Melitta Style Coffee

Coffee in the morning. What could be better? Just to clear the air of what the wonderful Melitta filter is and how it works, some instruction and explanation. My indoctrination in the joys of coffee created in this manner originated with my old boss in the Cave. Ahem, "You gotta try this. You only need one cup. One really strong cup of coffee is all you need. One cup at breakfast and one after lunch. It's brilliant."

I haven't actually moved into the "one after lunch" realm yet. That would require me to purchase another filter and take the necessary bits into work, as my old boss did. Anyway, the necessary bits... what are the necessary bits?

• melitta cone + filters
• finely ground coffee- the grind is crucial, the closer to espresso grind the better
• coffee cup
• hot water... let it cool down a bit from boiling

Now that you've gathered the necessary ingredients, it's time to start brewing. First and foremost, you want to bloom the grounds. I've heard varying statements on the amount of blooming needed (from once to three times), but essentially you just need to get the grounds ready to contribute their full coffee goodness. To bloom: pour in a small amount of water to wet the dried grounds. Theoretically, no water should drip into the cup as it is all soaked up by the beans. If successful, the ground coffee will expand (almost like bread rising) and little air bubbles will appear. Once you've gone through the blooming process, up to three times, you simply add the rest of the water and coffee then filters into your cup. Voilà! Coffee!

When all is said and done, you have a marvelous cup of really strong coffee that has a really complex taste. And as a matter of preference, I add half 'n half.