Speaking of immersion extraction, Front Street Coffee thinks of the French press and the Clever Cup. So would the flavors extracted by these two be similar? Or do they have different styles? Front Street Coffee will conduct a comparative experiment for everyone in this article~

What is a French press?

The French press is one of the simplest and lowest-cost coffee brewing methods. It is a simple brewing device composed of a heat-resistant glass body and a metal filter with a plunger. Its working principle is to steep the coffee, then use the metal filter with a plunger to press the coffee grounds down, obtaining a full-bodied cup of coffee. Even complete beginners can quickly make a decent cup of coffee.

What is a Clever Cup?

The reason the Clever Dripper is clever lies in the "piston valve" design at the bottom of the dripper. After water is poured into the dripper, the water pressure causes the piston valve to automatically seal and stop the water, allowing the coffee grounds to fully steep in it. After steeping is complete, place the dripper on a coffee server/cup, and the base is pressed to open the piston valve, so the coffee slowly flows into the cup.

What is the difference between the Clever Cup and the French press?

1. Material: [French press] glass material; [Clever Cup] PCT material.

2. Shape: [French press] cylindrical; [Clever Cup] trapezoidal.

3. Pouring method: [French press] after pressing the coffee grounds down with the plunger, the coffee liquid is poured out from the upper spout; [Clever Cup] when placed on a sharing server, the piston opens and the coffee liquid flows out from the bottom.

What is the difference between coffee brewed with a French press and a Clever Cup?

First, choosing freshly roasted coffee beans is essential for better aroma and flavor. Currently, all coffee beans sold by Front Street are shipped 5 days after roasting is completed, and the best tasting period is 5-35 days after the roasting date printed on the back label.

The two brewing methods use the same water temperature, coffee grind size, and coffee-to-water ratio. Taking the [Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry] sold by Front Street Coffee as an example, it is recommended to use a medium-fine grind (caster sugar size / 80% passing rate on the Chinese No. 20 standard sieve), a water temperature of 90-91°C, and a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio (that is, 1g of coffee powder added to 15g of water). This time Front Street Coffee will use 15g of coffee powder for the brewing demonstration.

The steps for brewing coffee with the Clever Cup are as follows: Fold the filter paper and place it in the Clever Cup, put the Clever Cup on a container, and rinse the filter paper with hot water to preheat the device at the same time. Then move the Clever Cup to the electronic scale (at this time the valve will automatically close), and pour the ground coffee into the center of the dripper.

For the first pour, add 30g of hot water, press the timer, and let it bloom for 30 seconds; after blooming, pour hot water until it reaches 225g, then steep for 1'50". After steeping is complete, move the Clever Cup onto a container to open the valve and filter out the coffee liquid in the dripper. The whole process takes about 15 seconds, and the total coffee extraction time is 2'05".

The steeping steps for the French press are as follows: French press: add 15g of coffee powder, prepare 225g of hot water and pour it into the pot in a large stream, stir the plunger, cover with the lid, and wait 4 minutes. Then slowly press down the plunger until the filter is halfway down the pot, pour the coffee liquid into a mug, and it is done.

After experimental comparison, Front Street Coffee feels that the biggest difference between the [French press] and the [Clever Cup] is their mouthfeel. After extraction with the [French press], the coffee looks a bit cloudy. Many friends think the coffee cup has been contaminated. NO! NO! NO! That is the coffee's oils, which can enhance the richness of its mouthfeel, so coffee extracted with the [French press] is often smoother. The liquid extracted by the [Clever Cup], however, is relatively clean and transparent, and the flavor when drinking is also clean, clear, and the layers are more distinct.

So why does the [French press] have oils while the [Clever Cup] does not? That is because their pouring methods are different. First, the [French press] uses a metal filter plus filter paper, and the plunger presses the coffee grounds from top to bottom, which slightly increases its extraction rate.

Then, the coffee liquid is poured out from the upper spout; the oils that originally floated on the coffee liquid also flow into the sharing server with the stream. The stainless steel filter plus filter paper of the plunger actually does not filter tightly, so some coffee grounds also flow out with the stream. The coffee's oils add to its richness and smoothness, and make the flavor softer and more balanced.

The [Clever Cup], however, uses a drip-style outflow method, and the coffee's oils are filtered out layer by layer by the coffee grounds and filter paper, so the liquid looks clearer, the mouthfeel is lighter and cleaner, and the flavor appears more layered.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.