French presses, depending on the manufacturer, can also be cheaper than a Chemex. On the other hand, with a Chemex, you need paper filters that should be rinsed to get rid of the paper-like flavor. It is easier to ensure the perfect cup with every brew. (2018, December 23). Expect cleanup, especially of its small parts, to take no less than three minutes. A paper filter goes in the top portion, along with the coffee grounds, then the user pours water with a gooseneck style kettle, where coffee then seeps into the bottom section. Unlike French press Chemex produces a bright smoother cup with less bitterness and clear as opposed to thick and heavy. When brewing with Chemex, you’ll get the best results with a light/medium roast single-origin Arabica bean as it will highlight the subtle flavor profiles of the coffee. This ensures that the coffee grounds stay at the bottom part of the carafe, separate from your brew. Combining many different materials, Attilio Calimani, an Italian artist who designs the … Another disadvantage, when compared to a Chemex, is that it can be a bit of a hassle to clean out all of the coffee grounds, as they aren’t neatly contained in a paper filter. The Chemex is better suited for pour over or drip coffee fanatics. The French press tends to be a richer brew, while the Chemex tends to be more like the kind of coffee we are used to with a drip machine. Overall, both are wonderful coffee brewers that have their own pros and cons. You just need to add coffee and let it steep. In a nutshell, this is how the Chemex method works: Set up your Chemex brewer with its paper filter. Filters. SCAA’s “golden ratio” of 55 grams of coffee per liter of water works like a charm with the Chemex. There are a few advantages to using a French press over a Chemex, such as not needing to purchase propitiatory filters, or any filters at all really. Overall, the brewing process itself is about three to four minutes. One is elegant and brews a smooth cup of coffee, and the other is strong and occasionally has sludge. Difference Between Chemex And French Press? Chemex vs. French Press. A device that occupies a pride of place in the modern coffee scene. Which one you choose will depend on the kind of coffee you want. One of its biggest perks can also be seen as a disadvantage for some: the murky coffee brewed. What's our comparison for French Press vs Chemex? The contact time for the French press method should only be up to four minutes to achieve the ideal brew, making a straight pour more advisable. This coffee wonder is the brainchild of Peter J. Schlumbohm, Ph.D., a doctor of chemistry. Keeping brewed coffee hot is a challenge that every coffee lover faces on a daily basis. This is why the coffee has so much body. These filters are different from standard paper filters used for automatic drip brew systems that only filter sediments while trapping oils and other compounds. You want something to brew coffee at home. Chemex filters are custom made to fit the mouth of the brewer. However, it also means most times you will find some sediment or “sludge” at the bottom of the mug. Thus, you can potentially end up with a bit more gunk than you’d like. The basics of French press and Chemex French press 101. I just bought a Bodum 12 cup press. The Chemex and the French press are two of the more popular tools for making coffee. At the end of each section, I will outline a winner for each particular feature. They also offer our readers 50% off for all first time customers. Pouring after the bloom does not require you to do a patterned or deliberate movement either. Let’s take a look at many aspects of each in a head-to-head manner. Both the French press and the Chemex have a place on your counter, next to the pod machine, across from the drip brewer and next to your cold-brew coffee pot. An advantage of using a Chemex is how clean the resulting coffee will be, as the heavier propitiatory filter pulls in a lot of oils, acids, and sediment. I love how both these brewing methods make use of super affordable coffee makers, so I’d say they’re both winners when it comes to the cost of equipment. WINNER: The Chemex definitely seals the deal for the convenience aspect with its quick and easy cleanup. Which do you prefer, and who do you think will win French Press vs Chemex coffee?! Retrieved from https://bluebottlecoffee.com/preparation-guides/french-press, Death Wish Coffee. The Chemex uses special paper filters that are thick enough to trap solids while still passing along aromatic compounds. Read our French Press brewing guide here for more brewing hacks. The French press itself can also be used to make other styles of coffee, such as cold brew, or even twice brewed coffee, and even doubles as a tea press. Chemex: The Chemex method’s filtering process is what sets it apart. On the other hand, the French Press brewing method leaves plenty of coffee