Advice for using a French press at work

[Synack]

This may be blasphemous and/or mutually exclusive; But I'm looking for tips on how to cheaply and quickly use the Bodum 8 cup Brazil that sadly has been collecting dust at my office.

While I have an inexpensive grinder at home, busting that out in the breakroom here is a bit noisy and excessive. What would be a decent, darker roast, that comes ground and press-able? (Think the wife is grocery shopping and won't try to use the grinder at the store .) If it makes a difference, to fill up I use the hot water tap on the communal Bunn drip machine.

...That and I'm totally tired of the Maxwell House from said communal pot .

Also, how much coffee would you use to make a half pot in a Brazil? For some reason this one always gets me. I guess, how many tablespoons for a half pot?

Thanks!

 

[Jasonian]

10-12 tbsp for the whole press, so 5-6tbsp for half.

It's hard to buy pre-ground coffee for me, but if I absolutely had to, and it had to be local, I would probably go buy a bag of coffee from my favorite independent retailer and reluctantly ask my barista to grind it for "cone drip".

If there isn't a good independent, I would go to Peet's. If there isn't one of those, I would go to Starbucks and be very choosy about which coffee I buy. I would probably end up buying the Serena Organic (which is not a bad blend, when fresh) or the Brazil Ipanema Dulce, or Cassi Cielo.

I'd look at the dates on the bottom of the pre-packaged bags, and I'd find the freshest one. Then I'd ask the PBTC(person behind the counter) to grind it for me.. again, at a "cone drip" setting.

I would steep for no more than 3 min. Using water from the Bunn, while not ideal, is a good idea. I would probably also fill the press with hot water to pre-heat it before actually using it for brewing. (which helps to keep the brew temps up)

I hope this helps.

 

[jrowen]

I grind my beans at home and bring them to work in an air-tight container to avoid grinding at work. That way, I can drink whatever fresh ground coffee I want without having to seek out a good pre-ground. I just pack it with my lunch every other day or so, depending on how much coffee I drank the day before.

+1 to using the Bunn hot water. I also do this at my work for use in a french press, and it seems to work OK.

 

[expatCanuck]

I bought a used manual grinder to grind beans at work for my French press. Takes a minute or two (perfect activity while the water's heating).

 

[pcdad]

I drink decaf via my bodum frenchpress or Krups (red color) drip then add an espresso shot via my wife's Nespresso maker..my low sugar issue tends to sometimes get the better of me if I overdo it ;-)

 

[miket]

Other than the Bunn, what are other ways to heat water at work for use in a FP?

Mike

 

[Synack]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

As for heating water without a commercial machine around. I suppose an electric kettle like this one would suffice. Though I'd imagine controlling temperature might be an issue:

http://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-45802B-Hot-Blue/dp/B00005V3W5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1264868110&sr=1-1

Hope that helps!

 

[silvertip beard]

I've been super happy with my cheapo electric kettle:

http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AWK-115...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1264880385&sr=1-1