To brew coffee with a French press, you’ll need a glass cylinder, a fine mesh filter and fresh-ground coffee beans. The mesh filter serves to separate the hot water from the grounds. Here’s how to make an excellent cup of coffee this way:

1. Take the empty cylinder, sans filter and the cup you’ll be ultimately drinking out of and run them under warm tap water to heat them up.

2. Measure two tablespoons of ground coffee for each cup of water. For best results, use the best dark roasted beans you can find. The coffee needs to have been ground coarsely for this to work, since fine grounds will seep through the filter and might even clog it. 

3. Make sure the water you warmed the French press with has been fully dumped out and then pour the coffee grounds into it. 

4. Using the measurement guide above, boil the correct amount of water and add it to the French press on top of the coffee grounds, being sure all for at least an inch of space at the top. 

5. Now, take the filter/plunger and put it on top of the cylinder, sot that it forms a seal, but do NOT push the plunger down yet. Let the coffee steep for a few minutes first.

6. Once the coffee is ready, slowly press the plunger down with a nice even pressure. This prevents hot coffee from splashing out and also keeps the grounds under the filter, where they belong.

That’s all there is to it. The only thing left to do is enjoy your fresh-brewed cup of coffee! Add cream or sugar if you like, or savor it black if you prefer. Bon Apetit!

Improper wine storage can contribute to a wine tasting “off” or going bad. Could you really have destroyed your own favorite bottle of wine? Yes you could. Insert tail between legs here. Wine’s many delicate components are easily affected by simple changes in its care. Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding where and how to store your wine, regardless of whether you found it in a far away land or in your local liquor store:

Temperature: In general, you can store wine safely from 40-65 degrees Fahrenheit. The basic rule of thumb is to store your red wines on the cooler end of that spectrum if you are planning on saving them for two or more years. Keep them on the warmer end of that spectrum if you’re going to consume them in less than two years. On the other hand, white wines tend to do better in cooler temperatures, no matter how soon you want to drink them. Whatever temperature within this range that you decide on, it’s important to maintain it. Wine is very sensitive to fluctuations in temperature.

Ventilation: To prevent mold on the label and cork, which can then damage the wine, and your reputation, be sure the place you choose for storage is well-ventilated.
Orientation: Wine bottles are generally best stored on their sides. This is because it keeps the cork moist. If the cork gets dry, then oxygen can seep into the bottle and spoil the wine. As long as the cork stays wet, it maintains the seal and prevents oxidation. If you’re not able to store your wine on it’s side, then you might consider gently tipping the bottles upside down every now and then to ensure that the cork stays moist (although not too often – see below).

Vibration: Wine is very sensitive to vibration. Moving it too much and subjecting it to vibration can be detrimental to its slow process of biochemical evolution. As much as possible, keep it in one place and away from blenders, food processors and vibrating massage tools.

That wasn’t too bad, was it? Now you can confidently purchase a perfect bottle of wine from that dazzling vineyard in Margaret River and know that you will be able to care for it properly until the moment you decide to pop the cork.

Growing up, many of us were too familiar with the smell of coffee in the morning and a steaming mug of it forever dangling from a grown-up’s hand. We didn’t know why coffee was so popular, but couldn’t wait till the day when we too would get to hold our own glorious mugs of the stuff. It might not taste good to us now, but soon we would be hooked.

Fast forward a few years and imagine a world without coffee. Would you even be able to get out of bed? Most coffee pots are even able to have hot coffee ready and waiting by the time your morning alarm sounds.  Even the thought of a world without coffee shops is absurd. Where else would people practice sober social interactions and schmooze among cohorts?

As an adult, it is easy to see why coffee is so popular.  Relentlessly charging the bodies of the caffeine dependent while remaining increasingly trendy, it serves as a common thread tying over 50% of Americans together on a daily basis.  The practice of drinking coffee has become forever ingrained into the culture of our society, and will undoubtedly fuel countless generations to come.