grounds at the bottom of your carafe. The second pour, which comes after the ‘bloom,’ is also a rather tricky task as you cannot just do a straight pour on the grounds. French Press: On the other hand, you don’t need to set up a filter with the French Press. I have owned and according to Buzzfeed operated the number 1 coffee spot in Florida. You can expect to spend a couple of minutes on the filter set-up, rinsing, and coffee ‘blooming’ process. Since you achieve a mostly sediment-free brew with a Chemex, cleanup should take no more than thirty to forty-five seconds. Consider your expectations, your budget and the type of coffee you’d like to drink. If your looking for a simple way to brew coffee and don’t need to brew for a large group, both Chemex Vs French press are perfect solutions. To know more, read about the best coffee beans in the world here. French Press. Generally, a Chemex will be better able to show light roast bean characteristics like floral and fruity notes. The popularity of the Chemex comes from two things. The main body is made of glass and the filter is made of stainless steel. The Chemex came to the scene a little bit later on, around 1941, and was invented by the chemist Peter Schlumbohm. The kind of coffee bean you use in your French Press or Chemex will make a world of difference in the final result. LifeBoost is a health and environmentally conscious coffee brand that sells all organic low acid coffee, and it is our teams go to coffee! (n.d.). If you want to start channeling your inner barista, both are excellent additions to your kitchen. The choice between these two manual coffeemakers will come down to your preferences. Who Made That French Press. A French press is fantastic for beginners looking to brew great coffee, but knowing how to brew properly with a Chemex is a great skill for anyone who loves coffee. Chef Andy compares French Press and Chemex Coffee! Our Final Word on Chemex VS French Press Comparison. It … Take a look at the best french press coffee makers here. Below are other factors that you have to consider when deciding which between the two is best for you: 1. So, should you go for the Chemex or the French press to get that ‘perfect’ cup? Another amazing French Press we love is the Frieling USA, which is made of double wall stainless steel.​. You need at least 4 minutes to brew coffee using a Chemex. Vacuum Coffee Maker vs French Press. At the end of the day, the decision to purchase either a French press or a Chemex is a personal choice and comes down to the buyer. But I will admit one thing: I have both, and I use both. The decision comes down to your time constraints and the different ways you would like to use your coffee maker. What makes the biggest difference, though, is … The Showdown: Chemex/Pour Over vs Frenchpress. I cannot make less than four cups or press does not reach coffee This is because all one needs to do is pull out the paper filter, and put a new one in; no having to wash out the inside to get grounds out. You end up with a cup that is bright, clean, and clear – perfect for sipping. French press French press is the second method we will mention in our Chemex vs. French press comparison. Hovering around $40 for the equipment and usually over $10 for a box of those special bonded paper filters, Chemex is certainly not a … However, for the French Press, start with 77 grams of coffee per liter of water. If the price was the only concern, you would definitely find cheaper options when you’re shopping for a French press coffee maker. The winner boils down to how you want your coffee. Hi, I'm Scott, and I've traveled extensively through North America and Europe, exploring food and drink pairings around the world. Our friends at Blue Bottle Coffee have this little nugget of wisdom to offer about this method (4): To achieve a full expression of the coffee, decant it immediately after brewing so it doesn’t become bitter or chalky. If you looking for an entry-level manual brewer that is easy to use, cheap, and requires little effort, and if you prefer a darker, more bitter taste, French press coffee would be a great choice. In our opinion, though, there’s only one thing that works – thermal insulation. There are a few advantages to using a French press over a Chemex, such as not needing to purchase propitiatory filters, or any filters at all really. Just make sure to pick fresh, quality beans, and follow the brewing instructions to get the coffee of your dreams. Although there is no winner for Chemex VS French Press coffee brewing since it all depends on your taste, it is imperative to note that you are, nonetheless, one step ahead of regular drip coffee that you see all around. Chemex vs. Aeropress: The Method Determines the Flavor. French Press: This method, on the other hand, skips this paper filter stage. These devices are great for different styles of brewing. Or why not go for