How To: make a great cup of coffee

I’m baaaccckk!! Sort of .. today .. for now. 

First things first, I’m so happy to have you here! I’m so happy to pop in and say hello and have you here to wave back from your beautiful selves. Beyond happy to have you.

Secondly, the best way for me to start any day is with a damn good cup of coffee, and I suspect I’m not the only one .. In fact, it seems to be America’s favorite addiction. So this post is all about coffee (and love and compassion). 

Lastly: No. Coffee is not raw. And neither is coconut milk (used as creamer). But if there were ever a “raw” way to enjoy coffee, pour over is it. I love it and what it does for me, so I stand behind my coffee habits.

I initially wrote this post when the kind people at former Nee Coffee sent me one of their porcelain pour over coffee drippers and asked me to review it here on the blog. I was VERY excited, because just the weekend before I was at my girlfriend’s house and she made me a fine cup o’ joe using this same method. I had exclaimed to her, “ohmygosh I LOVE this! I want to try it, too!”

Before I had a chance to scout out a product to purchase for myself, the ultimate form of manifestation took place and I had a product sent to me, for sampling, free of charge. Talk about attracting good things into your life!

Almost 10 years later, the pour is STILL one of my all-time favorite ways to make coffee. You can find ceramic drippers in almost every hip coffee shop worth its weight in single-origin beans these days. The trend is clearly here to stay!

This ceramic dripper from Kalita is just like the one I received from Nee back in the early days of this blog. I highly recommend it!

What I found by using this coffee-dripping method is that the flavor of coffee is much richer and the coffee is much smoother than a cup that is brewed in a large batch, like a pot of coffee. There are a lot of things that go into making a good cup, that coffee aficionados look into the science, the how, and the what of a good cup of coffee.

The flavor that results from this method really is enhanced and turned my generic coffee into a really luxurious and indulgent experience. My only complaint for this product is that there is a slight learning curve.

This really is a simple concept but for me it took about 3 attempts before I felt like I could confidently make a cup for photographing. The important part of this learning curve is that you have an appropriate sized coffee filter (size 2) .. my bad.

The Pros:

• Enhanced flavor
• Sustainable
• Affordable in the long run
• Saves kitchen space
• Easy to clean

The Cons:

• A one time initial cost of around $20 (which in comparison to an actual coffee machine is pretty affordable)
• A slight learning curve, easily overcome
• A little bit more time required 

The Pros of this product far outweigh the Cons and so I recommend a pour over coffee dripper to all those that I love (that means you!). I think it could make a fabulous gift for birthdays and holidays and maybe even a wonderful housewarming gift. It’s especially useful if you’re living in a dorm or studio apartment with limited space and kitchen facilities.

There are four things that I think are incredibly important to overall well-being:

1. good nutrition
2. movement
3. love
4. sleep

Under the “Love” thang is where I place a good cup of coffee. Take care of yourself, indulge. Find your love and indulge, constantly. For me, a cup of coffee is like an unbreakable ritual that helps me find my zen every morning. And this is why I’ve chosen to return to blogging with this particular post, because I’m all about self-care!

Nee also sent a beautiful infographic on how to make a pour over all those years ago to accompany their dripper, so I’ve included it here for you:

disclosure: if you purchase anything I link to you via Amazon I make a small percentage out of it at no cost to you! So cool for me, so cool for you!