A GREENER CUP OF COFFEE

We can all wake up and smell the coffee…but did you know that you can make that coffee taste better and be a good deal more eco-friendly at the same time?

The greenest way of preparing coffee is to use what’s commonly called a “French press” coffee maker. (It’s an odd name, given that the device was originally patented by an Italian inventor named Attillio Calimani back in 1929, but that’s a story for another time.)

Anyway, the French press uses less energy, less water and creates less waste than any other coffee maker out there. More to the point, it also makes better tasting cup of Joe.

For starters, unlike that Mr. Coffee machine on your kitchen counter, the French press doesn’t plug in to anything. It also doesn’t have one of those little built-in LED clocks that blinks annoyingly after a thunderstorm cuts your power. In fact, it doesn’t use any power at all except the power of your right arm. (Okay. Your left arm if you’re a southpaw.)

Moreover, the French press doesn’t require paper filters or plastic pods. It can’t short out and cause a fire, either.

You simply boil the amount of water you need in an energy-efficient electric kettle or on your cook top. Then, put one spoonful of coarsely ground coffee for each cup desired into the French press, add the boiling water and let the coffee sit for two-to-four minutes. Finally, you press the plunger down, trapping the grounds at the bottom, and sit back and enjoy the best-tasting coffee ever.

The coarser grounds, steeping in the French press, release more essential oils and flavor than any drip coffee maker on the market. So, wake up and smell better coffee and do it in a much greener way!