French Press vs Pour-Over: Key Differences and Siphon Brewing

When it comes to coffee brewing methods, FrontStreet Coffee has introduced hundreds of varieties—some popular, some simple, some niche, and some full of ceremony—truly offering something for every preference.

From the perspective of usage steps, FrontStreet Coffee considers the French Press to be the simplest method. With the right coffee beans and grind size, it's like making tea—effortlessly producing a mellow black coffee in just a few minutes. Conversely, when FrontStreet Coffee uses a siphon pot to brew coffee, it proves much more complicated than other methods. Not only are the steps complex, but the operations before and after brewing are also quite troublesome, deterring many friends who want to try it. So, is there a significant difference in taste between coffee brewed with these two extraction methods? Without further ado, FrontStreet Coffee will immediately compare them to find out.

What is a French Press and How to Use It?

Originating from France, it consists of a cylindrical container and a lid with a metal filter that can be pulled up and down through the middle, used to separate coffee grounds from coffee liquid to control extraction.

The principle of the French Press is just like making tea—steeping coffee grounds in hot water for a certain time, then pushing the plunger down to filter and obtain the coffee liquid. Pour water all at once over the ground coffee, let it penetrate the coffee grounds, wait for the flavor compounds to be released, and finally filter the grounds from the coffee liquid to get a cup of black coffee. The biggest advantage of immersion brewers is that they don't require high-level brewing skills or any special accessories, making them easier to master than pour-over methods, hence they're called "lazy coffee brewers." Because the entire process involves immersion, French Press coffee emphasizes a fuller body and relatively balanced flavors.

Unlike pour-over coffee, the "one-time" water pouring method of the French Press is simpler, which means there are only four factors affecting the coffee: coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, water temperature, and immersion time. Similar to cupping, extraction is relatively stable, and the coffee's flavor better reflects its original taste.

Since the French Press completes the water pouring all at once, the extraction temperature will gradually decrease over time, so it needs to be slightly higher than pour-over coffee. If brewing light to medium roast coffee with acidic notes, you can use 92-94°C. For medium-dark roast coffee with bitter notes, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using 89-90°C. During autumn and winter when room temperature is lower, we can preheat the French Press with boiling water to reduce heat loss during extraction.

Time is a parameter that can be freely adjusted with the French Press. Without human stirring factors, immersion time becomes one of the key factors affecting extraction rate. Under the same conditions, generally longer extraction time results in richer taste, but it's also more likely to lead to over-extraction, causing bitterness, astringency, and woody flavors. When paired with coarse grinding, FrontStreet Coffee suggests an immersion time of about 4 minutes for light to medium roast coffee. Medium-dark roast coffee extracts bitter flavors more easily, so 3 minutes and 30 seconds is sufficient. This time allows for full release of desirable flavor compounds while avoiding the bitter impurities that come from over-steeping.

What is the Principle of Siphon Brewing?

The English name for the siphon pot is "SIPHON," so it's also called a vacuum pot. It utilizes the thermal expansion and contraction created by water vapor when water is heated to push hot water from the lower chamber to the upper chamber where it mixes with coffee grounds. When the temperature decreases, the water flows back through the vacuum tube to the lower chamber, thus producing coffee liquid.

Many friends might think that the extraction method of siphon coffee is "siphon-style," but that's not quite right~ Although the siphon pot does use siphon principles to draw hot water to the upper chamber, this isn't used for coffee extraction.

When hot water is drawn to the upper chamber, adding coffee grounds for steeping marks the true beginning of extraction. So, strictly speaking, the extraction method of siphon coffee should be "immersion-style." It extracts flavor compounds from the powder by steeping water and coffee grounds together.

Because immersion extraction uses all hot water in contact with coffee grounds, when substances in the water reach a certain concentration, the dissolution rate slows down, and it no longer extracts too many flavor compounds from the coffee—what we commonly refer to as reaching saturation. Therefore, siphon coffee tastes relatively balanced with a rounded mouthfeel and solid coffee aroma, but compared to pour-over coffee, the flavors won't be as prominent.

It's worth mentioning that compared to conventional immersion extraction, siphon immersion extraction is somewhat different. Due to the siphon principle, hot water continuously heats during the coffee extraction process, keeping enough air in the lower chamber to maintain hot water in the upper chamber. Therefore, siphon immersion extraction maintains a completely constant temperature, while conventional immersion and drip extraction are processes of continuous heat loss—water temperature gradually decreases over time. This results in siphon brewing having a higher extraction rate, and with stirring, it can complete extraction in a shorter time.

Additionally, siphon pots primarily use flannel filter cloths. Although filter paper can also be used, because it cannot fully cover the area, it cannot form a "sealed" space like pour-over coffee. Fine particles, oils, and other substances can pass through gaps into the lower chamber, joining the coffee liquid, which is why siphon coffee appears relatively cloudy. While oils and fine particles may make the coffee liquid less clear, they provide a richer mouthfeel to the coffee. This is why siphon coffee tastes more full-bodied.

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