Café français

Coffee has its origins outside of France, and is an international beverage on its own, but the French have created a very distinct culture around it that has seeped into other cultures hearts throughout the centuries. Traditionally, the French serve a much stronger coffee or an espresso, so their servings are a bit smaller. They also developed the French coffee press, which is a handy tool for brewing very fresh coffee in a short amount of time. The press was invented in France around 1850 by a nameless french man, who supposedly improvised a system once he messed up the traditional way. Back then, the most common way to brew coffee was to boil in in a pot with water, then filter it out when it was poured into a cup. The inventor probably forgot to add the coffee to the water, but not wanting to waste resources, simply poured the hot water over the coffee beans in his cup. As the ground beans floated to the top, a screen would have been added to push them down so the beverage was drinkable. This is the most likely origin, but the first person to patent it was a Milanese man named Attilio Calimani, who did so in 1930. There are variations to French coffee, many that are seen throughout the States, such as café au lait, une noissette, and café léger. The French love of coffee, and really of drinking anything socially, has also sprouted the famous French Café, where people meet to drink not only coffee, but also wines and other alcohols.