Michael Breach
Coffee Expert and Latte Artist
Michael Breach is a Coffee Expert and Latte Artist based in New York, New York. He is the founder of BaristArt, a mobile latte art entertainment business. Since 2012, Michael has been wowing audiences with his incredibly detailed live latte art. He has created over 20,000+ pieces of latte art and has been featured on Good Morning America, Rachael Ray, and the TODAY Show. BaristArt provides services for a variety of events, including press and influencer events, corporate summits, and large-scale conferences. Michael has had his work commissioned by some of the world's most notable A-list celebrities. BaristArt also creates sponsored content for brands and has created posts and videos for companies such as Amazon, Apple, Spotify, and Disney. BaristArt’s classes and workshops allow anyone to learn to try latte art for themselves. Michael has created a dynamic career out of his passion for coffee and creating art within it.
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Forum Comments (2)
So what's the right way to make French press coffee?
Using a French press is one of my favorite ways to make coffee. To use a French press, there's a conventional measurement ratio that you can use (I think it's two or three tablespoons for each cup of water), but I just kind of do it by eye. What's important with a French press is to make sure that your coffee is a coarse grind. You don't want fine-ground coffee.
I like to put my coffee in the press first, and then I pour about half of the water in there, and I make sure to do it so all of the ground coffee gets wet. I'll then let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes so it blooms. In other words, the coffee will expand and just kind of grow a little bit. Then, I'll break that crust with a spoon and stir it up. Next, I'll add the rest of the water. Finally, I'll place that lid on top so that it sits right on top of those coffee grinds, and I'll let it sit and steep. My biggest piece of advice for making delicious coffee with a French press is to not be hasty. Let it steep long enough. For me, this process is not like a Chemex or something where there's a scientific measurement of this or that. I do a lot of it just by taste, and I like my coffee strong, so I'll let it steep for a while. I'll use more coffee than it calls for sometimes. It's science, but it's more of an art, like I would say making coffee is comparable to cooking, as opposed to baking. It's really about your preferences and how strong you want it.
I like to put my coffee in the press first, and then I pour about half of the water in there, and I make sure to do it so all of the ground coffee gets wet. I'll then let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes so it blooms. In other words, the coffee will expand and just kind of grow a little bit. Then, I'll break that crust with a spoon and stir it up. Next, I'll add the rest of the water. Finally, I'll place that lid on top so that it sits right on top of those coffee grinds, and I'll let it sit and steep. My biggest piece of advice for making delicious coffee with a French press is to not be hasty. Let it steep long enough. For me, this process is not like a Chemex or something where there's a scientific measurement of this or that. I do a lot of it just by taste, and I like my coffee strong, so I'll let it steep for a while. I'll use more coffee than it calls for sometimes. It's science, but it's more of an art, like I would say making coffee is comparable to cooking, as opposed to baking. It's really about your preferences and how strong you want it.
How to make the perfect cold brew at home
There are different ways you can make cold brew at home. I've done it using a French press; I'll just let a coarse grind sit in the fridge in the French press until it's brewed, so that's one way you can do it. People will also use something called a toddy bag, which is like a kind of cheesecloth that you put your coffee in. In the past, when I worked at coffee shops, I'd use a big 20-gallon container with a lid to make a concentrated cold brew. You'd put a bag of coffee around the edge of it, fill the container with water, and you'd let it sit overnight. Then, you'd pull the bag out and then wring it out, but that was in a large-scale coffee shop situation!