both?! Since you don’t set up a filter and rinse with the French press, you can dedicate a bit more time for brewing, which is especially helpful if you want a stronger brew. For the Chemex, design is innovative, but this is basically “Cowboy Coffee” in your kitchen. In addition to its beauty, the Chemex is preferred by coffee enthusiasts for the undeniably clean and flavorful brew it offers. While the French press may be made out of several different materials, such as glass, stainless steel, and even ceramic, as well as go by different names, all presses have the same basic proponents: a plunger section attached to the lid with a stainless steel mesh filter at the end, and a brewing chamber. Chemex vs French Press; Chemex Brew Guide; How to use a Chemex Coffee Maker; History of the Chemex; Why Do People Love the Chemex pour over coffee maker? Cup Cup Hooray! More often than not, though, you don’t .But you still need a good cup of joe as soon as possible. In the world of coffee there are plenty of different ways to brew a satisfying cup of Joe. Decantering is a small tip that yields a huge improvement. It’s also darn important that you use Chemex filters, and not just your ordinary ones. The Chemex and the Aeropress use different styles. But above all – you appreciate damn smooth coffee. Is a Chemex Coffee Maker Cheaper Than a French Press? Plus, you have the added bonus of being able to walk away while the coffee is extracting. As a result, you get more natural oils from your coffee grounds, as well as the flavors those oils help deliver. Another disadvantage, when compared to a French press, is cost. Welcome To Craft Coffee Guru. Whats the best type of bean for French Press brewing? A Chemex’s physical appearance resembles two glass funnels joined at the tips, with a wooden handle around the middle. sportscrazed2 | Nov 11, 2011 06:32 AM 32. A lot of it depends on how you want your coffee to taste. The French Press is usually a combination of a borosilicate glass carafe and a stainless steel casing (or, as with more recent designs, an insulated plastic shell). Second, the Chemex coffee maker is beautiful. Retrieved from https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/06/make-better-pourover-coffee-how-pourover-works-temperature-timing.html, Blue Bottle Coffee. It produces a flavorful, rich cup of coffee with great mouth feel and body. Chemex: You’ll start your Chemex brew by first grinding your beans to a medium coarse grind. Unlike their fancier and more modern counterparts, the Chemex and French press brewers do not involve plugging in or complicated buttons, making them good contenders in the portability category. WINNER: Each method offers a different style of brew. It’s still a staple in every coffee lover’s brewing arsenal. Sound like you? Both the French press and the Chemex provide fantastic ways to brew coffee. For some people with larger hands, it might also be difficult to deep clean the inside. The French Press and the Chemex seem similar, but they are not. Chemex Vs French Press: The Verdict. Might try a Chemex next… French Press coffee is known for its strong, bold flavor and full body that results from the steeping process. When it comes to affordability, these two are both winners because they produce great-tasting coffee without making you break the bank. If you are looking for an easier method, the French Press wins. A french press would work fine with just about any bean but I do like using it for dark roasts that suggest dark chocolate notes as I find the body the french press provides works well with the chocolatey taste! French Press coffee is a rich, aromatic, and full-bodied drink that is robust and satisfying. PRO TIP: You can even use the Chemex to make cold brew! What coffee to water ratio should I use in a French Press vs Chemex? This means that the Chemex coffee is generally clean and smooth. Appearance is much lighter than French press with a bright and clear cup of coffee. The rod sticks through the lid and may include a handle on top. Let’s break the tie by checking how each one fares with the cleanup stage. The Chemex gives you bright and clean coffee, while the French Press delivers a flavorful and full-bodied cup. It is made of non-porous borosilicate glass and has no metal or plastic casing, so it definitely lies in the fragile end of the spectrum. The French Press Brews an Affordable Cup of Coffee While the Chemex is certainly a stunning piece of equipment, it’s also an expensive one. It makes use of a custom made paper filter that is 20 to 30 percent thicker than others, so it screens out more unwanted particles (1). I admit I am spoiled by Keurig. We're back with another episode of Java Royale. Both these aspects can affect how much of the good elements in the grounds get into your brew (3). An even soak is necessary to ensure that the grounds are subjected to a consistent temperature