If you want to watch a cat fight and add some drama to spice up your day, go and ask two coffee lovers to choose between a french press and Aeropress. The Aeropress VS french press is an old and fun debate among coffee lovers, and both brewing techniques have their own fans. Though both the methods have the word “press” and sometimes people confuse between them, if you ponder deep into it, you’ll know the difference.
Before deciding which brewing method is best, let’s first quickly understand both the terms for more clarity.
What is a french press coffee – The basic
A french press coffee is a coffee-brewing technique where you steep your coarse ground coffee into hot water and filter out the beverage once it’s brewed.
French press coffee is generally strong and bold in taste, and it is ideal for someone who prefers a cuppa of intense and heavy beverages.
What is an Aeropress coffee – The basic
Aeropress is one of the fastest coffee brewing techniques, and it takes less than a minute to get you a fresh and warm mug of coffee to mark your day with its freshness, taste, and aroma. Just as the french press,
Aeropress forces the water through coffee grounds, but here’s the catch. The Aeropress brewer is small in size and can brew just one mug at a time. Aeropress brewing technique uses a microfilter, so it’s light compared to a regular french press coffee.
A mug of hot Aeropress coffee can be prepared with two different techniques. Let’s learn more about them:
1. Standard method:
The standard technique is just like a regular french press coffee. To craft a mug of a standard espresso, steep coffee grounds in hot water. Give a gentle stir to your coffee grounds and water to ensure that the coffee is wet completely, and let them rest for 15-20 seconds. Once it’s done, push down the plunger and extract the coffee.
2. Inverted method:
For the inverted method, put the coffee grounds and water in the tube and push the plunger midway. Let the coffee steep as long as you want. When done, place the filter and filter cap on the top and flip the AeroPress over onto your mug. Push the plunger to release the coffee.
Pros of Aeropress coffee:
(1) Low in acidity and smooth flavor: Since AeroPress coffee uses filter paper, it filters out the residue, making your coffee smooth and light.
(2) Gives a plain, flavorful coffee: Aeropress gives a clean and more defined coffee, compared to a regular french press coffee. If you use a steel mesh to filter your Aeropress coffee, you get more flavors of its natural oils.
(3) Compact and portable: Aeropress brewers are made of polypropylene plastic, making them super portable and easy to clean.
(4) Less brewing time: If you’re looking for a quick mug to refresh you, go for the Aeropress brewing technique. Unlike the French press, Aeropress usually takes 3 minutes to brew to give you a perfect mug of coffee.
(5) Medium body and light taste: Aeropress coffee gives a good balance of body and clarity. It gives a taste of natural elements with a flavorful aroma.
Aeropress vs French press: The difference
Now that we know the basics, let’s hop into some differences to get more clarity to decide which coffee brewing technique you should choose.
Flavor:
If you like dark roast coffee, go for the french press method. Though you’ll get almost the same taste from a regular Aeropress coffee, the fine sediments that go through a steel mesh grab the limelight.
Smoothness:
If you don’t want any grit in your coffee, go for an Aeropress coffee. The filter paper prevents any coffee residue and provides you with a smoother cuppa.
Timings:
If you want a quick mug of coffee, Aeropress is your answer. A classic Aeropress coffee clocks around just a minute to brew you a fresh cup, whereas french press coffee takes around 5 minutes of your time to brew perfectly.
Caffeine content:
Both the French press and Aeropress coffee have an equal amount of caffeine content as it depends on the type of coffee you choose. Since the French press needs to steep coffee grounds directly into the water, it sometime may slightly level up the caffeine content compared to Aeropress coffee.
Brewing capability:
The Aeropress method generally makes one mug of coffee at a time, whereas the french press can brew 6-8 cups of coffee so that you can batch it for further use. If you plan to save your work, hop to french press style.
Grind:
French press do steeping method, hence require a coarse grind. An Aeropress goes for finely ground coffee and uses filter paper to ensure there are no coffee remains. The grind size plays a crucial role in the brewing technique and gives a light or bold taste to the beverage.
Movability:
Most of the french press brewers are of not-so travel-friendly glass and can make your luggage heavy. If you’re loyal to your coffee and want to take your brewer whenever you need it, choose Aeropress brewers. Aeropress brewers are light and are super easy to carry and move.
Cleaning:
There’s no special cleaning required to clean a french press or an Aeropress brewer. An Aeropress brewer gets cleaned without even using a dishwasher or soap. The french press brewer requires more effort to clean and sometimes takes more time in comparison to the Aeropress method.
The Verdict:
Now it’s time to choose the perfect brewing method for you.
Drumrolls, please. Both the French press and an Aeropress give the same taste and can also adjust their coffee-to-water ratio to give you your cuppa.
It depends on your lifestyle and your personal preferences. You can even use both the techniques as per your mood and choice of beverage.
So, grab a packet of coffee, plate some delicious cookies, and hop to your favorite spot because you deserve to enjoy your coffee to its fullest!
