Well, the old hand mill burr grinder we’ve been using for coffee has pretty much bit the dust. Oh, it still works, after a fashion, but I’ve been unable to fix the “loosy-goosy” action as metal parts begin to fatigue and wear out, because I cannot find proper replacements. So, it’s now relegated to decorative status and been replaced by:
Nice coffee mill, and the grind is easily modified, unlike our old handmill. I like the auto-shutoff, though I rarely need the feature since I make most of my coffee by the mugfull with the neat lil Bodum French press s-i-l-to-be gifted me with at Christmas.
12-oz is just about right for one of my fav mugs, but 2Tbs of beans–about what it takes to brew a robust cuppa joe in the lil Bodum after being nicely ground by the B&D mill–isn’t enough for the auto-shutoff to kick in on the coffee mill. Big deal. So I press a button twice.
Addendum:
Gourmet/Gourmand: is coffee “good drinks” or “good eats”? Doesn’t matter to me, cos I’m about to offend both.
In a tightwad’s never-ending search for the most value possible from EVERYTHING, I have settled on a compromise of good taste/value (of which, frankly, “good taste” is a value consideration) in my Fp coffee brewing. I’ve settled on two brewings (like two pressings of olive oil, I suppose) from the same grounds in my lil French press. The first is pretty much as instructed in the Bodum lit, except that I do no pour hot water over grounds in the Fp; I pour cold water over ’em, stir and then microwave the mixture. Then I do let it sit and brew up for another couple of minutes before pouring the first cup.
Then I commit my crime: I pour another load of cold water over the grounds and let that simply steep until I’ve finished my first cup and am ready to brew another. Then, microwave and steep.
The first cup: robust but certainly not “too strong” (whatever that means; how can coffee–great as simply beans chewed plain–be “too strong”? :-)). Second cup: more flowery and certainly a tad lighter, but still really coffee. Yes, I did try a third cup. *blech* Please trust me. It’s not an experience I’d wish on you. My worst enemy, sure, but not you. Of course, folks that think stuff brewed from a Folger’s can is coffee would probably like it well enough.
While I love the aroma of coffee beans and fresh brewed coffee, I abstain from drinking it.
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89/9#9
I can understand your LDS reasons. Disagree, but understand. The stuff just has far, far too many health benefits on top of its delicious taste and aroma to eschew, and I can find no scriptural basis for rejecting something that’s not only good for me but delicious as well.
BTW, the pic of the BnD burr grinder is a bit deceptive. It’d take a MUCH bigger coffee pot than is found in 99.99% of homes to need that much coffee ground at one time. I guess the BnD marketing folks just got carried away.
I won’t eschew coffee, but I do like to chew it – the beans that is. I generally put more beans in my grinder than I need for a pot of coffee too, but then I put them all into my pot of coffee. I don’t have one of them fancy french presses though, I just use a drip brewer – and turn off the hot plate as soon as its done brewing.
I have to drink the pot fairly quickly or it gets cold, but at least I don’t end up drinking burnt coffee. Burnt coffee – about the only thing worse is burnt popcorn.
Yeh, Peri, I had salivated over French presses for a few years. Enjoyed s-i-l-to-be’s French press brewed coffee on workdays at the “honeymoon cottage” *heh*. He noticed and… now have my own (small) French press. If I don’t grind things coarsely enough, though, I do chew my coffee grounds toward the bottom of each cuppa made with the thing.
Good stuff.