Aeropress and French Press methods

[maxpower]

I am a new coffee drinker and currently only use an Aeropress to make coffee. I am curious about the differences in the Aeropress and French Press brewing times and how they both end up with a good cup of coffee. OK, I have never had French Press coffee but friends say it is the best.

The Aeropress manual says to use fine grinds (I.E. espresso grind) and to brew for 10 seconds plus add another 20 seconds for press time. The result. after a total of 30 seconds, is a double strength cup of coffee. Less water is also a component of making less bitter coffee. You can add water to the already brewed coffee to make an "Americano".

The French Press method says to brew for 2-4 minutes, but won't that cause over extraction? I assume not since I know people who say the French Press is the best but what am I missing about brew time? Does the coarseness of the grind make that much difference? I know French Press says to use a coarser grind but I would assume many use a drip grind. But even with a drip grind, the Aeropress brew times only go to about 45-60 seconds.

I also assume that you use a full cup of water with the French Press method. My understanding that more water and long brew times both contribute to bitter coffee.

Thanks

 

[eldub]

More water doesn't lead to bitter coffee, it leads to weaker coffee.

Course grinds are used to keep coffee particles out of the final product. Aeropress can use a fine grind because there is a different filter used than w/ french press.

Imo, the short brewing time of the aeropress is the exception to the rule. A two to five minute extraction shouldn't cause any bitterness as long as good beans are being used.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

LIke Eldub said above, I never had bitter coffee because of the longer brewing time. I think the bitterness comes from the bad coffee, over roasted coffee or staled coffee. I even left coffee in my french press much longer then I anticipated but never bitter....

Also I believe one brewing method is not better then another for everyone. I think it is more to do with personal preference. I love vacuum siphon but I always use my french press for convenience and I don't think it compromises the taste in any ways.....

 

[maxpower]

Interesting. That certainly explains the differences between the times of those methods.

Thanks

 

[nvace]

I really like to brew the Aeropress inverted to catch some of the oils and a creama like foam, gives you a great rich cup of coffee!