Two simple coffee questions...

1) I was watching this movie a long, long time ago where a guy was simply
cooking coffee in a pan. I've been reading up on so-called French Presses
and unless I'm missing something, I could simply heat water to 195-200F,
throw in the coffee, cover the pot, let it sit for a minute, stir, let sit
for two more minutes, then pour out the results through a metal strainer
and voila, cofee. No need for any silly gear.

Is this correct? I would imagine that it's a purist sort of approach. I
like it, but not for that reason (just plain simple and doesn't require
"crap" to achieve).

2) I'm going to have the beans ground at my local store. How long can I
expect them to stay fresh? I intend to keep them in opaque, airtight
containers.

Thanks much in advance for the answers.

Regards,
Nascent

On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 17:52:08 GMT, Nascent > wrote:
> Two simple coffee questions...
>
> 1) I was watching this movie a long, long time ago where a guy was simply
> cooking coffee in a pan. I've been reading up on so-called French Presses
> and unless I'm missing something, I could simply heat water to 195-200F,
> throw in the coffee, cover the pot, let it sit for a minute, stir, let sit
> for two more minutes, then pour out the results through a metal strainer
> and voila, cofee. No need for any silly gear.
>
> Is this correct?

Yup.

> 2) I'm going to have the beans ground at my local store. How long can I
> expect them to stay fresh?

18 minutes. Yes, blind taste tests have shown that tasters
can reliably tell the difference between "just" ground and
"18 minute ago" ground.
Once you grind coffee you've created about a million times
the surface area for oxygen to start acting upon, and oxygen
is coffee's worst enemy.

That said, I've actually ground coffee into ziplock
baggies before overnight trips, and even after 24 hrs.
the coffee wasn't "bad"... it just wasn't fresh.

> I intend to keep them in opaque, airtight
> containers.

Too late. Once the coffee has gone through the
grinder, you've already exposed it to more than
enough oxygen to keep the staling process going.

--
Steve Ackman
http://twoloonscoffee.com (Need beans?)
http://twovoyagers.com (glass, linux & other stuff)

On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 17:52:08 GMT, Nascent > wrote:
> Two simple coffee questions...
>
> 1) I was watching this movie a long, long time ago where a guy was simply
> cooking coffee in a pan. I've been reading up on so-called French Presses
> and unless I'm missing something, I could simply heat water to 195-200F,
> throw in the coffee, cover the pot, let it sit for a minute, stir, let sit
> for two more minutes, then pour out the results through a metal strainer
> and voila, cofee. No need for any silly gear.
>
> Is this correct?

Yup.

> 2) I'm going to have the beans ground at my local store. How long can I
> expect them to stay fresh?

18 minutes. Yes, blind taste tests have shown that tasters
can reliably tell the difference between "just" ground and
"18 minute ago" ground.
Once you grind coffee you've created about a million times
the surface area for oxygen to start acting upon, and oxygen
is coffee's worst enemy.

That said, I've actually ground coffee into ziplock
baggies before overnight trips, and even after 24 hrs.
the coffee wasn't "bad"... it just wasn't fresh.

> I intend to keep them in opaque, airtight
> containers.

Too late. Once the coffee has gone through the
grinder, you've already exposed it to more than
enough oxygen to keep the staling process going.

--
Steve Ackman
http://twoloonscoffee.com (Need beans?)
http://twovoyagers.com (glass, linux & other stuff)

Hi,

(1) I guess---. If the coffee tastes good, then you've made it correctly.

(2) Green coffee keeps for months, even years in a breathable burlap bag
on a flat pallet. Roasted is usable for around two weeks before it
starts to lose flavor and the essential oils that distinguish it.
Ground coffee lasts for a couple of days before the flavors
diminish,IMHO, based on two years experience of roasting my own.

RH

Nascent wrote:

> Two simple coffee questions...
>
> 1) I was watching this movie a long, long time ago where a guy was simply
> cooking coffee in a pan. I've been reading up on so-called French Presses
> and unless I'm missing something, I could simply heat water to 195-200F,
> throw in the coffee, cover the pot, let it sit for a minute, stir, let sit
> for two more minutes, then pour out the results through a metal strainer
> and voila, cofee. No need for any silly gear.
>
> Is this correct? I would imagine that it's a purist sort of approach. I
> like it, but not for that reason (just plain simple and doesn't require
> "crap" to achieve).
>
> 2) I'm going to have the beans ground at my local store. How long can I
> expect them to stay fresh? I intend to keep them in opaque, airtight
> containers.
>
> Thanks much in advance for the answers.
>
> Regards,
> Nascent

Hi,

(1) I guess---. If the coffee tastes good, then you've made it correctly.

(2) Green coffee keeps for months, even years in a breathable burlap bag
on a flat pallet. Roasted is usable for around two weeks before it
starts to lose flavor and the essential oils that distinguish it.
Ground coffee lasts for a couple of days before the flavors
diminish,IMHO, based on two years experience of roasting my own.

RH

Nascent wrote:

> Two simple coffee questions...
>
> 1) I was watching this movie a long, long time ago where a guy was simply
> cooking coffee in a pan. I've been reading up on so-called French Presses
> and unless I'm missing something, I could simply heat water to 195-200F,
> throw in the coffee, cover the pot, let it sit for a minute, stir, let sit
> for two more minutes, then pour out the results through a metal strainer
> and voila, cofee. No need for any silly gear.
>
> Is this correct? I would imagine that it's a purist sort of approach. I
> like it, but not for that reason (just plain simple and doesn't require
> "crap" to achieve).
>
> 2) I'm going to have the beans ground at my local store. How long can I
> expect them to stay fresh? I intend to keep them in opaque, airtight
> containers.
>
> Thanks much in advance for the answers.
>
> Regards,
> Nascent