eHow is what is known as a content farm. They take a simple question, farm it out to someone to put together a crummy article or video on it. I witnessed this tonight with a video about making french press coffee. The video was done by Kahwa coffee. As I understand it these guys n gals are big time in St. Petersburg, FL, and know their stuff, I don’t question them or their skill. But, this video leaves a log to be desired.

Making coffee can be simple, but if you are trying to explain it to a mass audience then a little more explanation is required. Stick to the principles, he barely touches on grind, why do we want to use a medium-coarse grind? He discusses measurements and uses volume as opposed to weight, or worse, gives the weight but shows himself using volume (he stated ounces which can be volume or weight, two radically different things, especially considering we are talking about coarsely ground coffee). He goes on to state that you can use boiling or really hot water. Everyone I have ever heard states that the water should be at that 190 to 205 degree range (which is what he likely uses in the video).

Again, their reputation is good. They know their stuff, but this video does not give them a chance to show it off. I would not mind seeing more  in-depth stuff from them that shows of their coffee or skills.

ehow use french press coffee maker

Ok, now for a much better video that gives perhaps more background or is maybe more precise. Our beloved geeks from CoffeeGeek.com (wonderful site by the way) put together this video on how to use a french press. The only thing on there that I saw that left me curious was scooping off the bloom. I mean, why? But again, they measure things out,they are fairly precise. This is important very important. Consistency counts! If you want a great cup of coffee every time you need consistency. Weight measurements are more precise and consistent than volume. Food scales are not expensive. I got one for ten dollars from the wallyworld near by (walmart) that works just fine. Well here is there video Coffee Geek French Press and it is good. Give it a watch.

Now if you want to do a manual brew? Go Clever! The Clever Dripper produces a great cup of coffee. I wrote an article on this blog that details (in detail) how to Clever Drip. Both Jason Dominy from Batdorf and Bronson and Tom of Sweet Marias (the main retailer for the Clever Dripper in the US I think) have produced videos on the subject. They are both high quality videos that explain things very well. Here is a link to Jason’s ad here is a link to Tom’s.

Well that is enough for a late Saturday night. I am still working on an article for the AMAZING Holiday Blend coffee I got from Batdorf & Bronson