Thank you i did see that. Marketing language an actual results can differ, however.

ASFx wrote:I like using the french press because it only needs half the amount of beans per cup that the aeropress does, so I save a significant amount of money that way.

Despite what the Aeropress directions recommend, there is no credible reason why it "needs" more beans than your French press (other than the fact that some people brew with it that way).

With a little experimentation, you can brew excellent, sludge-free coffee using the Aeropress and conventional coffee/water ratios. I suggest that you brew a few Aeropresses using coffee and water in a 1:16 ratio. For example: 12g coffee, and ~190g water a few seconds off the boil. Start with a medium-fine grind (whatever that is) and try 2 min steep time, 3 min, and 4 minutes. Agitate the grounds/water mixture at the halfway point in a consistent way (say, three gentle stirs only).

The grind shouldn't be so fine that it takes forever to gently press through. If the coffee tastes weak, try slightly finer. If it tastes bitter or too strong, try less steep time or a coarser grind.

If you're using fresh, high quality coffee, you should pretty quickly find some combination of grind and steep time that gives you a GREAT cup. And the cleanup will be much simpler than the double process that you're currently using.

Great tips. I'll give that a try. I'd have to fill the aeropress up to the top to get a reasonable sized cup, but i'll experiment and see what happens.

HB wrote:See Turn your French press into a French pull.

I tried this with my press... even with some patience, it made a bit of a mess. I think either need to use a larger press with half as much ground coffee + water or just find one whose dimensions are better suited to that approach.

ASFx wrote:I don't own a swiss gold filter or know anything about them. I was just asking if it filters fines in the same way that a paper filter does, or if it filters the coffee in the same way that the metal mesh in the french press does.

In a word, no. The SwissGold will not filter fines to the same extent of a paper filter. It may be difficult to understand this without actually having seen a SwissGold, so you might want to get your hands on one first, but once you do, you'll understand why everyone who has taken the time to respond to your query has given a uniform response, and you'll know more about them than you do now.

-s.

Im a big fan of the Break&Scoop method of French Press brewing. So much so, that since I tried it out, I havent used the press any other way. The way I do it is very simple

Add water to grounds in a controlled, slow motion. Make sure to evenly wet the coffee. I pour in circles around the press until all the water has been poured.

No stirring, no swirling. Just steep. Place something on the top of the press to retain some heat. A saucer works well.

When the steep is just about over, say 20-30 seconds left, using two spoons, small but a little deep is helpful, carefully scoop off as much as you can in one shot. Get the rest on a second, and third if neccesary.

Now put the plunger on, and press down. There should be no resistance.

The end result I find is sweeter and cleaner, with almost no fines in the cup at all. definitely not the sludge you get using the traditional method.

Ya know, before when i would make FrenchPress, using the Traditional method and a hand grinder, I admit, I liked it, but it was far from my favorite method.

What really turned me onto french press, is two things. First, would be the Bunn grinder, which produces almost NO fines whatsoever, and using the break&scoop.

I also dont use a really coarse grind... The grind I use works well with a 2:00 steep time, and 30 seconds spent scooping the grounds off.


Pushing the FP brew through the Aeropress, dont you loose most of the oils and heavier body? A gold filter would work, but I wouldnt use a paper filter, unless I wanted drip coffee. And in my opinion, The Clever Dripper is the only way to go for filtered coffee. YMMV.