French press cold brew VS Cold drip

[SultanBrunei]

Hi all,

I wonder, does anyone here have experience in making a cold brew batch using french press, and making cold brew batch using cold drip (dutch style) ?

Would it yield different results ?

 

[ensoluna]

unless you let the cold water sit with the coffee for more than 12 to 16 hours, it does not work.
you can try it with french press and cold drip on your own and let us know the results.
I am sure that you wont taste any coffee what so ever.

 

[SultanBrunei]

unless you let the cold water sit with the coffee for more than 12 to 16 hours, it does not work.
you can try it with french press and cold drip on your own and let us know the results.
I am sure that you wont taste any coffee what so ever.

I made my last batch of cold brew using french press. Coarse grinded, I let it sit for 16 hour 15 minutes in room temperature.
The result, when I tasted the extract directly without adding anything, a bit bitter (as usual).
Mixed it with a little bit of water, milk, sugar, ice, and I enjoyed a good ice coffee there.

However, I didn't really feel that much huge difference with iced coffee made using this method, compared with hot brewed pre-ground coffee, let it sit in french press for 5 minutes, and then slowly pour it over coffee filter over ice, mix the resulting coffee drink with milk, sugar, ice, voila, nice iced coffee.

The question that comes to my mind, since buying a cold drip equipment costs quite a lot, I must be really confident that this cold drip style could yield even better coffee than regular cold brew - french press coffee. But could it?

 

[SultanBrunei]

Anyone....?

 

[Mr.Peaberry]

I think the lack of response is due to the fact that, in order to reply to your question, one would have to have had so much cold brew, knowing all the attributes of each preparation, that they felt confident to advise. There just too many variables that can change the resulting product that you just have to do the trial and error thing if you want to find YOUR best cold brew...just sayin'...

 

[peterjschmidt]

If you're getting similar results brewing the french press with either hot or cold water, then I'd guess you used the same coffee:water ratio with both. In cold brew you typically brew it much stronger to yield a sort of concentrate. That will allow it to still be more flavorful even after being diluted as the ice melts. The Toddy system I use uses 1lb. coffee to 9 cups of water. The Ronco brewer is about the same thing, $18 on Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYsjNPCt7LM

 

[ensoluna]

here is my reply to you.

from SB: However, I didn't really feel that much huge difference with iced coffee made using this method, compared with hot brewed pre-ground coffee, let it sit in french press for 5 minutes, and then slowly pour it over coffee filter over ice, mix the resulting coffee drink with milk, sugar, ice, voila, nice iced coffee.

From Ensoluna reply : the biggest difference between cold and hot is that good cold coffee will not have acidity, so it will taste much smoother and rounder.
for hot french press will have the acidity of coffee, of course it will be depends on the coffee, as example coffee from huehuetenango, Guatemala will have way more acidity than Sumatra from Indonesia. However, if you mix with milk, sugar, vodka, cinnamon...etc, IT WOULD NOT MATTER WHICH METHOD YOU USE :+(

From SB : The question that comes to my mind, since buying a cold drip equipment costs quite a lot, I must be really confident that this cold drip style could yield even better coffee than regular cold brew - french press coffee. But could it?

From Ensoluna : it will not cost much at all. As Peter said, below $20 from Amazon. you can get very good equipment and it will last super long time because there is nothing to break. BTW, there is huge difference in flavors between real good cold brew vs hot french press coffee that is cooled with ice. there is no comparison.

 

[BescaRoasting]

I think most of us can agree that every coffee lover has their own magical way they like to make coffee. For me personally, I use professional lab glassware to make a vacuum brewed cold brew concentrate that in my opinion is the finest brew the world over (I have actually sampled coffee all over the world, on all continents but Africa and Antarctica). For my father, who has even more experience with coffee than I, nothing beats a single cup pour over with a paper filter.
In this particular instance, it would really depend on your equipment. A traditional French press has some issues with cold brew, mainly grounds getting into the coffee. If a little grit doesn't bother you, you can make some pretty decent cold brew in a French press if you are patient. The quality of coffee used will greatly affect the flavor, so use good coffee always.
When you say drip cold brew, I am assuming that you are referring to the style of cold brewer that slowly drips water onto a container of coffee over a period of many hours. This is in my opinion the best method of cold brewing. Not having coffee grounds soaking in your finished product means a much more flavorful coffee. After switching to a constant drip cold brew, I will never go back to the old soak method.

 

[archcherub]

is french press better than pour over?
hmmm i think its time for me to experiment with french press and cold drip...
been using pour over since i got started with coffee