One of the most misunderstood coffee makers is the French Press or coffee pot.  The French Press is actually one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to make coffee, and for many coffee enthusiasts one of the purest forms of making coffee.  To understand how to use the French Press you must first understand what makes up the French Press.

Its simple design is what keeps this form of making coffee so popular.  The French Press almost looks like a standard drink carafe with a lid and plunger on the inside.  A French Press can vary in size from 4cups to somewhere around 10cups, and just about any size in between.

To begin making coffee with a French Press you start off by bringing water to a simple boil.  Once the water has started boiling turn off the heating source and let the water stand for about 3 minutes allowing it cool.  While the water is boiling you will want to remove the top of the French Press and dump your coffee grinds into the carafe.  For best results it is recommended that you use a coarser grind for you coffee, so that after plunging grinds do not make there way into the brewed coffee.

Once you have let the boiled water sit, slowly pour it into the French Press over the coffee grinds.  Another tip is to pour just enough water to where you can no longer see dry grinds.  Let that mixture sit for a minute before adding the rest of the water.  Doing this will allow the coffee to percolate and brew properly.

After you have poured your desired amount of water into the grinds, stir the mixture together and let for about 5 minutes.  (Note that the more water you use the weaker the coffee and less water you use the stronger the result.  This may take some time experimenting on the right mixture.)

Once that is done you will begin to plunge the coffee.  Insert the plunger back into the French Press and slowly press down until you feel it stop on the grinds at the bottom.  What is left above the plunger is your freshly made coffee via French Press.

This may seem like a simple process and it actually is.  The trick is making an end result that you desire and that will take some time.  Have fun with the experience and work with different grinds of coffee (making sure they are reasonably coarse) and different amounts of water.  You may soon find yourself brewing with your French Press quite often.

One of the toughest things to do is keep a clean coffee maker.  You use your coffee maker most everyday, and are usually rushing out the door to work while pouring your last cup.  The last thing you are thinking about is cleaning out the carafe, much less the internals of the coffee maker.  However, as you may notice over time the carafe gets stained with coffee, the reservoir becomes cloudy and who knows what it looks like inside.  Unfortunately flushing out your coffee maker with water is not going to do the trick.  Even using hot water and soap wont work to get a true clean.  The best way to clean your coffee maker inside and out is to use a vinegar and water solution.

The next part of this process is making the water and vinegar solution.  Many people believe that doing a 1 part vinegar and 2 part water mix works, which is does, but I think for the initial cleaning you should use a 1 to 1 solution.  This means pouring into your coffee carafe half vinegar and half water to the top line.  Once you have measured out the right amount of vinegar and water pour the solution into your coffee makers reservoir.  Be sure to carefully pour spill or over fill the reservoir.  Once you have poured the solution into the reservoir put the carafe back in place and get ready for the next step.

Now that you have the vinegar and water solution in the water reservoir its time for it to work its magic.  With the carafe back in place simply press start on the coffee machine just like you would if you were making a pot of coffee.  Allow the process to fully complete before doing anything.  The mixture of water and vinegar should be going through the internal parts of your coffee maker cleaning everything off like new again.

After the brew cycle is done and you have a full pot of water and vinegar you can remove the pot and pour the solution out.  Be sure though to make sure you have allowed the entire cycle to complete.

Now that your coffee maker is clean the last thing you need to do is make sure you have gotten all the vinegar rinsed out.  In order to do this, simply fill the reservoir up with just water and press start on the coffee maker.  Allow the brewing cycle to take place and flush the water and vinegar solution out.  You may want to do this a few times just to be safe.

And there you have it a clean and refreshed coffee maker!

If you are reading this article you are more than likely in the market to buy an espresso machine.  Unlike the traditional coffee maker espresso machines can be quite difficult to shop for and the process may overwhelm you.  There is the frother, the wand and the bypass doser to look for.  What do all these things mean and why do I need to worry about them when shopping for an espresso machine?  Below you will get a list of 6 things to look for when shopping for an espresso machine.  Not every machine will have all of them and you may not even have the need for all of them, but this will help you understand the terms and determine what to look for.

