Created for Coffee Lovers.

Pour Over Vs French Press: Which is the Best Brewing Method?

Dave Carter

Published: November 11, 2021

Last updated: January 3, 2024

We often hear the question, what is the best way to make a cup of joe? French Press or pour-over? The coffee connoisseur might think this is a simple question, but there are many factors to consider. The first thing you need to decide is what type of coffee you want: drip or espresso? If you want an Americano or latte, then the French Press will suit your needs best. If you would like a cup of black coffee with some creamer and sugar in it, then pour over will be the better choice for your needs. 

Pour overs are typically thought of as being more aesthetically pleasing than French Press. The two methods differ in that, in French Press, you wait for your water to heat up and come through the filter while in pour over, you place hot water on top of ground beans and let it slowly drip through the grounds into your mug below. 

Pour over vs French press; both of these methods have their perks, taste, and strengths. Therefore, if you are in the market searching for new ways to make your coffee - take this article as your guide! We will go over what the differences are between French Press and Pour Over coffees. If you need help deciding which one is better for you, scroll down to the Pros and Cons section of this article!

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Pour Over VS French Press Coffee

Pour Over vs French Press Coffee Know the Difference

Coffee lovers often ask about the difference between french presses and pour overs. One of the most significant differences is in how you brew them! Pour overs are brewed slowly and carefully throughout the process; meanwhile, French press coffee is steeped for a short time before pressing down on a plunger to separate the grounds from the final product. 

If you have ever used a french press, you know that it can take some effort to get that plunger down, but it's not so bad if you are using good beans! The benefits of the French press can be experienced even when using pre-ground coffee; however, only coarsely ground coffee should be used with this method of brewing. Again this depends entirely on personal preference; if you prefer more flavorful coffee and can't stand the "bite" of an espresso shot, then the french press is probably a better choice for you. 

The aroma from French pressed coffee tends to be stronger than pour over, so it has been known to perk people up quicker when their alarm goes off in the morning! It also makes for a great pairing with dessert or after a meal since its flavor is pleasant. Many restaurants use this brewing method because customers like the extra bit of flavor that comes with making fresh coffee right at your table! When using a french press or pour over or other types of ground coffee, you may want to consider getting an electric grinder for your kitchen to speed things up. 

Will grind your beans to a consistent size which will affect the strength and flavor of your final product. Either method can give you a delicious cup of coffee, but there are some pros and cons to each. Let's dive in and figure out between French Press Vs Pour over, which is the best method for you personally!

French press

Advantages of the French Press Coffee

First, what is the French press? It is typically a glass or porcelain carafe with a lid and plunger. Halfway up the sides are grooves that hold the filter screen in place. The method behind this type of coffee is to allow hot water to act on the ground beans for several minutes before pushing it through with low pressure. This allows for maximum flavour extraction during one cycle, which also makes it much stronger when you drink it. If you do not want strong coffee, because French Press coffee can often end up being too bitter, you can add more grounds until your desired taste is achieved.

Advantages of the French Press:​

  • French Press coffee is rich and full-bodied.
  • The brewing process removes the bitter taste in coffee that many coffee lovers dislike.
  • It is a more environmentally friendly option than other brewing methods, like using an electric drip maker or a Keurig system.
  • With French press coffee, you control how much sugar and cream to add to your drink.
  • You can make as many cups of coffee at one time as you want with this method.
  • The plunger creates more pressure than traditional drip machines, which means the grounds are extracted more thoroughly.
  • It is cheaper than other types of brewers because there is no electricity needed for operation.
  • You can make tea in a French Press as well!

Disadvantages of French Press

  • French press can be difficult to clean, as the grounds often get stuck in the mesh.
  • Coffee made with a French Press is not as hot or fresh because it doesn't have water running through it constantly as an automatic drip machine does.
  • A French Press requires more effort than an automatic drip machine because you must use your hands to push down on the plunger in an accurate motion after steeping and before serving.
  • A glass carafe can break easily if dropped from any height onto a hard surface like tile flooring or concrete; this isn't true of most other coffee makers, such as those with plastic carafes or stainless steel pots.

