7 Reasons to Choose a French Press vs Drip Coffee Maker

You probably don’t need to put a lot of thought into coffee. Making that morning cup probably is a no brainer, you do it everyday. It’s habit now.

But, what if that cup of coffee could be life changing? What if it was an experience, not just a mundane habit? Choosing a French press can change everything about that morning brew. Keep reading to learn why.

What is a French press?

The French press was first invented in 1852, but the initial product underwent some changes. The design for the French press we know today was patented in 1929. It is also known as a cafetière, press pot, caffettiera a stantuffo, coffee press, or coffee plunger.

It is a hands on coffee maker with a metal rod, called a”plunger” at the lid that you need to manually press down to blend the coffee and extract the oils out of the coffee beans. Sometimes hotels will have a french press in each room becuase it is an simple and customizable way to make coffee.

Here is how it works. First, you put the coffee grounds in the bottom of the beaker, then you pour in the hot water. The coffee grounds and hot water are steeped. Once done steeping the “plunger” part gets pushed down, pressing the coffee down to a metal mesh filter at the bottom of the beaker.

In this filter the grounds and liquid coffee are seperated, trapping the coffee grounds at the the bottom of the beaker, and the liquid coffee (including the good oil from the beans) ready for your mug.

A French Press coffee maker requires a little more hands on experience than a drip coffee maker (which we will cover in a moment) and you need to heat up water before adding it to the french press. There are pros and cons but the French press coffee maker is the way to go for fabulous tasting coffee.

What is a Drip Coffee Maker?

A drip coffee maker more of a hands off experience than French presses. This electric machine has a tank to heat up the water to the optimal temperature, and then slowly releases the water over a brew basket. The brew basket has a coffee filter (whether paper or permanent,) and ground coffee beans. From there the brewed coffee drips down into a carafe underneath for you to enjoy it.

There are some reasons you may choose to purchase a drip coffee maker instead of a French press. These can include the easiness of it (hey- you might be tired in the morning and not want the extra work of making your coffee,) the hands off characteristic, the bigger size, or more.

The process of making coffee in a drip coffee maker is pretty simple. The machine does most of the work for you. As was the case with the French press however, there are some cons to drip coffee too.

7 reasons you should use a French press

1.  Better taste

The first and foremost reason you should start using a french press for your coffee is the taste. Because the steeping time is longer and the water and grind are steeping together the end result of a French press is a wonderful cup of rich, flavorful, and delicious coffee.

Unlike the drip press method of the water just dripping over the ground beans and getting some of the flavor, the water mixes with the ground beans in the french press. It allows the beans to extract their intense flavor and makes your coffee extra tasty.

2. More customizable

Because the French press is more hands on, it allows for some customizing. Want a longer steep time? Shorter steep time?  Pressed a few times? There are a lot of things you can do with the french press because you are handling the coffee making process. There’s only a few things you can customize when it comes to the drip coffee maker, becuase you’re not the one doing everything, the machine is.

With a french press you can make coffee according to your tastes and preferences.

3. Space in your kitchen

One downside to the drip coffee maker is the amount of space it takes up in your kitchen. Often a drip coffee maker will be big and bulky, and have a lot of parts to clean, store, and take care of. The French press on the other hand is pretty much just the beaker and the plunger parts. It doesn’t take up much space, and can fit in a drawer of cupboard as well.

4. Portability

The portability of the French press is another reason it is a great coffee maker. It’s small so it is easy to take with you if you are on the go, and it can fit in a backpack or a bag. Becuase it doesn’t need electricity it is perfect for camping or hiking and any other situations where you might have no electricity, but still a thirst for coffee.

5. Size

The next benefit to the French press is the size of it. This may be a benefit to you depending on how much coffee you need. A typical French press size can fit 1-2 cups of coffee. If it’s just you making coffee in the morning you may want the smaller size the French press has to offer. It does range in bigger sizes if needed, as well.

6. Brewing time

Depending on the machine you get, the brewing time may fluctuate with drip coffee makers. Drip makers can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to brew a cup of coffee. You need to wait for the machine to heat up and make your coffee. The French press on the other hand is a pretty standard 5-8 minutes of time, which includes boiling the water and allowing it to steep for 3-4 minutes.

The difference isn’t really all that big, so this reason may not be the most swaying, but every French press should have the same amount of brewing time, for the most part (unless you want a longer or shorter time,) while the time with the drip will vary depending on your model.

7.  Cost

Because less materials go in to making a French press- it is typically cheaper than a drip coffee maker. A decent French press typically falls in the $10-$70 range, whereas drip coffee makers fall in the $20-$300 range.

Bottom line:

So, what is the bottom line? Are French presses better than drip coffee machines? In the end, it really is up to you. Which method you prefer and which one will work for your lifestyle. After reading the 7 reasons why a French press is better though, we hope you’ll take the plunge (pun intended) and try brewing with the French press.