Title: French Press Coffee Making

Specific Purpose: To demonstrate to my audience the significance of making coffee in this certain way.

Thesis: To show the audience how easy, inexpensive, and better tasting this coffee is.

I. Introduction

A. What comes to mind when you see coffee? We think of the taste, the smell, and how it’s going to wake you up and make your day so much better and easier. Coffee goes back as far as the thirteenth century. The original native population of coffee is thought to have come from East Africa and was first cultivated by Arabs from the 14th century.

B. I’m sure that all of us at some point have had coffee. Many have drunk it in the morning to get them started on their work or school day and others may drink it throughout the day because it’s the only think that keeps them up and moving. Drinking coffee has become so addictive especially when it comes in many forms be it a latte, espresso, mocha, or a plain Americano. This phenomenon seems to have been caused by the desire of the younger demographic of today to have a place to meet friends and do business as well as people just wanting a place to sit and relax. What a better place to do all this than at your local coffee shop?

C. I have always just been making myself the usual basic coffee. Whether it be through the black and decker coffee pot or the Keurig, but this new development that I discovered has become my recent favorite. It’s just so much better tasting. There may be a few more steps, but it’s well worth it.

D. I will explain the 4-5 basic steps in order to successfully get this right the first time. It won’t taste good if you don’t do it right.

II. Body

A. The first step is to gather all the equipment you will need

1. You will need a teapot or if you don’t have a teapot a small pot will do just fine. 2. You will need a French coffee press which you can go at a Walmart, a Target, or any type of stores like those. They’re very inexpensive and only cost about $8-$10 for the simpler ones. 3. You will obviously need coffee grinds. Any kind will do. 4. You will need a spoon of some sort to mix the water and coffee grinds with. (I will explain more in detail later on). 5. Lastly, just for the finishing touches, you will need creamer, milk, or sugar to add to the finished product of your coffee.

B. Once you have the all the equipment and ingredients, your second step is to move on to the boiling process.

1. Fill up the teapot about halfway with water and set it on the stove on high heat. 2. Heat until the water boils. 3. Now with a teapot you’ll know when the water is to a boil because it will make a whistling sound signaling that the water has reached its highest point and you can go ahead and take it off the burner now. If you don’t have a teapot and used a small pot for this, then just make sure you keep an eye on it so it doesn’t overflow.

C. Now that you’re waiting for the water to boil which could take a few minutes you can go ahead and get the coffee grinds ready. This is really simple.

1. For one cup of coffee, I would recommend putting in about 3-4 tablespoons because the coffee won’t be too weak or too strong. For two cups of coffee, put it in 7-8 tablespoons. 2. Usually French coffee presses only make about 2-3 cups of coffee at once so you won’t need too much coffee grinds. 3. Now that the water has come to a boil, we’re on our last part. Take the teapot (or pot) off the burner and pour about only an inch or two of water in the French press, just enough to water the coffee grinds. 4. Now with the spoon you just want to mix the water and the coffee grinds a few times. Stir vigorously. 5. Next, add the rest of the water in or at least enough for a cup for yourself or two if it’s for yourself and someone else. 6. This last part is the fun part. Take the press and start plunging it downwards. It’s really cool to watch because of the plunge you’ll see the coffee grinds being pushed down while the coffee stays at the top. You want to push it down slowly just so you won’t have any coffee grinds in your actual coffee. There might be one or two that might escape, but overall the coffee comes out pretty clear. 7. Once, the plunge is pushed all the way to the bottom, you wait about 3-4 minutes for it to steep and then you’re done!

III. Conclusion

A. Now that you know how to make coffee using a French press, let’s go over what I showed you today. I showed you how to do three basic things.

1. I showed you what equipment and ingredients you needed. 2. I showed you how to correctly distribute the coffee grinds and water. 3. I showed you the proper way to mix and plunge your coffee in the best way where it would taste the best.

B. Today, coffee is used to drink for any occasion and at all times of the day. Coffee continues to grow in popularity and we see more and more cafes being put in in all cities. Coffee is really inexpensive to make and all the different ways it could be made make it really fun.

C. So when you’re trying to make this particular coffee using a French press on your own, use your own skills from other ways you made coffee and maybe you can create a different way to make it than I did by using your creativity and imagination. There are many different ways to make coffee using the French press, this is just what I learned and what I have been sticking to and it’s paid off. Have a great time experimenting and having fun making your own coffee to enjoy!