Speaking of immersion extraction, FrontStreet Coffee reminds me of the French Press and the Smart Cup. So will the flavors extracted from them be similar? Or are they different styles? FrontStreet Coffee is here to do a comparison experiment for you~
What is a French Press?
The French press is one of the simplest and most cost-effective methods of brewing coffee. It is a simple brewing device composed of a heat-resistant glass bottle and a metal filter with a pressure rod. Its working principle is to soak coffee and then use a metal filter with a pressure rod to press down the coffee grounds to obtain full-tasting coffee. Even a coffee novice can quickly get started making a decent cup of coffee.
What is Smart Cup?
The key to the smartness of the smart filter cup lies in the design of the "piston valve" at the bottom of the filter cup. After water is injected into the filter cup, the water pressure will automatically close the piston valve 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/cup, and the bottom plate will be pressed to cause the piston valve to open, and the coffee will slowly flow into the cup.
What is the difference between a Smart Cup and a French Press?
1. Material: [French Press] glass material; [Smart Cup] PCT material.
2. Shape: [French Press] cylindrical; [Smart Cup] trapezoid.
3. Pour method: [French Press] Use the pressure rod to push down the coffee grounds, and the coffee liquid will be poured out from the upper spout; [Smart Cup] is placed on the sharing pot, the piston will open, and the coffee liquid will flow out from the bottom.
What is the difference between coffee brewed from a French press and a Smart Cup?
First choose freshly roasted coffee beans to have better aroma and flavor. Currently, all coffee beans sold on Front Street are shipped 5 days after roasting, and the best tasting period is 5-35 days after the roasting date is printed on the back label.
The water temperature, coffee grinding size, and powder-to-water ratio used in both brewing methods are the same. Taking the [Ethiopian Yirgacheffe sun-dried red cherries] sold by FrontStreet Coffee as an example, it is recommended to use medium-fine grinding (the size of fine sugar/China No. 20 standard sieve screening rate of 80%), a water temperature of 90-91 degrees Celsius, and a powder-to-water ratio of 1:15 (that is, 1g of coffee powder plus 15g of water). This time, FrontStreet Coffee will use 15g of coffee powder for a brewing demonstration.
The steps for brewing coffee in a smart cup are as follows: Fold the filter paper and place it in the smart cup, place the smart cup on the container, and wet the filter paper with hot water to preheat the appliance at the same time. Then move the smart cup to the electronic scale (the valve will automatically close at this time), and pour the ground coffee into the center of the filter cup.
Inject 30g of hot water into the first section, press the timer, and steam for 30 seconds; after steaming, pour hot water to 225g, and then soak for 1'50". After soaking, move the smart cup to the container, open the valve, and filter out the coffee liquid in the filter cup. The whole process takes about 15 seconds, and the total coffee extraction time is 2'05'.
French press soaking steps are as follows: French press: Pour 15g of coffee powder, prepare 225g of hot water and pour it into the pot, pump the lever, cover the lid, 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.
After experimental comparisons, FrontStreet Coffee feels that the biggest difference between the [French Press] and the [Smart Cup] is their taste. [French Press] looks a little turbid after extraction. Many friends think that the coffee cup is contaminated. NO! NO! NO! That is the oil of coffee, which can improve the mellowness of its taste, so it is often smoother after being extracted by [French Press]. The liquid extracted from the [Smart Cup] will be cleaner and more transparent, and the flavor will be cleaner, clearer and more distinct.
So why does the [French Press] have grease but the [Smart Cup] does not? That's because they pour differently. First of all, the [French Press] uses a metal filter and filter paper, and the pressing rod presses the coffee grounds from top to bottom, which will slightly increase its extraction rate.
Then, the coffee liquid is poured out from the upper spout; the oil originally floating on the coffee liquid will also flow into the sharing pot with the water flow; the stainless steel filter and filter paper of the pressure rod are not actually filtered tightly, so some coffee grounds will also flow out with the water flow. The coffee's oils add body and smoothness, and make the flavor softer and more balanced.
The [Smart Cup] uses a trickle-type water dispensing method. The coffee oil will be filtered out by layers of coffee grounds and filter paper, so the liquid will look clearer, the taste will be lighter and cleaner, and the flavor will be more layered.
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
