What's the Difference in Taste Between a Smart Cup and French Press? Which is Better: French Press or Smart Cup?

When it comes to immersion extraction, FrontStreet Coffee immediately thinks of French press and Clever Dripper. But will the flavors extracted by these two methods be similar? Or do they offer distinct styles? FrontStreet Coffee will conduct a comparative experiment to explore this~

What is a French Press?

The French press is one of the simplest and most cost-effective coffee brewing methods. It's a simple brewing device consisting of a heat-resistant glass carafe and a metal filter with a plunger. Its working principle involves steeping coffee grounds, then using the metal filter with a plunger to press the grounds down, resulting in a full-bodied coffee. Even coffee beginners can quickly get started and make a decent cup of coffee.

What is a Clever Dripper?

The Clever Dripper gets its "clever" name from its "piston valve" design at the bottom. After water is poured into the dripper, water pressure automatically closes the valve to retain water, allowing coffee grounds to fully steep. Once steeping is complete, placing the dripper on a coffee pot/cup triggers the valve to open, allowing coffee to flow slowly into the cup.

What are the Differences Between Clever Dripper and French Press?

1. Material: [French Press] Glass material; [Clever Dripper] PCT material.

2. Shape: [French Press] Cylindrical; [Clever Dripper] Trapezoidal.

3. Pouring method: [French Press] Coffee grounds are pressed down with the plunger, and coffee liquid is poured from the top spout; [Clever Dripper] When placed on a server, the piston opens, and coffee flows from the bottom.

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

First, choosing freshly roasted coffee beans is essential for better aroma and flavor. Currently, all coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are shipped within 5 days of roasting, with the optimal tasting period being 5-35 days after the roasting date printed on the back label.

Both brewing methods use the same water temperature, coffee grind size, and coffee-to-water ratio. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's [Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry] as an example, we recommend using a medium-fine grind (granulated sugar size/80% pass-through rate with China's #20 standard sieve), water temperature of 90-91°C, and a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio (i.e., 1g of coffee grounds to 15g of water). For this demonstration, FrontStreet Coffee will use 15g of coffee grounds.

Clever Dripper Brewing Steps:

Fold the filter paper and place it inside the Clever Dripper. Place the dripper on a container, and use hot water to wet the filter paper while preheating the device. Then move the Clever Dripper to the electronic scale (the valve will automatically close), and pour the ground coffee into the center of the dripper.

First pour 30g of hot water, start the timer, and bloom for 30 seconds. After blooming, pour hot water to reach 225g, then steep for 1'50". After steeping is complete, move the Clever Dripper onto the container and open the valve to filter the coffee liquid from the dripper. The entire process takes approximately 15 seconds, with a total extraction time of 2'05".

French Press Steeping Steps:

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

Through experimental comparison, FrontStreet Coffee found that the biggest difference between [French Press] and [Clever Dripper] is their mouthfeel. [French Press] extraction appears somewhat cloudy, and many friends might think the coffee is contaminated. NO! NO! NO! That's coffee oils, which enhance the fullness of its mouthfeel. Therefore, coffee extracted with [French Press] is often smoother. Meanwhile, the liquid extracted by [Clever Dripper] appears cleaner and clearer, with clean and distinct flavors and well-defined layers.

So why does [French Press] have oils while [Clever Dripper] doesn't? It's because their pouring methods are different. First, [French Press] uses a metal filter with filter paper, pressing the coffee grounds from top to bottom, which slightly increases its extraction rate.

Then, coffee liquid is poured from the top spout; the oils originally floating on the coffee surface also flow into the server with the water flow. The stainless steel filter with filter paper on the plunger doesn't filter very tightly, so some coffee grounds will also flow out with the water. Coffee oils add richness and smoothness to the mouthfeel, making the flavor softer and more balanced.

Meanwhile, [Clever Dripper] uses a drip-style water flow method, where coffee oils are filtered out by layers of coffee grounds and filter paper, resulting in clearer liquid appearance, lighter and cleaner mouthfeel, and more distinct flavor layers.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473