👀 How do you like dem beans?

#45 | Java. Mocha. Jamocha. Joe.

Did you know there are only two kinds of people in this world? Smart people and those who don’t like coffee. Yes, they exist. No, I am not one of them. I love coffee. And I’m forever grateful for whoever the first Ethiopian person was who chanced upon the plant and said, “Hey, this looks like a job for me. Why don’t I pulp and ferment the cherries, dry, mill and grind them down to a powder, and make heaven in a cup for the first time, ever?” Did they have cups 700 years ago? Okay, gourd then. I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure that first drink of coffee was the greatest thing they’d ever tasted.

As you might have guessed, today’s Just One Thing is about coffee. And I’ve had my two morning cuppa joys already. Have you? How do you brew your coffee? French press? Or do you use a syphon? Maybe a South Indian filter? Or a Hario filter? Or do you take your coffee instant? Because if you do, we will have words later. And if it is decaf that you pour into your body, please know that Dante created a special hidden circle of hell in his Inferno just for you.

What I want to tell you about today, though, is the AeroPress. I received it as a gift a couple of years ago. And it is my most cherished possession ever. I don’t even know how people brewed coffee before the AeroPress. Because it is sensationally good at making sensationally good coffee. And if you don’t know how to use one, the makers have a simple tutorial.

After brewing your first AeroPress coffee, you will want to experiment more. And for that, you have a whole bunch of fabulous recipes here. And once you’ve mastered the AeroPress, you might want to participate in the World AeroPress Championship. An actual tournament that began with 3 participants in a room in Norway way back in 2008, the championship now has participants from over 60 countries vying to make the best cup of coffee with an AeroPress every year.

And with that, I’m off to plunge my brew for a third cup. Do let me know how your adventures in brewing go.

Dddddddolly

PS: If you know a coffee enthusiast, forward this mail to them. And if you know people who aren’t coffee enthusiasts, well.