Speaking of immersion extraction, Smart Cup and French Press are often mentioned on Front Street. One can be said to represent the "new generation" and the other represents the "classic". So will the coffee flavors extracted by the two be very similar? Or are they different styles? Let’s take a closer look at Front Street today.
What is a French Press?
It is easy to tell from the name that this is a coffee brewing appliance from France, and its full name should be French press. As one of the simplest and low-cost brewing tools, the French press is mainly composed of a heat-resistant glass bottle and a metal filter with a pressure rod. Its working principle is to soak the coffee powder in hot water, and then use the metal filter with the rod to press down the coffee grounds to obtain full-tasting coffee. Even if you are just starting out, as long as you have good beans and follow the steps, you can quickly start making a decent cup of coffee.
What is Smart Cup?
Smart cups are usually divided into two layers: an inner layer and an outer layer. The outer layer is the frame that supports the filter cup, and the inner layer is the cup body with a push-type switch valve. The soaking time can be freely adjusted, making it convenient and easy to use.
The key to why the smart cup is "smart" is the design of a piston valve at the bottom of the filter cup. After water is injected into the filter cup, the water pressure will automatically seal the piston to stop the water, and the coffee powder can be fully soaked in it. After the soaking is completed, place the filter cup on the coffee pot, and the base plate will be pressed to cause the piston valve to open, and the coffee will slowly flow into the cup and the extraction will be completed.
What is the difference between a Smart Mug and a French Press?
Material (Filter):"French Press" glass material + metal filter
"Smart Cup" PCT material + filter paper
Shape:"French press" cylindrical shape "Smart Cup" trapezoid filter cup
Pour method:
In the "French Press", after pressing the coffee grounds down with the pressure rod, the coffee liquid passes through the filter and is poured directly from the spout.
When the "Smart Cup" is placed on the sharing pot, the piston will automatically open, and the coffee liquid will flow into the pot with gravity.
How does the coffee made by the Smart Cup and French Press taste?
Because the biggest commonality between smart cups and French presses is that they are both soaking types, the coffee they make will have a more rounded and full tone compared to the lively and rich Pour over(V60) coffee. When buying coffee beans, you should give priority to types with flavors such as caramel aroma, juice flavor, and fermented aftertaste. We recommend Pour over(V60) single products such as Front Street Queen's Manor, Front Street Little Tomato, and Front Street Woka, which have a higher error tolerance.
Immersion extraction is virtually unaffected by the water injection method and is easier for beginners to replicate the basic flavor of coffee. Dissolvable substances will change the flavor and concentration of coffee depending on the water temperature, powder-to-water ratio, grinding thickness, and soaking time.
Today, let’s take Tmall’s best-selling item, Front Street Kafa Forest Coffee Bean, as an example. This is a native coffee from the origin of Geisha. It is medium-light roasted. What’s special is that it has a fresh floral aroma and orange-like acidity, as well as the flavor of macadamia nuts and cream. It has a wide flavor threshold and is suitable for various extraction methods.
Brewing parameters
Coffee Beans: Front Street Kaffa Forest
Amount of powder: 15g
Pink to water ratio: 1:15
Grinding degree: EK43s-10.5/ C40-26 (pass rate of No. 20 standard sieve is 75%)
Water temperature: 94℃
Soaking time: 4 minutes
Smart Cup: Simply wet the filter paper, pour 15g of coffee powder, prepare 225g of hot water and pour it into the cup in order to fully collide with the coffee powder, and wait for 4 minutes. Then place the smart cup on the sharing pot and wait until the coffee drips.
French press: Pour 15g of coffee powder, prepare 225g of hot water and pour it into the pot, pump out the pressure lever, and wait for 4 minutes. Then slowly press the pressure lever until the filter is halfway up the pot body, and pour the coffee liquid into the mug.
Judging from the appearance of the coffee liquid alone, the Smart Cup is obviously clearer and more transparent, while the French Press will be turbid with oil floating on the surface. When you taste the Front Street Kafa Forest brewed in a smart cup, you can taste the flavors of dried apricots, berries, and oranges. The overall taste is relatively clean and quiet, and the tea taste is obvious. The Kafa forest brewed in a French press will have a stronger, slightly rough taste, dominated by raspberries and nuts, and will taste more mellow than the previous pot of coffee.
The difference in flavor comes mainly from the way they are poured. The smart cup only provides the coffee powder with the opportunity to come into contact with hot water during the water filling process. It is basically in a static state at other times, including when the coffee liquid finally flows into the sharing pot. Most of the hot water is extracted through the ribs, coupled with the filtering effect of the filter paper, making the coffee clean, bright, and transparent.
In addition to the movement of powdered water when the French press is filled with water at the beginning, the coffee powder is moved downward when the rod is pressed, thereby improving the extraction efficiency. Moreover, the French press uses a metal filter to separate the residue. The pore size is larger than that of ordinary filter paper, so it can retain most of the coffee oil and some fine powder, so the liquid surface will appear turbid and the taste will be thicker.
In general, if you like cleanliness and easy operation, it is recommended to use a smart cup. Because of the filter paper, the cleanliness of the coffee will be improved, and it can also be used as an ordinary filter cup, and it is easy to clean. If you are more interested in the creaminess and mellowness of coffee, or if it is used for other purposes (making tea, frothing milk), you can give priority to the French press.
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
