French press vs pour over, I finally picked a side

I spent about three months going back and forth between a French press and a pour over setup. Every morning I'd brew one way, then the next day try the other. The French press gave me a thicker, heavier cup but I kept getting grit at the bottom. The pour over was cleaner but felt like it took too much time to get right. After 45 days of testing, I realized the pour over just made my mornings feel more deliberate and the flavor was way brighter. Anybody else find one method just clicks better for their routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair9905d ago

Started with a french press myself and had the same grit problem... drove me nuts. Switched to a pour over and never looked back, the clean cup just works better for my mornings. Found that using a gooseneck kettle helped a ton with control, kept me from rushing the pour. If you're already liking the cleaner taste, try playing with your grind size a bit finer, it brings out even more brightness without the muddiness.

jesse_smith105d ago

Oh man, I totally get that. I went through a similar phase with cold brew vs. iced pour over. Ended up buying one of those giant mason jars for cold brew and now I make it way too much, like I'm hoarding coffee in the fridge. Your pour over thing sounds way more civilized than my messy operation.

casey2685d ago

Just read this article the other day about how cold brew actually extracts different compounds than hot brew, something about the temperature pulling out more of certain oils. Explains why my cold stuff always tastes smoother but sometimes feels like it's missing that bright punch. Your mason jar setup reminds me of my buddy's operation, he's got three jars going at once and calls it his coffee matrix or something like that. Pour over is definitely a slower ritual but I think you get more control, especially with water temp and pour speed. Maybe we're all just trying to justify our kitchen counters being cluttered with coffee gear.