and brew time. French Press is nearly as fast and probably even simpler to make, but it's more involved to clean and the taste isn't for everybody - not to mention the grounds in your cup issue. Chemex: A classic six-cup Chemex brewer stands around 8.5 inches tall and weighs less than two pounds. Having a clean cup does come at a cost though, mainly having to buy filters, and not being able to brew if there are no filters. To kick off my mornings with energy and vigor, I like my brew rich and full-bodied. If you’re looking for a full-bodied, aromatic and intensely flavored cup of coffee, the French press is the way to go. What you should know ahead of time about the French Press is that the coffee it produces is less filtered than what you may be used to. I’m taking it back for these reasons: And you don’t plan on taking it around the world with you. And discover the wonders that these two classic methods have to offer. Chemex: With this coffee maker, the entire process will take about five to six minutes. Contents show. French Press VS. Chemex. French Press: With this coffee maker, you need to give the same dedicated attention to the grinding process to achieve a coarse grind. The Chemex pour over is a more involved process than the French Press is. You’ll need to slowly and steadily press the plunger down once you’re done with the brewing process. While chemex offer classic look with its pure glass design, the competitor takes a more conventional approach. We’ll start with the French press and then continue our post on the French press vs. Chemex. Let’s compare the French Press vs drip coffee brewing and see which one tickles your fancy. Both brew styles can work well for different types of people. Similar to the Chemex coffeemaker, the French press uses a simple concept. French Press vs Chemex? You could use the same coffee bean and yet, you’d get different results from the Chemex and French Press method. What makes the biggest difference, though, is the sturdy construction. Popular amongst outdoorsy people who want a lightweight, packable solution to still have coffee on the trail while camping, the AeroPress travels well. Here we take a look at the French press vs. the Chemex and help you choose which is for you. You can see in this video how to use the french press in 2 different ways: Alright, down to business. Whether you use a travel mug or thermos or a simple hand woven cup warmer. One lets you use gravity to brew, the other forces you to press down on a handle just to brew your morning cup properly. I am going to compare two of the most popular tools used in coffee making – the Chemex and the French Press. Alright, this is why you’re here. Log In Sign Up. It was developed by an Italian back in 1929 and it stayed the same until today. French press coffee, on the other hand, is typically full of flavor and has a bolder taste to it than Chemex coffee does. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And for relaxing on those lazy afternoons, I make sure my coffee is clean and bright. The 3-5 minute French Press brewing method is fuss-free. However, the French Press method also leaves more sediments at the bottom of your brewer. Chemex vs French Press. Remember that using a circular/swirling motion when you pour is important to soak the grounds evenly. I’m a full-time coffee lover! The French press has been around … Chemex brews 10 cups at a time (80 ounces) making it perfect for groups of 4 or less, well French press makes up to 4.5 cups or (36 ounces). buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. French Press vs Drip. Brewing Time . Inspired by his laboratory equipment, he created this coffee-making device back in 1941 (1). Retrieved From https://www.deathwishcoffee.com/blogs/news/love-chemex-brewing. The Chemex brewer is definitely a piece of art that coffee lovers will want to spruce up their breakfast tables. The French press and the Chemex are classic devices for creating fresh, aromatic coffee that tastes more pure because you brewed it with your hands instead of leaving it to a machine. You start by soaking your coarse ground coffee with the hot water and let the coffee ‘bloom’ or bubble up for thirty seconds. Basic cleanup is also much easier with a Chemex, especially if brewing batch after batch. And I agree with them. The brewing time itself will be four minutes. Chemex vs French Press – Which Should I Buy? You start with a wiggling motion, and move to a gentle spiral to ensure that you get an even soaking. Another chemex vs french press difference you could highlight is the material. Hello! Our French Press vs Chemex review enables us to differentiate the quality of brew and its processes to make that “perfect brew.” Chemex is specifically designed for people who want to enjoy their coffee with no jitters to worry about because of the strict extraction and filtering that Chemex filters do. To