10th January 2025
There are quite a few ways to brew coffee with each having its advantages and disadvantages. Two of the most popular are French Press and Aeropress. Some people swear by French Press, others won’t look at a cup of coffee unless it was brewed via the Aeropress. If you are on the fence about the ideal way to brew coffee you may wonder which of these methods is right for you. In this post, we’re going to compare the two in several different categories in order to help you make an informed decision.
You can’t determine whether the French Press or the Aeropress is right for you until you know something about how they stack up against each other in some key categories. So let’s take a look.
Neither the French Press nor the Aeropress are particularly difficult to use. With the French Press, you simply add ground coffee, pour in hot water and let it brew for about 4 minutes. When time is up you press the plunger and your brewed coffee is ready to be poured into your cup.
Coffee brewing doesn’t get much simpler than that. Where things get a bit more labour intensive is in the cleanup, where you’ll need to deal with the leftover grounds at the bottom of the beaker and oil from the beans that tends to cling to the mesh filter.
By comparison, the Aeropress is a little more hands-on. First place the Aeropress on top of your coffee cup. Then add ground coffee along with hot or cold water, depending on your preference. Stir for a few seconds, then let it sit for about 30 seconds. After that, gently press down with the plunger delivering the coffee into your cup.
An aeropress can be used with a metal or paper filter. Use paper for a slightly cleaner-tasting cup of coffee. That said, the Aeropress can also be used to make different types of coffee from cold brew, to Americano and even a pretty convincing version of espresso. Cleanup is also a relative snap.
People love the French Press because it delivers a rich, full-bodied cup of coffee every time. True connoisseurs of the bean will wax poetic about how the French Press brings out the earthier tones of the coffee, especially when using dark roast coffee beans.
The Aeropress, by comparison, is known for producing a clean, smooth cup of coffee. Although as we mentioned you’ll want to use a paper filter to achieve that clean, smooth taste. If you use the metal filter oils and fine particles will remain in the brewed coffee creating a flavour that’s a little bolder.
So, when it comes to flavour people who prefer a clean taste gravitate toward the Aeropress with a paper filter. While those who want their coffee to bite back a bit use the French Press or, to a lesser degree, the Aeropress with a metal filter.
So, there you have it. Which one is right for you will depend on what you want from a cup of coffee taste-wise, whether you want to bring the device on the road with you and how you feel about using a plastic device.