Pour Over Coffee

How to Make the Best Pour Over Coffee

The method behind pour over is similar to French Press in that the grounds are steeped with hot water. However, instead of pushing it through, you use a device in which hot water passes from above the ground beans, allowing for a slow and steady drip of coffee into your cup. This allows for a more developed flavor profile and less bitter taste than a French Press. 

It also makes pouring coffee easier because you don't have to press anything on top of your grounds - think about how much work that plunger can take. Pour overs also typically look better aesthetically than a French Press does when serving guests. It takes longer to make but gives off better results, in my opinion.

Advantages of Pour over Coffee

  • Pouring over coffee is a more economical way to enjoy your morning cup of joe. You can pourover coffee at home with just a few simple items.
  • Pour over coffee gives you the option to control the strength and flavor of your drink, from light to dark roast.
  • There are many different varieties of pour over coffee brewers you can purchase.
  • The best part about making pour over coffee at home is that it is so much fresher than what you find in most cafes and restaurants.
  • There is no need to spend time waiting in line or paying high prices just to get your caffeine fix!
  • You can pour-over coffee in any mug or cup.
  • Pour-over coffees are made with high-quality beans that are ground fresh for each pot.
  • The brewing process has a low environmental impact because it doesn't require electricity or paper filters.
  • When you use a pour over brewer, there is no need to worry about burning yourself on a hot carafe lid like traditional drip brewers.
  • The taste is richer and more flavorful.
  • You can control how much water to put in your coffee grounds so that you get just the right amount of flavor without bitterness or sourness.

Disadvantages of Pour Over

  • The pour-over process takes longer than a normal coffee maker brews.
  • Pour Over coffee doesn't have as much caffeine because the water is poured slowly over the beans rather than coming from a reservoir.
  • You can't make more than one cup of pourover at a time because you need to measure out your beans and water for each cup separately.
  • Pour Over has fewer flavor options, such as dark roast or hazelnut, compared to other brewing methods like drip or French press, which offer many different flavors in addition to black and medium roast varieties.
  • There are only two types of filters available for use with pour-overs; paper filter or metal mesh filter, which may not be compatible with all types of coffeemakers.
  • There are no options for customization when making pour-over coffee - you can't add sugar or milk on the spot before drinking it.

Does French Press Coffee taste Better?

Does French Press Coffee taste Better Facts

In our opinion, French press coffee tastes better. We think that the higher extraction levels when brewed in a conventional pot leave behind an unpleasant "bite." The flavor from french pressed coffee is also more balanced and has a full body than other brewing methods such as chemex. When you compare a French press vs Chemex, the latter is made by pouring cold water over coarsely ground coffee that's been streamed into paper filters atop your cup with room for around 10 ounces of liquid at maximum volume before it spills down onto its accompanying saucer below. 

There are many reasons people might want to drink their java differently - so we are not trying to tell you what is best for everyone! Even though we prefer pour-overs, there are many reasons to consider the pour over or chemex or french press. If you live in a dorm that doesn't allow for hot water and your machine doesn't work with loose grounds, then the french press’s brewing method will be your only option. 

This also means you can take it on the go! It is ideal for camping or travelling because if you have hot water and some ground coffee, you are halfway done making a delicious cup of joe wherever you find yourself. The French press is also affordable and portable, so it is easy to bring along wherever you go. Therefore, if you have been asking, does french press coffee taste better? There you have the answer!

What is the Difference between French Press Vs Drip

French press and drip coffee are the two most common types of brewing methods used to prepare a cup of coffee. But there is no real difference between these two types since both produce almost the same flavor. Although these two brewing methods can produce a similar tasting cup of brews, in the end, we suggest you try them both at home or purchase a small hand grinder for coarsely grounded beans if possible because the difference in taste is huge. 

With fine grinds, dark roast coffees are less bitter and acidic. Therefore, it results in a delicious smooth cup full of flavor. Also, Drip coffee makers are available in a wide variety, and you can easily get one for your kitchen at economical prices ranging between $10-$500 depending upon size, features, etc. 

