By Valarie Hintz
Nothing goes better together than college students and caffeine. I spoke to Emma McFarland and Kara Murray to learn more about the different ways students make coffee in their FIRs, apartments and dorm rooms.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, coffee is not just coffee. There’s pour-over, French press espresso and so much more.
I got to observe McFarland’s process of how she makes her morning cup of coffee. First, she starts by grinding her coffee beans.
“I get my coffee beans from PCC. I like to try different types every time I go,” McFarland says.
She uses the pour-over method with a reusable coffee filter. It saves her money on the disposable ones and is better for the environment. She pours hot water over the grinds and lets them steep through. After her coffee has dripped its last drop, she pours it into her cup and tops it off with vanilla creamer. This method can take some time, so when she’s in more of a rush, she uses her Nespresso machine.
Kara Murray is another student with a unique routine for her coffee. It actually starts the night before. Murray uses the French press method. She starts with some coffee grounds from Thruline and let’s
them steep. Instead of pouring a hot cup right then and there, she takes it a step further.
“I like to let it sit in the fridge overnight so I can have a fresh cup of iced coffee in the morning,” she explains.
Once the coffee is nice and chilled the next morning, she presses the grinds down to separate them from the water. After that she pours some over ice and tops it off with some milk before heads off for her day.
These are just some of the ways that coffee can be made in a dorm room, apartment or FIR kitchen. The possibilities are truly endless.