learn more, read our article on how to keep your coffee hot (as well as the myths surrounding it). WINNER: The French Press brewer is the runaway victor for portability – thanks to its less fragile components and convenient design. Here’s a link to our in-depth Chemex brewing guide so you can check out the process in more detail. Sign up to discover your next favorite restaurant, recipe, or cookbook in the largest community of knowledgeable food enthusiasts. I discovered my love for Coffee early in high school and have explored that passion for over a decade now. So which method should you trust to make that ‘perfect’ brew? The lack of paper filters also makes a French press quite environmentally friendly, as there is no paper waste. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/magazine/who-made-that-french-press.html, Cho, N. (2014, June 26). Not only does a Chemex oftentimes cost more than a French press, but a gooseneck style kettle is a must have for quality brewing, which can also set you back some money. When brewing with a French Press, it’s preferable to use a medium/dark roast bean. When comparing the AeroPress vs the french press or traditional coffee maker, it does not over extract, leading to less bitter coffee. The Chemex vs French Press Showdown. Now, let’s see how they size up against the other in terms of important coffee-making aspects like preparation time, convenience, portability, and quality of end product/brew: There are days when you have the luxury of time to prepare your favorite brew and savor it sip by sip. The screen is made of metal and sits in the pitcher below the lid. Then pour your remaining water and let your coffee brew for about three to four minutes. French Press: Your typical French press is slightly smaller in height at just under eight inches, but it is similar in weight to the Chemex. However, the design is a bit different. But you don’t need to set up a paper filter as the plunger already has a built-in mesh filter. They are also thicker than other brands to ensure a more precise filtration process (1). That’s why you will find dozens of solutions to the problem. It was only decades later, from the 1950s onward, that it began to spread around Europe, Britain, and eventually, the United States. So while the result is a bright, clean cup of coffee, you might lose the richness that’s also elemental in a good cup of joe. Not to mention the heavy and full-bodied brew that most of us adore. And it’s almost inevitable that some of the ground coffee ‘dust’ may escape, and get into the brew. The lack of paper filters also makes a French press quite environmentally friendly, as there is no paper waste. Invented around the 1930’s by Italian designer Attilio Calimani, the French press is known to make some of the best coffee when used correctly. Hot water and coarsely ground coffee are placed inside, brewed for four minutes, and then separated using the steel filter. The press is a manual brewing device and you can think of it as a cylindrical teapot with a plunging mechanism. Generally speaking, the coffee to water ratio should be higher in a French Press compared to Chemex. You also don’t have to pre-heat your brewer and cup if you’re in a rush. Unlike the Chemex or drip variety, a French Press doesn’t use a paper filter and instead relies on a metal mesh filter to separate the grounds from the … Craft Coffee Guru is the website where I share things about my 25 year adventure traveling around the world and what I learned about coffee along the way. When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. My love for coffee has allowed me to experience much of the world through my coffee mug and I look forward to sharing my knowledge with you! These include the percolating, drip, pour over, press, immersion, and vacuum methods. Tie-breaker: Now, both methods have important aspects that need a bit of extra effort. It could be single origin or an Arabica blend or even an Arabica & Robusta blend as the darker roast and brewing style emphasizes the classic coffee flavor and heavy body. That’s OK though, because it’s simple to use, and requires no disposable, gimmicky filters (it comes with its own mesh filter) or pouring techniques. This time, we're pitching the Chemex against the French Press. Chemex 8 Cup Coffee Maker. What Does Chemex Coffee Taste Like? Something easy on the eye,and can brew one cup or many. Chemex vs French Press. Most of the differences between the Chemex and Aeropress boil down to a single factor: how the coffee is made. The fine steel mesh filter does allow for oils and fine particles to pass through and into the cup, but while this not only adds a ton of flavor, it can be a bit unhealthy, especially for those very sensitive to acids. A typical French press is made of stainless steel and resembles a pitcher. French Press. 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