Manly Coffee

I wish I didn’t have to do this post. I really do. But, folks, most of y’all are drinking some pretty darn wimpy coffee. There are a number of countries that make fun of us because of it, too. Shucks, Brits laugh that their tea is stronger than our coffee. And you know what? They’re right!

You may already know that I love coffee. In my personal Food Pyramid, Coffee is its own food group. (So are chocolate, steak and chili.) I’m in love with the bean. I’m an addict. I’m out of descriptives, but now out of the feeling I’m trying to describe.

Ah, the Magic Bean! Roast it, grind it up, steep it water, pour the result into a big cup with some sugar and cream and I’m a Happy Boy! If a friend or business associate calls, chances are I’m going to pour a fresh cup of coffee for the chat. Most of the time, when I encourage someone to call, I say, “call me, we’ll have coffee.”

I’m not the only one. I have dozens of friends who love the Magic Bean. I’m pretty sure some of them have coffee instead of blood. Sean O’Bryan Smith, for instance. He lives on coffee. He makes me look like an amateur. He drinks it black by the gallon. When he books a tour, he makes the tour manager mark all coffee shops along the route. The man is serious, OK?

It’s hard to find a good cup of coffee, except in really fine restaurants. I’m sorry, McDonald’s doesn’t qualify. Neither does Dunkin’ Donuts. The reason most coffee tastes like warmed over dishwater is they never do it properly. And if you don’t start with the proper ingredients, and put them together in the proper proportions, you’ll never get a Manly Cup.

Here’s how to brew a Manly Cup of Coffee.

Ingredients:

for every SIX ounce cup of coffee, you will need

2 tablespoons ground coffee
Good water (see below)

Optional:

Pinch of salt for the pot
Half of an eggshell
Cinnamon

Instructions:

Pour water into the coffee pot’s water tank.

Measure coffee into basket. (Don’t forget your filter!)

Add optional ingredients of your choice.

Brew.

Drink.

Notes:

The quality of the coffee is very important. Buy the best you can afford.

There are numerous varieties of coffee, and I’m not talking about flavors here. I’m talking about beans. Try several until you find the beans you like best.

Many people prefer a lighter cup of coffee in the morning, and a more robust-tasting brew at night. No problem! There are beans to satisfy every taste! However, if you want a lighter cup, don’t just use less of a stronger-tasting bean. Instead, get a bean that is lighter by design. Using less of a darker bean will result in weak, bad tasting, ho hum coffee.

If you have a grinder, grind your beans as needed. This is the best way to brew a great cup. However, if you can’t do that, have the store grind it for you and keep it tightly sealed.

Lots of people think it helps to keep coffee in the fridge or the freezer. Actually, this messes up the oils int he coffee bean. Better to keep the beans in a bag you can squeeze most of the air out of, and put the beans in a dark place, such as your cabinet.

Now, let’s talk about water. To be honest, most municipal water just isn’t up to par. First, it’s got chlorine in it, and I don’t know of any recipe that calls for it. Second, it’s probably got minerals in there, too. Science tells us that water consists of oxygen and hydrogen atoms and nothing else. Science also tells us that we don’t get our “minerals” from rocks. And the minerals in water are just itty bitty rocks. They aren’t helping you!

I’ve cut down to 4 cups a day. I’m getting better!

I use distilled water for my coffee. It costs no more than other bottled water, and sometimes is significantly less than other types. It has nothing by water – no chemicals, no minerals. It always tastes exactly the same, no matter where I buy the water – be it California, Virginia or Texas.

A pinch of salt helps cut the acidity of the coffee. All you need is a pinch. If you can taste salt, you went WAY overboard.

To be honest, I don’t what the deal is with the egg shell. I just know that my mom, her mom, my Dad’s mom, and about a trillion ladies in the South put a half an egg shell in the morning pot, and it tastes AWESOME! Try it and see if you agree.

Cinnamon is great for you, and – to me – adds a great extra splash of flavor to my morning coffee. Obviously, it’s not necessary, though, and you’re free to make your coffee without it.

Now, go get yourself some good beans, and some good water. And get ready for the best cup of coffee you’ve ever tasted. And yes, you can…

Play with your coffee!

Lane

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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