French Press vs Moka Pot: Which is Better, What Coffee Beans for French Press, and Moka Pot Features and Stories

FrontStreet Coffee focuses primarily on pour-over single-origin coffee, with over 50 different types of single-origin coffee beans from various regions. The question FrontStreet Coffee needs to consider is what kind of pour-over equipment can best present the perfect flavors of these beans. After conducting brewing experiments and comparisons, FrontStreet Coffee has chosen to use simple pour-over methods for brewing.

Of course, there are many devices capable of brewing coffee beans, not limited to the pour-over methods mentioned by FrontStreet Coffee. There are other coffee brewing devices on the market, such as moka pots, French presses, and more. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce these two coffee brewing devices to everyone.

French Press

The French Press, known in English as French Press, can also be called a French press pot in Chinese. The French press originated in France around 1850 and is a simple brewing device composed of a heat-resistant glass body and a metal filter screen with a pressure rod.

The French press and moka pot are also known as "lazy coffee devices" because they are simple and convenient to operate, while still preserving the complete flavor of a good cup of coffee. In fact, French press extraction is the brewing method closest to cupping results, bringing out the oils, aromas, flavors, and various taste components in coffee to their fullest potential. With its smooth, sweet, and rich mouthfeel, it's an excellent choice of coffee equipment.

How to Make Coffee with a French Press

Step 1: Bean Selection

Suitable for single-origin coffee beans or coffee beans with strong fruity acidity. Medium to dark roast coffee beans are recommended.

Step 2: Determine Grind Size and Coffee-to-Water Ratio

For coffee grounds, you'll need at least about 20g. The coffee grounds should be slightly coarser (because hot water directly contacts the coffee grounds, and if they're too fine, over-extraction can easily occur). You can use medium grinding, about 5-6 degrees. If the powder is too fine, coffee grounds will escape through the filter screen holes, making the coffee cloudy. You can also follow FrontStreet Coffee's grind size standard:

FrontStreet Coffee's grind size sieve pass rate standards: Cold drip > Pour-over, Siphon 80% > Moka, American drip 75-80% > Cupping 70-75% > French press 65-70%.

You can start with a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio. For a 2-cup serving, that would be 20g of coffee beans with about 200g of water. The final ratio depends on your taste preference. The resting time should be about 3-4 minutes. The longer the steeping time, the stronger the flavor and the more pronounced the acidity. Each coffee bean has different flavors and personal preferences vary, so you need to experiment individually. During resting, don't press down the filter screen—allow more time and space for coffee and water to interact.

Step 3: Start Brewing Coffee with the French Press

1. First grind the coffee beans, then pour them into the French press. At this point, ignore what many people say about grind size—don't grind too coarsely, just medium grinding is fine.

2. Boil the water, with a recommended temperature of 93°C, then pour in the appropriate amount of water. We used 20g of coffee grounds with 200g of hot water. Stir with a spoon to ensure the coffee grounds and water are fully mixed.

3. Place the lid on the French press with the filter screen at the highest position, then let it rest for 4 minutes.

4. Before pressing down the filter screen, you can open the lid and use a spoon to scoop out the foam and small fragments floating on top, then press the filter screen to the bottom.

5. Brewing is complete—immediately pour it into another insulated container! Don't delay, because the coffee grounds are still steeping inside. Then you can pour it into cups and enjoy slowly.

Important Considerations When Using a French Press

Additionally, you can prepare an electronic scale. But even French presses with markings and measuring spoons still recommend preparing an electronic scale because coffee beans change density due to many factors such as growing altitude and roasting methods. Each bean's quality and weight are different. Furthermore, if you make a very delicious cup of coffee and want to replicate this flavor, you must record this ratio. Conversely, if you make a terrible cup of coffee, you'll know how to make adjustments based on the data.

Use fresh, clean soft water. Don't extract with water that's too hard, and don't use unfiltered water. If the water itself isn't good, it's difficult to make delicious coffee. The French press is elegant and gentle, so pressing must be slow. If you aggressively stir the coffee at this crucial moment, it's equivalent to accelerating the extraction process at the last stage, when your coffee has already released all its good qualities, and what gets summoned next are bitter flavors.

If you want to upgrade to a milk coffee, the French press can do that too. Prepare a clean French press, pour in 1/3 warm milk, slowly insert the filter, and repeatedly push and pull until the milk is frothed to twice its original volume. At this point, the milk is fully frothed with a silky texture, and you're done when you add it to the coffee.

Moka Pot

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, the Moka pot is spelled "Moka pot" in English. The most common explanation is that since Mocha's first batch of coffee entered Venice in the 17th century, Mocha has been equivalent to coffee in the northern Italian region. Therefore, the Moka pot is actually called a coffee pot, meaning a brewing device that allows you to get a rich cup of coffee at home.

The Moka pot consists of three parts: the upper chamber, the coffee basket, and the lower chamber. The lower chamber is the water reservoir, the coffee basket holds finely ground coffee powder, and the upper chamber collects the extracted coffee liquid. The principle of Moka pot coffee extraction is simple—it uses the steam pressure generated in the lower chamber. When the steam pressure is strong enough to penetrate the coffee grounds, it pushes hot water into the upper chamber, brewing rich, aromatic coffee.

Moka Pot Brewing Process

Coffee brewed in a Moka pot tends to be quite strong, so FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing darker roasted coffee beans to better express that rich, full-bodied character. FrontStreet Coffee uses beans from Brazil's Queen Estate Farm.

1. Pour purified water into the Moka pot's lower chamber, with the water level about 0.5cm below the pressure relief valve.

2. Choose a coffee grind size slightly coarser than espresso grind. You can reference the size of the filter screen gaps in the coffee basket to ensure coffee particles don't fall into the lower chamber. Slowly pour coffee grounds into the basket, gently tap to distribute the grounds evenly, and use distribution techniques to level the coffee surface when it forms a small mound.

3. Place the coffee basket into the lower chamber, tighten the upper and lower parts of the Moka pot, and place it on an electric ceramic stove over high heat.

4. When the Moka pot reaches a certain temperature and makes a distinct "whooshing" sound, turn the electric ceramic stove to low heat and open the upper chamber lid.

5. When the coffee liquid in the upper chamber reaches halfway, turn off the electric ceramic stove. The residual heat and pressure of the Moka pot will "push" the remaining coffee liquid into the upper chamber.

6. When all the coffee liquid has been extracted into the upper chamber, you can pour it into a cup to enjoy. Coffee extracted by a Moka pot is very rich and can even extract Crema. You can also mix it with an appropriate amount of water or milk for even better flavor.

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