But a French press will cost you around $20-300 based on its make & material used. Some of them can even reach up to thousands of dollars too! So if the price is an issue, then drip coffee can be your first choice. So, we will compare French press Vs Drip Coffee and explain similarities and differences between them in detail:

Brew quality

French Press Tips and Benefits

In terms of quality, nothing much differentiates between these two brewing methods. Both the methods produce almost the same kind of brew and flavors. However, drip coffee is slightly more consistent in flavor if you compare it with French press as it gives you stronger brewed coffee initially, and then within a few minutes, its strength gets reduced to the optimum level. In the French press, flavors start reducing at once when hot water comes into contact with ground beans and continues till the end of the brewing process, giving you a cup full of evenly strong flavored coffee.

Consistency

Drip coffee offers you a consistent cup of flavored coffee from the start till the end. Though it takes a few minutes for this process to complete, that gives you an evenly strong flavor in every sip. In the case of a French press, flavors start reducing at once when hot water comes into contact with ground beans and continues till the end of the brewing process, which will give you a cup full of an evenly strong flavored coffee.

Durability

In the case of durability, drip coffee can be considered a winner here. Drip coffee makers are made with quality material which makes them more durable than the French press. In the case of French presses, plastic is used to make them, and they have many other parts also, which means that they need regular cleaning and maintenance to keep them working properly. But the problem lies in its design – since it is made from glass, people usually don't think before throwing away their old French press after a long time of use which reduces the collection rate.

Difficulty

We would consider both methods as easy to use once you get used to them. The only issue in using these two brewing methods is cleaning afterward, but if you have a good sense of cleanliness, this shouldn't be a problem.

Method

Drip Coffee Complete Guide

There are huge similarities between these two brewing methods in terms of method. Both these methods use hot water to extract coffee flavor from ground beans. Still, there is no difference in the quality and taste of brew produced by both methods, as we mentioned earlier. Hence, people usually prefer one instead of the other depending upon personal choice or habit.

Time taken for brewing

In the case of a drip coffeemaker, you need to keep it on your kitchen countertop until the entire process completes, which may take a few minutes, depending upon your machine. There may be some variation in time-based on the number of cups you want to make. But for the French press, the process is a little bit different. 

You need to keep it on your kitchen countertop and pour hot water into it, which will take a few minutes depending on how many cups you are making. Its advantage is that once the process completes, you can directly go for drinking by pressing a filter, or you can leave the coffee in the brewer with grounds until a later time and still get the same flavor.

Cost

In cost, drip coffee is far cheaper than the French press as the dripping technique can be accomplished with inexpensive drip coffee makers without any additional requirements. They have all features needed by the user for brewing a cup of tasty flavored coffee at their ease. However, in the French Vs French press, it is difficult to put the cost as the major factor here because they are both expensive if we compare them with other brewing methods.

Correct Temperature

In the case of temperature, the French press technique is more appropriate than drip coffee. In short, the water which comes into contact with ground beans directly through the brewer will give you a cup full of flavorful coffee at the end.

Time taken for cleanup

In cleaning, the drip coffee maker wins again over French Press due to its basic design, which makes the cleaning process easier and quicker once the process completes. However, many other factors can affect the speed of the cleaning process in both cases. The French press uses a filter made from stainless steel mesh, so it is hard to remove coffee grounds and some sediments and coffee oils. And the more you use a press pot, the harder it will be to clean it due to the sticking up of particles at the bottom of the mesh filter since water heating makes them stick more onto the filter.

Therefore, based on our review and comparison, we would say that these brewing methods are different in quality and taste but similar in many other aspects. They are similar in terms of brewing method, cost, ease of use etc. So it completely depends upon your personal choice or habit; which one should you prefer – French press or Drip Coffee!

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Conclusion​

So between Pour Over Vs French Press, which one is better? Well, it depends on your taste and preferences! If you like a strong cup of joe that gets hot all at once, go with French Press. However, if you like to savour each sip for a long time without burning yourself in the process, then pour-over might be more up your alley. No matter which type of coffee maker you choose, we are glad this guide helped clear up any confusion between these two methods!

Dave Carter

As a coffee enthusiastic Dave share with you his latest and greatest coffee news and insights. He es always interested in trying out new things about the best bean of the world!

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