A great cup of French Press Coffee is one of my secrets to surviving Fatherhood. Let’s face it- Being a father is tough, especially after you’ve worked all day and come home to discover the kids are bouncing off the walls.

Like it or not- Men need an out from time to time. Kids are a blast: But after watching an endless loop of Veggie Tales, or listening to a child cry when you’ve said: “No, you’ve had enough snacks tonight…” There are times you just need to sit and catch your breath.

I have a ton of secrets. I read my Bible, pray, talk to my wife, read a novel, watch Arrow or Flash, but most times- It’s just sipping a nice cup of French Press Coffee.

So here are my steps to making a great cup of Joe.

I like Speciality Beans from a local roaster. My wife (being a Chef and involved in the Food Service industry: Check out her site- www.planprepcook.com) always goes to great lengths to ensure I am fully stocked on the beans I need. I use beans from two different companies EOTE Coffee and Hoboken Coffee.  Check them out- They are both great.

As you can see in the screen shot above, I weigh my beans out (for a single cup) to 15 Grams.

Then I measure out 240 Grams (or 8.5 Ounces) of Purified Water. This gives me roughly a 1 to 16 ratio in my coffee.

When I grind my beans I always set it to be a Coarse grind. So I recommend a Burr Grinder and finding one that is both timed and has a coarse grind setting. After you’ve ground your beans, drop them into you French Press Pitcher. Be sure your pitcher is cleaned and dry before using.

Heat your water to roughly 200 to 205 degrees. And then pour over your grinds. Some people like to pour in just enough to soak the grinds for about 30 seconds. Doing this helps some of the gasses escape. Others just pour it in all at once. (Which is what I do.) I also stir it for a few seconds to make sure the grinds aren’t all settled in one spot. Then I wait 4 minutes, press, then pour into one of my Geeky Mugs I have available.

Now this is the way I do it currently, and I am by no means an expert. So if you have tips or tricks you would like to share- Let me know. I’m always looking for the perfect French Press. (Click Here- Tweet)