Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Stormy]

This is the situation....I have a nice new packet of ground coffee sent over from my lovely mum to use in my plunger, however last night, with no warning, the glass cracked & my plunger (french press) is now obsolete.

I hunted high & low for it & I'm certain I bought the only one in town. I'll replace it eventually when I get a chance to head to the big smoke but in the meantime does anyone have any ideas or experience in rigging up a homemade version to tide me over?

I have a saucepan, a microwave, a couple of cups, a huge packet of delicious espresso ground coffee beans & a sense of adventure. Any ideas? Could I filter it through something?

Please help a desperate caffeine addict!

[knee-highs]

you can make what my grandfather called "cowboy coffee"

you just boil the grounds in water and then let it settle for about 2 minutes. then, throw in a splash of cold water and the grounds will sink to the bottom of the saucepan...

[Stormy]

Awesome, cheers! Do I have to dress like a cowboy while I make it?

[Gollywog]

Bad idea. You should not combine boiling water and coffee. The temperature should be slightly below boiling point.

[BS.Dos.]

As above. French Press brewers are available in Lotte, EMart etc. Get one from Home Plus if there's one near you as they're a lot cheaper.

[Stormy]

[knee-highs]

[Gollywog]

Yes, there are those of us who do not live in Seoul, or another megalopolis. But most people do live within an hour or two of a medium sized city, though not all.

And for the rest, there's the Internet!

Here you go:

http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=123521363&pos_shop_cd=GE&pos_class_cd=300004039&pos_class_kind=S

http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=132899709&pos_shop_cd=SH&pos_class_cd=111111111&pos_class_kind=T&keyword_order=french+press

I don't know what it is, aside from it says it is a coffee maker and it looks like Darth Vader:

http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=114478121&pos_shop_cd=GE&pos_class_cd=300004039&pos_class_kind=S

If that's not good enough for you, try this:

http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=128548098&pos_shop_cd=GE&pos_class_cd=300004039&pos_class_kind=S

Want to make a little extra dough from your sleepy students? Try this:

http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=105344135&pos_shop_cd=GE&pos_class_cd=300004039&pos_class_kind=S

[Stormy]

Love the darth vader one!

Actually I've just bought one on-line but will still need to caffeinate myself in the meantime......so a variation of cowboy coffee it is!

[Gollywog]

I'm going to stick with french press and my little gold foil drip system.

But if I were a bit more ambitious, and planning to stick around longer, I would take a closer look at this pump espresso:

http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=131218799&pos_shop_cd=SH&pos_class_cd=111111111&pos_class_kind=T&keyword_order=pump+espresso

I think I saw somewhere in the mess of text that it is from Italy. It looks like a Saeco, in a cheaper, more plastic incarnation. A mid-priced Saeco weighs about 20 pounds, this one is more 5 kg. So it probably has a plastic case, instead of a solid brass one. And the portafilter screen is apparently plastic. So instead of lasting 15 years, it might only last 5.

Oh, and instead of the spring loaded Saeco portafilters, it looks like you get a normal one, which I strongly prefer.

Add some of the Costco Kirkland whole bean coffee

http://global.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=114532498&pos_shop_cd=SH&pos_class_cd=111111111&pos_class_kind=T&keyword_order=kirkland+coffee

And one of those cute wooden hand coffee grinders, and you are in business.

Sure would be nice to have an espresso maker to make some iced coffee in this heat. But you can still come close with a french press if you keep it very strong.

[maeil]

I've made coffee with paper towels before.. Put a semi-thick layer of paper towels over your mug or carafe or whatever, grinds on top, and slowly pour the hot water through.

The paper towels act as the filter, obviously, so this could probably just as easily be accomplished with a paper coffee filter in a mug. Let it steep then pull the filter out.

[Gollywog]

maeil claimed:

[EricaSmile84]

Go to your grocery store and get a tony strainer. There has to be something that will seperate the grounds to tide you over. Any coffee shops by your place? I'm sure you can find some equipment there.

[maeil]

[Gollywog]

Well, I tried it many, many moons ago, also out of desperation.

It tasted like a wet paper towel.

Never tried it again. But if I did, I would run some hot water through the towel first. This is recommended for coffee filters, too.

Maybe you had a better brand of towel.