The difference between a French press and Pour over(V60) coffee, to put it simply and crudely, is the difference between soaking and filtering. French press is an immersion extraction, while hand brewing is a drip extraction. Let’s compare the two coffee brewing methods below.
The difference in taste between French press coffee and Pour over(V60) coffee
Hand-brewed coffee is one of the most common production methods in specialty coffee shops today. Each coffee bean can produce a different flavor profile under the brewing parameters controlled by the barista. Therefore, there are more tricks for hand punching and the playability is higher. Since hand brewing uses the water flow injected from the hand brewing pot as the "extraction tool", it stirs the coffee powder and releases the internal flavor substances. The efficiency of various substances coming out at each stage is different, which also creates a more distinct taste of Pour over(V60) coffee.
As for the fully immersion French press, the extraction principle is the same as making tea. Pour water into the ground coffee powder all at once, let the water penetrate into the coffee powder, wait for the flavor substances to be released, and finally filter the coffee powder from the coffee liquid to get a cup of black coffee. The biggest advantage of the immersion type coffee utensil is that it does not require a high level of brewing skills or any special accessories. It is easier to master than the water-filled type, so it is also called the "lazy coffee utensil". Because the whole process is soaking, the taste of French press coffee is more mellow and the flavor is relatively balanced.
What equipment is needed for hand brewing?
To make Pour over(V60) coffee at home, we need to equip the following equipment: Pour over(V60) pot, filter cup, sharing pot, grinder, filter paper, electronic scale, and thermometer.
The grinder plays a very important role in hand brewing and is usually divided into two categories: hand grinder and electric grinder. No matter which grinding equipment you choose, the goal is to obtain uniformly ground coffee powder. The thickness of the coffee powder will directly affect the taste of the coffee. If the coffee powder is too thick, it will be easily under-extracted and the taste will be bland. If the coffee powder is too fine, it will be easily over-extracted and the taste will be bitter. A tool will be used to adjust the grinding degree in Front Street - China No. 20 0.85mm standard sieve. For example, Front Street's Yirgacheffe is medium-light roasted high-altitude coffee beans with high hardness. Front Street hopes to extract more rich aromatic substances, so it chooses a No. 20 standard sieve with a pass rate of 80%, and the corresponding store uses an EK43s grinder with a scale of 10.
The thermometer is used to measure the temperature of hot water. Water temperature and grinding degree play a similar role. The higher the water temperature, the higher the coffee extraction efficiency, the easier it is to release various substances and the higher the concentration. If you use hot water close to boiling for brewing, it is easy to extract unpleasant bitter substances. Therefore, when brewing medium-dark roasted coffee beans, Front Street will use different brewing parameters from light-roasted coffee beans. Therefore, Front Street recommends using 87-90℃ for medium-dark roasted coffee beans, while light-roasted coffee requires a higher water temperature to stimulate the aroma, so 91-93℃ is used.
There are many styles of coffee filter cups on the market. Different styles of filter cups can provide different brewing effects during the hand brewing process. They need to be equipped with corresponding filter paper to isolate coffee grounds. FrontStreet Coffee stores will choose two filter cups, Hario V60 and KONO, for their daily products. The V60 filter cup is mainly responsible for producing coffee beans with a lighter roasting degree, while the KONO filter cup is responsible for producing coffee beans with a darker roasting degree.
The hand brewing kettle is used to steadily inject hot water into the coffee powder. The fine-mouth kettle can pour out a stable flow of water, washing the powder layer more evenly and releasing flavor substances. Electronic scales allow us to grasp the total water injection volume and extraction time, so that we can brew according to the original brewing plan. Front Street recommends purchasing a quick-display electronic scale with a timing function, or directly searching for a Pour over(V60) coffee electronic scale to purchase.
The fascinating thing about Pour over(V60) coffee is that you can adjust various subtle parameters and adjust the extraction variables at different stages to get the coffee with the flavor and taste you like. Front Street believes that the above-mentioned parameters are very important for Pour over(V60) coffee. Only by controlling them well can the extraction be more stable and the flavor be better.
How does the French Press work?
The structure of the French press consists of a cylindrical container and a lid. There is a metal filter in the middle of the lid that can be pulled up and down to separate coffee grounds and coffee liquid to control extraction. The principle of the French press is the same as making tea. After soaking the coffee powder in hot water for a certain period of time, insert the piston downward to filter the coffee liquid.
Unlike Pour over(V60) coffee, which is as complicated as Pour over(V60) coffee, the "one-pitch" water filling method of the French press is simpler, which also means that there are only four factors that affect coffee: powder-to-water ratio, grinding degree, water temperature, and soaking time. Similar to cupping, the extraction is more stable and the flavor of the coffee better reflects the original taste.
Since the French press fills the water directly at once, the extraction temperature will slowly drop over time, so the water temperature needs to be slightly higher than that of hand brewing. If you brew medium-light roasted sour coffee, you can use 92 to 94°C. For medium-dark roasted bitter coffee, it is recommended to use 89 to 90°C. In autumn and winter, the room temperature is lower. We can preheat the French press with boiling water to reduce the heat dissipation during extraction.
Time is a parameter that can be freely adjusted in the French Press. Without the artificial stirring factor, soaking time is one of the keys to the extraction rate. Under the same conditions, generally speaking, the longer the extraction time, the richer the taste will be. However, it is also easier to over-extract, resulting in bitterness, astringency, and woody taste. With coarse grinding, Front Street recommends soaking medium-light roasted coffee for about 4 minutes. Medium-dark roasted coffee is easier to extract bitterness, so steep it for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. This time can fully release the positive flavor substances and avoid the bitter feeling caused by soaking for too long.
If you ask Front Street whether Pour over(V60) coffee or French press coffee is better, Front Street believes that there is no standard answer, and the one that suits you is the best. If you want to taste the richer and more diverse layers of coffee, choose Pour over(V60) coffee; if you want a cup of black coffee with a mellow aroma that is easy to operate, choose a French press.
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You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
