French Press Math

[novasurf]

If you can't stand the heat, get back to the kitchen.

[Twill413]

That's OK Evan, you can go back to making your old coffee. No harm done, well at least not permanently. Personally, I like coffee I can chew on. Maybe I will give yawls way a try soon. As soon as I can get back on a regular roasting schedule once it warms up a bit.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by EvanS

OK, I tried this. No way mister, no flippin' way.

I typically measure my beans whole using a 3 Tbs scoop. Just at or peaking over level is the word. 2 scoops for the 32 oz press, 3 scoops for the 48 oz. This comes to right at 1 Tbs for 5oz water. So I go to make a 32 oz and weigh my 2 scoops before grinding. 40 grams. French Press Math calls for 1.8 oz which is 51 grams....a 25% increase!!!

Trusting the new math, as well as Twill and novasurf, I scoop out another 11 grams and grind'er up. Go thru the normal routine and press. HUH? Why won't the press go all the way down. Oh it's because I actually AM pressing coffee now.

Anyway, onto the taste. When piping tongue-burning it hot I thought "hmmm, maybe" but when it started to cool even a little the mud came through loud and clear. Pour Tina a cup, which was a mistake. Her face is still unwrinkling.

I've trusted novasurf all along, and if he and Twill weren't laughing at us before they certainly ARE laughing at ME now. I need to go back and reread all of Norman's posts, with suspicion, mind you.

Everyone else knew. Even Tina was in on it.

[Mister Moo]

This sounds like madness, Norman - sheer madness.

"Multiply the size of your French Press in ounces by 0.057. This is the weight of the coffee you should be using, in ounces."

Tina is wrinkling, Evan is distressed, Twill has revealed he is OCD, Germ'ob is slashing and burning his way thru each pot.... most of us go by feel. But, whatever. I said I'd measure:

32oz. (press capacity)
x 0.057 (Norman's magic number)
1.824 (coffee ounces I "should" use per pot)

In fact, I always use a visual cue to fill my press where I already know the coffee tastes right; I may adjust a bit more or less with a new roast or bean, but nothing too precise. I just add grounds to the mark on the pot and fill with water. Ba da bing - ba da boom.

The confirmed volume measurement of medium ground coffee works out to eight level (or six gently rounded) tablespoons. This is exactly 1T per four ounces of brew water - the generally recommended starting point.

I dumped those spoonsful in the scale basket and they DID NOT WEIGH OUT AT 1/2 OUNCE PER TABLESPOON! Nope - they weighed out to something a lot less on a not-too-precise spring scale. Roughly speaking, the eight level tablespoons weigh 1.8 ounces. Sheer madness? Nope. Not at all. Norman's magic number is spot-on with my taste for coffee.

Maybe it's easier to measure 1 level tablespoon per four onces of water to get to the same place but Novasurf's way seems more science. It's a good method. I have no idea what EvanS did to poison Tina using the magic number. It seems to work fine for me.

Ev'S - recheck your math (or your scale).

[Twill413]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

Ev'S - recheck your math (or your scale).

Vindication for the measuring crowd is a drink best served piping hot. Oddly enough it tastes like good coffee to...coin side dents? Don't think so.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Twill413

Vindication for the measuring crowd is a drink best served piping hot. Oddly enough it tastes like good coffee to...coin side dents? Don't think so.

Coffee prep, like pipe smoking, takes a certain amount of time sweating the details to get it righty-right-right. For most of us daily coffee preparers, compulsive measuring to locate the +/- limits of too weak vs. too strong will eventually surrender to a more casual (and intuitively precise) process. I found that:

• Pipe smoking achieved a comfortable, flexible process in about a year;
• Cheesecake baking is always a matter of inflexible, precise procedure;
• espresso prep demands inflexible procedure at the start and gives way to something slightly more casual over time
• press, drip and vacpot prep needs a controlled starting point but is a very short learning curve with considerable flexibility.

I love the 0.057 magic number but, if asked, will still suggest one level tablespoon per 4-oz. of water to start.

[EvanS]

Originally Posted by Twill413

Vindication for the measuring crowd is a drink best served piping hot. Oddly enough it tastes like good coffee to...coin side dents? Don't think so.

I hear this...but I meant that the slightest cooling made that cup get muddy.

Anyway, this was interesting and it is possible that my scale is off. I dunno nuthin. Most likely is that my coffee weighs less than yours

I'm going back to 1 Tbs of whole bean per 5 oz water, which is what I like. Yeah, decision made, gonna brew the coffee the way I like it.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by EvanS

I hear this...but I meant that the slightest cooling made that cup get muddy.

Anyway, this was interesting and it is possible that my scale is off. I dunno nuthin. Most likely is that my coffee weighs less than yours

I'm going back to 1 Tbs of whole bean per 5 oz water, which is what I like. Yeah, decision made, gonna brew the coffee the way I like it.

Try again but be more methodical this time.

[smokehouse]

real coffee connoisseur's don't measure

[germantown rob]

Originally Posted by smokehouse

real coffee connoisseur's don't measure

I like to throw a pound of beans in the air and what ever lands in a bowl gets ground up for brew. It was a bad coffee day when a mouse had made a nest in the bag and she and her litter landed in the bowl .

[mosesbotbol]

I just eye ball it... Been using the same French Press since the mid 70's though...

[novasurf]

science

He says in his best Thomas Dolby voice.
Ahhhh......The Golden Age of Wireless.

[TOB9595]

I'll be trying this tomorrow...
Tom

[burninator]

My grinder has cup measurement settings. I have a 17oz press, so I dial it a little under 4 cups, since it seems to get harsh if I use the same measurements I would for manual pour.

[garcabo]

Hi Guys... I am not much of a poster and have never posted in this group before... but I love coffee as much as cigars and thought I would share this.

I have used a standard plastic coffee scoop all my life just like my folks did.

I use the coffee scoops like the large scoop from AeroPress and the Blue one Sweet Maria's sells and says is the offical SCAA cupping size scoop.

Sweet Maria's says theres has an approximate 7.25 gram coffee volume... but that must be ground or maybe green beans because it holds 10 grams of whole roasted beans.

The AeroPress scoop holds 15 grams of whole roasted beans.

For my 32oz French Press I use 4 AeroPress or 6 SCAA size scoops
or 60 grams / 2.12 ounces of coffee which works out to 1 SCAA size scoop per 5.33 ounces of water.

For my 6 Cup (9oz) Moka Pot I use 2 AeroPress or 3 SCAA size scoops
or 30 grams / 1.06 ounces of coffee which works out to 1 SCAA size scoop per 3 ounces of water.

For my double shot AeroPress I use 2 AeroPress or 3 SCAA size scoops
or 30 grams / 1.06 ounces of coffee which works out to 1 SCAA size scoop per 1 ounce of water.

Most of the time I make Cappuccinos and Lattes with the Moka and AeroPress.