I'm ready to do this right, as long as I can keep it relatively inexpensive!

I'm thinking of getting a french press, and some sort of coffee grinder. I'm leaning towards the Bodum brand as there are lots of positive reviews. I've never used a french press before, so if any one has instructional links that would be appreciated.

How about the grinder? I have a spinny $20 Hamilton Beach thing at home. Will that do for a coarse grind?

Thanks for entertaining the n00bie!

edit: I forgot to mention the coffee! It's some popular Dominican brand that they serve at all the resorts there. So yummy to my untrained pallet!

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Cheers,
spin
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Bodum is the cat-daddy of presses; pay attention to buy a size that fits your needs.

You'll need something to boil water; a pot is fine but stovetop or electric kettle are nice. Add water to grounds, stirring, about 20-seconds after it has stopped boiling. Try 1T of coarse ground per 4oz of water to start. Steep four minutes before pressing.

Whirleyblade will work but also produces a lot of dust which translates into extra sludge in your cup. It isn't the worst thing in the world but, if you can make a move, a conical burr grinder is probably the way to go for any non-paper filtered brewer. My spin? Get the absolute best burr grinder you can afford. They are good for all kinds of coffee and, the better the grade you buy the better they perform and the longer they last.
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I've had that coffee in the DR and it is pretty good.

Take what I say with a grain of salt as I have also smoked the fake Cohibas from glass top boxes and thought they were decent Dominican tobacco.:-)
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Thanks for the reply Sir Moo.

After I press the coffee. Do I leave the coffee to sit with the pressed grinds and pour as required from the pot? Or do I pour all the coffee out so it doesn't stay in with the grinds?

Is it possible to buy a decent burr grinder for say, $100?

floydpink: I bought back 8 bags with me. I love that coffee! :-)



Cheers,
spin
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I can help with this though I feel like I shouldn't 'cause I'm a n00b squared at this coffee business as well.

It is best to transfer your coffee into a thermos or similiar vessel after brewing time and pressing. The reason for this is that the extraction process will somewhat continue the whole time the grounds remain in contact with the water. This can make your coffee strong and bitter.

Here is a link to buy what is a very nice burr grinder that fits your price range perfectly:

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-0.../dp/B0000AR7SY

This is the same grinder tzaddi has posted pictures of in this thread except in a black finish. The outside is a little cheaper on the one I linked, but it's what's inside that counts. It seems to be alot of grinder for the money. :-)

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1068
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So sez the conventional wisdom, noob. Fact is, several of us tested the conventional wisdom and it doesn't wash out true. Coffee might get cold after 24-hours but is simply does not get bitter. Over short periods of time the coffee may go from hot to warm but it doesn't get overly strong or bitter. Try. You see for yourself.

(now we all do a little coffee dance) :-):-):-)
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I will most definately give it a whirl and see. I read somewhere in the archives about sitting a FP on a raised wire platform (cooling rack IIRC) above a warming burner on a stovetop. Any thoughts or experience with that? It would seem to me that warming the grounds enough to keep the coffee warm would be just begging for trouble, but as I have already proved, I don't know much. :-)
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I can't follow that at all. As it is I have two presses - a small and a large. Both are steel and both are insulated. In either case, coffee never sits in them long enough to get cool. When I used a Bodum borosilicate press I'd sometimes wrap it with a terri towel or a tea cozy if I was drinking the contents by myself; it never went tepid. Nor sure about the reason to put a press on a stove - wire rack or not.

I do wire-rack my pyrex vacpots (below) as is the recommended practice for boiling - never a problem.

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AND SO?????
How is your Dominican bean coffee.
What have you substituted to your equipment?
:-)
Tom
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Haven't got around to buying the equipment yet. :-) I have managed to convince my local starbucks to grind my coffee for me though!

A FP won't be far behind!
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