How To Make Alton Brown's Signature 'Man Coffee'

Alton Brown's Food Network show, "Good Eats," taught viewers about food history, science, and trends. All this knowledge was delivered in an entertaining and approachable package, complete with recipes to try at home. Back in 2004, "Good Eats" aired its first "Man Food" episode, designed to encourage hesitant men to venture into the kitchen and create their own game day menu. Several years later, in season 13, Brown followed this up with "Another Man Food Show," this time all about helping men learn some basic breakfast techniques so they can make their wives breakfast in bed. Hence, the reason this signature coffee recipe is called "Man Coffee."

Brown's so-called Man Coffee is, in reality, a fairly standard way to brew coffee using a French press. What really makes it stand out is his addition of salt to the grounds — just a pinch — to smooth out any potential bitterness. The recipe uses 24 ounces of boiling water to ½ cup of freshly ground coffee. This may sound like a lot, but it follows the principle of 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water. There's some debate among coffee pros as to whether or not your water should be boiling when added to your coffee grounds, but, given the episode's premise is to make cooking accessible, sticking with boiling water is a safe choice for people who may not have a programmable electric kettle or thermometer.

I was curious how, exactly, Man Coffee differs from the French press I'm used to drinking daily. As a former barista, I always try to buy fresh coffee and never pre-grind it. However — full disclosure — I'm not a stickler about measurements. I definitely use the "eyeball technique" when determining how much coffee to use. The ½ cup of grounds specified in Alton Brown's recipe seemed to be about the same amount I typically use. However, I usually fill the carafe up to the top; 24 ounces of water only reached ¾ of the way up. Thus, this created a stronger cup of coffee than I'm used to. But, again, the recipe is within the usual standards for French press coffee.

Another rule of thumb for French press is to steep the coffee about four minutes. As Brown explains in the episode, steep it much longer and the coffee becomes overextracted; steep it less than four minutes, and it's underextracted. In other words, as he says, "bad eats." After four minutes, push the plunger down slowly, taking about 30 seconds from the time you start plunging till you reach the bottom. This helps prevent spillage and the chance that coffee grounds end up in your final brew. Overall, I enjoyed Man Coffee. Exactly how much of a difference the salt makes is hard to say, but it didn't have a negative effect. If you like strong, fresh coffee, this is a solid recipe.