Hello French Pressed Coffee!

In the separation process, my ex got custody of the cappuccino machine.  Now, I could be depressed about this, but instead, I decided to look at it as a learning opportunity.  I had long ago heard that a French Press makes the best cup of Joe, and considering a French Press is only 20€, where as a decent cappuccino machine can run you over 100€, it seemed like a pretty good idea to me.

The day after I bought it, I tried to use my grocery store bought coffee to make the first cup.   Gross.  It was really weak with very little flavor.  So I did some research, and I found out from a friend that it is best to get freshly ground coffee that is courser than what you get from the store.  She recommended I get a variety of sample from Tchibo, a cafe-store here in Munich, known for it's coffee.

Yesterday I did just that.  I asked for 125g of nine different types of coffees, coarsely ground, completely overwhelming the woman behind the counter.  Luckily, the German woman next in line was extremely friendly and amused by my "most unusual request," and with her help, we were able to talk the counter woman through the order. 

Unfortunately, only the first sample of coffee she made came back coarsely ground.  The rest came back more finely ground, which is a problem because it clogs the filter on the French Press.  So at the moment, I'm trying the different coffees and combinations to come up with the best cup of Joe that is full-bodied, flavorful, aromatic, and ends with a nice finish.   I just hope that I don't completely clog up my filter before I figure out the right combination for me.   At which point, I'll replace my finely ground coffee with something courser.