How to Brew Great Coffee with an AeroPress and French Press? What's the Difference Between AeroPress and French Press?

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Introduction

Want to drink a single-origin coffee but don't want to use the "cumbersome" drip pour-over method? Are there any convenient and quick coffee brewing tools suitable for beginners or office workers? In this case, immersion-style coffee tools show great advantages! Among them, the French press and Clever Dripper are considered "eternal classics" in the minds of many coffee enthusiasts. So what are the differences between these two coffee tools?

What is a French Press?

The French press, also known as a press pot, originated in France in 1850. It's a simple brewing device consisting of a heat-resistant glass carafe and a metal filter with a plunger.

The working principle of the French press is to extract coffee through immersion, then use the metal filter with a plunger to press down the coffee grounds, filtering to obtain coffee liquid. The operation is simple, and you can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee without too much technique.

What is a Clever Dripper?

The full name of the Clever Dripper is "Clever Coffee Dripper." Many filter cups with switch valves on the market are sold by merchants under the name "Clever Dripper," but in principle, only those sold by the Mr. Clever brand can be called "Clever Dripper."

The bottom of the Clever Dripper is divided into two layers. The outer layer provides support, while the inner layer features a push-button switch valve design. As long as it's not placed on a container, the valve remains closed, allowing coffee grounds to steep inside. After steeping is complete, simply place the filter cup on a container, which presses the middle of the base, causing the piston valve to open and allowing coffee liquid to flow into the container.

What are the Differences Between Coffee Made with Clever Dripper and French Press?

The French press mainly extracts coffee through immersion. Within a fixed capacity, add appropriate amount of hot water to evenly extract flavor compounds from the coffee grounds, then use the metal filter to separate the coffee grounds. Because the mesh size cannot block coffee oils and fine particles, the resulting coffee has rich flavor, full and smooth texture, but lacks clarity.

The Clever Dripper combines the immersion extraction of a French press with the drip extraction of pour-over coffee. After extracting flavor compounds through immersion, it filters through paper. Because the density of the paper can block coffee grounds, fine particles, and oils, the resulting coffee has rich flavor, full body, and excellent clarity.

How to Use French Press/Clever Dripper to Make Coffee?

This time, FrontStreet Coffee used Kenya Assalia coffee beans for brewing, with water temperature at 90°C, 15g of coffee grounds, and a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15. The French press used medium-coarse grind (70% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), while the Clever Dripper used medium-fine grind (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve).

French press usage: Pour 15g of coffee grounds, prepare 225g of hot water and pour generously into the pot, pull up the plunger, cover with the lid, and wait for 4 minutes. After that, slowly press down the plunger until the filter reaches halfway down the carafe, then pour the coffee liquid into a mug to complete.

French press brewing flavor: The French press presents flavors of black plum, berries, and cherry tomatoes, with intense taste, rounded but somewhat rough texture.

Clever Dripper usage: Place a paper filter, pour 15g of coffee grounds, prepare 225g of hot water and pour generously into the cup, cover with the lid, and wait for 4 minutes. After that, place the Clever Dripper on a mug and wait until the coffee liquid has finished dripping to complete.

Clever Dripper brewing flavor: Bright acidity with flavors of lemon, cherry tomatoes, and maple syrup, overall excellent clarity, with slightly lighter flavor.

So Should You Choose a Clever Dripper or French Press?

If you prefer a clean taste, it's recommended to use the Clever Dripper. Because of the paper filter, the coffee's cleanliness is enhanced, and subsequent cleaning is also easier. In contrast, the French press requires cleaning coffee grounds as well as fine particles and oils attached to the filter mesh and glass walls during cleaning.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473