Stalin or Satan, but I’ll admit it: I like Starbucks.
I love that I can get a coffee for $1.50.
I love that I can get a refill on that cup of coffee for free.
But even I will admit that charging $1 for a banana is a nefarious transgression against all humankind.