Today on Facebook, Practical Sailor posted a question about what’s the best way to enjoy coffee in the morning. Well, here is my system:

•I start with whole beans from Starbucks, with Italian Roast being my current favorite.
•Then, I store all of that in a stainless steel, 64 fl. oz. AirScape canister. It holds just shy of a full pound of coffee beans.
•When I want coffee, I hand grind those perfectly stored beans using a Kyocera Ceramic Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. While I’ve never timed how long it takes me to grind enough beans for a press of coffee, my routine is to start 7 cups of water boiling on my Forespar Mini-Galley stove (4 cups for the French Press and the rest for either oatmeal or a freeze-dried breakfast and a little left over for washing up), set everything up, then start grinding. I’m done grinding before the water has boiled.
•Then I add the grounds and just-boiled water to a 34 oz. Thermos Nissan French Press. Wait about 3 minutes, give it a couple of little taps to help settle the grinds, wait 1 more minute and press.

The Thermos Nissan Press keeps the coffee very hot for over three hours. But, if I were to improve upon it at all, I’d look for a lid that locks down. Boats rock, accidents happen and spilled coffee burns! If that’s a threat, in other words, anytime I am not docked or in a quiet anchorage, I transfer the contents over to my pre-heated, Thermos Nissan 48-Ounce Wide Mouth Stainless-Steel Bottle and clip it to a leash. Hey, Sine Metu is only a 24′ sailboat and it can get a little sporting out there some days. I may not cry over spilt milk, but freshly brewed coffee is a whole other story!

As with all things galley related, I have to thank The Boat Galley, for all the great advice on everything I use for my morning coffee. Their website and book have earned them the title of being my Galley Guru!

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