Pod Dispenser? You may have noticed the newest way of making coffee with the coffee pod.  A coffee pod is the pre-package pod of coffee that you simply brew one cup of joe with.  It makes making coffee extremely easy and has become a hit for many coffee drinkers.  When shopping for an espresso machine look to see if the machine is pod compatible.  This could be an extremely convenient feature.

Hot Water Dispenser? This is a fairly common feature on the standard espresso machine, but not every model has it.  For those of you who make tea of need hot water on demand this is a must have feature as it keeps you from having to boil coffee for any of those reasons.

Cup Warmer? This is not to be confused with a warmer for the carafe.  Having a cup warmer can allow you to keep your drink warm while attending to other things.  One major thing to look for if you want an espresso machine with a cup warmer is the location.

Water Filter? What makes a great espresso is not just the grind of the coffee or barista, but also the quality of the water.  You want to make sure that you have high quality water and to do that you will want a built in water filter.  This ensures that all the unneeded minerals and chlorine is extracted from the water before brewing.

Grinder? If you are really serious about your espresso and want the freshest cup, then an attached grinder is a must.  Having a bean grinder as part of your espresso machine allows you to grind just the right amount for your next cup.

Frothing Wand? For those of you who like to make different types of espresso drinks such as mochas or lattes, then a frothing wand is a must have!  This feature allows you to steam your milk allowing you to make your favorite drink.  This feature is pretty standard.

While these are not all the features that you may find in an espresso machine, this will at least give you a start when you start your shopping.  You can find all of these things along with many different styles of espresso machines here at LiveLoveCoffee.com at our espresso machines page.

Many people think that making a cup of black coffee is simple.  All you have to do is fill the coffee maker with however much coffee grinds you need, add water and press start.  Well, that may be the process in a nutshell, but to make a truly fresh cup of coffee there is more work to be done.  It begins with buying the coffee beans and doesn’t end until the first sip.  Follow our lead, and discover how great coffee can be.

The way to a fresh cup of coffee is having fresh coffee.  To keep your coffee as fresh as possible before brewing, you need to store the beans in an air tight container in a dark cool area.  Many people think that storing coffee beans in the freezer is the best place, but unless you are storing them for long periods of time it is best to keep in a cabinet.

Notice that in the above paragraph we mentioned keeping the BEANS in a cool and dark place.  Grinding the coffee beans too early can cause the grinds to become stale and lose flavor over time.  If you want the freshest cup possible then grind the beans just before brewing.  This may be more time consuming, but you will notice your coffee tasting better.

Another integral part of fresh coffee is the type of water you use.  A lot of us use standard tap water.  That is fine if you are looking for standard coffee, but for that extra kick you will want to use the purest water possible.  Here at LiveLoveCoffee we recommend using triple distilled water.  If you can’t find distilled water the next best would be purified water.  Doing this cuts down on the unwanted chlorine and minerals that can sour the taste of your coffee.

The last and maybe most important part of making a fresh cup of coffee is to make sure you have a clean coffee maker.  You can find tips to cleaning your coffee maker here.  Having a clean coffee maker allows the water to stay as fresh as possible and keeps the brewed coffee fresh.  Make sure you keep the insides of your coffee maker as clean as possible.

For as long as coffee has been around there has been the argument over whether coffee is actually a good thing or bad thing for your health.  There are those who say it has negative health effects and those that say it has positive health effects.  What made this argument so difficult was the lack of actually study done over a long period of time.  After some study has been done going back many decades and the research that has been accumulated it is widely agreed that coffee has a net positive effect on your health.  This of course means coffee in moderation, and does not apply to those that drink more than about 2-3 cups a day.  What was discovered is that coffee is a great source of antioxidants, which helps our bodies fight off many forms of diseases including cancer.

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