Those with a morning routine know all too well the importance of a good cup of coffee. Coffee that’s too bitter results in an unpleasant taste that stays with you long into your morning, while the perfect cup gives you the energy and stamina to keep going.
We all love coffee, especially us here at Coast to Coast Coffee, and we want to make sure you’re using your beans to their full extent, bringing out their full flavour profile and brewing them to perfection. 
There are plenty of brewing methods that you may already be aware of, but two in particular that are very popular are pour over and French press. These two brewing methods are easy to use and totally customizable, with plenty of different devices on the market to brew your coffee.
But when it comes to pour over vs French press, which is the better option? We’ll discuss both advantages and disadvantages, so you can decide what works for you.
Choose the Right Coffee to Start
Before experimenting with either pour over or French press coffee, it’s crucial to pick the right coffee. These are just some of the hand-picked coffee roasts we offer, all delivered to your door on a one-time or regular subscription basis.
Honduras Marcala
The Honduras Marcala coffee roast offers aromatic flavours with fruity roasted almonds, apricots, and peaches. With a bright citrus and dark chocolate finish, this is a delight to drink for any coffee lover, especially any coffee aficionados looking for a unique coffee flavour.
Grown on fair trade, certified organic farms in Honduras, the 62 Honduran farmers have been growing this coffee under COMSA organic certification since 2001.
Guatemala Nahualá
This coffee is fair trade and organic, like most other coffees we offer on our website. Grown at a high 1200 meter elevation by the Cooperativa Nahualá, these beans provide a well-balanced coffee with a clean aftertaste.
It has rich chocolatey flavours and a hint of smokiness, so no matter if you use pour over or French press, you can bring some smoky, sweet flavours to this brew.
Peru Penachi
This coffee is grown at a high elevation in the Penachi region of Peru on remote mountainous coffee farms by traditional Peruvian-Inca farmers. This coffee offers a bright, lively taste and a rich medium body with light acidity. There’s a chocolatey, black cherry flavour that can come out well during brewing.
Advantages to Pour Over Coffee
There are plenty of advantages to using pour over coffee for your morning brew. Pour over is made by pouring hot water over coffee beans, passing them through a filter and allowing the coffee liquid to drip down into a vessel below. This allows for a totally customizable coffee experience, as there are plenty of pour over coffee devices out there.
Some of the advantages of a pour over coffee maker include:
- Improved flavour and aroma. Pour over produces a flavourful and aromatic cup of coffee compared to other brewing methods like a coffee machine.
- Simple to use. Pour-over coffee is loved by coffee experts and those new to the world of coffee, as it’s very easy to use. Since it’s such a simple brewing method, it’s a no-fuss brew that requires no fancy machinery or electricity. You just need a pour-over device and a coffee filter, and you’re ready to brew.
- A fresh cup of coffee. When paired with fresh coffee grounds, pour over coffee is exceptionally fresh since it’s made to order. The coffee brews straight after hot water is poured over it, and your coffee won’t sit around for long periods after its brew time is complete.
- Control over the brewing process. Using the pour over coffee method allows control over the brewing process. You can control the water temperature, use different filters to adjust the water flow, and fine-tune the extraction time to brew the coffee precisely to your preference.
Disadvantages to Pour Over Coffee
There are a few disadvantages to pour over coffee to keep in mind when it comes to brewing:
- It can be time-consuming. If you value the time and effort it takes to brew a perfect cup of coffee, you might enjoy a long coffee brewing process. However, for anyone looking for a quick cup of coffee, some pour over devices can be time-consuming and take quite a bit of effort to brew. It’s unlike a coffee machine, as you have to freshly grind coffee beans, boil water, and slowly pour the water over the grounds.
- You need manually-ground coffee beans. Since pour-over is very customizable, it can be a finicky process. Pour over coffee needs coffee beans to be ground to a specific grind, which you’ll need to control with your coffee grinder. Make sure to purchase whole beans if you want to go with this process.
- It makes small serving sizes. Often, a pour-over coffee device isn’t as large as a typical coffee machine and can only make one or two cups of coffee at a time. If you want to make larger quantities of coffee, you’d need to look into other coffee devices to get the job done.
Advantages of French Press Coffee
French press coffee has its advantages over pour over coffee. The French press is an excellent option for those who appreciate a rich, full-bodied flavour and want the ability to control their coffee brewing process.
Advantages of using a French press coffee maker include:
- It’s versatile. If you love making your morning cup of coffee, a French press works great, but it can do more for you than just make a hot cup. You can use a French press to prepare cold brew coffee, loose-leaf tea, and other hot beverages. You can also use a French press to froth hot milk manually.
- Cost-effective brewing method. A French press only requires one device to work and is a one-time buy. You’ll never need to worry about buying coffee filters; with proper cleaning and care, it can last for years.
- You have control during brewing. A French press coffee maker lets you control the coffee’s steeping time and water temperature. If you love a particular brew, you can fine-tune your coffee to suit the brew and change it up for every cup.
Disadvantages of French Press Coffee
When it comes to using a French press, there are a few disadvantages to brewing that perfect cup.
- It can develop a bitter flavour. French press coffee is easy to burn or over-steep, leaving you with an over-extracted coffee. Ensure your grind size is not too fine to avoid this, and don’t leave coffee steeping for too long.
- They are difficult to clean. Because of its little nooks and crannies, a French press can be challenging to clean. The fine mesh filter has a few hard-to-reach places, and it’s essential to properly clean this so that coffee oils don’t build up over time.
- You get a small serving size. French press devices are typically designed to make one or two cups of coffee, so it’s not the ideal coffee brewing method for making coffee in large quantities.
- You might see coffee sediment in your cup. If you don’t have the perfect grind level of coffee, the fine mesh in the French press device won’t fully filter through coffee and can result in sediment in your final cup.
Conclusion
While there are several pros and cons to pour over vs French press coffee, both brewing methods offer cost-effective, easy ways to brew coffee. Try out both methods and see what you prefer. You may find different taste profiles between these two methods and prefer one over the other.
If you have a go-to roast or want to try multiple flavours, check out the coffee we offer at Coast to Coast Coffee and get free delivery on your subscription order!
1 Comments
Elizabeth Hardwick
Hi interested in buying but I’m really not sure. I like a very smooth tasting coffee, no after taste or bitter. not sure what I should pick I have heard of pour over but right now use a coffee maker Any suggestions?