# Chemex versus French Press



## crispy (Jun 6, 2011)

Anyone have any thoughts on difference in taste/strength/other when using the same beans in both a Chemex and French Press... going to look into it in the next few weeks, will post some findings...


----------



## Monkey_Devil (Jul 11, 2011)

For me, french press has considerably more body, but with that extra body comes some muddy texture at the bottom of the cup. I liken chemex to a sort of "tea bodied" coffee. Its much more delicate. I also find chemex brews a sweeter coffee, but that may just be my bad technique with french press?

Each has their place. If we're talking brewed coffee, disregarding espresso, I prefer chemex as a breakfast to afternoon cup, but after dinner tend to prefer french press.


----------



## crispy (Jun 6, 2011)

I agree with you there totally... the muddy texture is totally different from the chemex, I assume this is also why I find french press stronger in terms of brew... the purpose of the chemex paper is to remove any bitterness associated with the coffee thus giving a sweeter taste, definitely more tea like...

still haven't started my research as to how they affect the same coffee... oh well..


----------



## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

My experiences are different here cripsy. I tend to find that French Press is easier to control than drip filter coffee since there are fewer variables. No need to pour at a certain speed in a certain place. Less need to get the grind and timing bang-on (although it would be preferable!) since there's a longer extraction time and hence a larger window. Using the same beans I therefore get much less bitter cups with an FP. Have you tried a less coarse grind or letting the water cool more before filling the FP?

Must admit, I'm not quite sure why drip brewing has usurped French Press in coffeeshops other than maybe as a means to make the brewing process look theatrical and cool to support the concept of a third wave. But hey, if people like it and it sells then why not? Personally I'd like to serve coffee as close to a cupping experience as possible, so muddy cups it is for me! I'm thinking of grinding to Turkish level and spooning it straight into the cup, like they do in Bali.


----------



## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

By bitterness do you mean the overextracted fines that are present in French Press but filtered out in a Chemex?

Chemex has a lighter body, but only when using paper filters

Using a Coava Kone the Chemex develops a totally different characteristic and retains much of the body

Your grind, dose and total extraction time will all play a part, even f you keep the volume of water the same

Try extracting at different temperatures too

There are different coffees that suit both methods, but the key is to experiment until you find a taste you like


----------



## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

Both French Press & Chemex are great. For me, the differences are (assuming Chemex paper filters as Glenn points out







):

Chemex - cleaner (more sharply defined flavours), more acidic

French Press - thicker mouthfeel, more complex flavours.

Those differences can pretty much be sorted back to the Chemex filter paper vs the FPs mesh - the filter paper removes a lot of non-soluble material that pass through a mesh. I don't think that is either a good or bad thing - just a personal taste and I know I switch between the two on a regular basis, and wouldn't be without either.

Mike - I suspect a significant reason in the popularity of pour-over vs FP is the hassle involved in cleaning. In a busy shop, having to clean out an FP regularly is a fair bit of time and effort, vs binning a filter and rinsing the holder. As you say, theatre also plays a part, as does pre-conceptions - in the UK, French Press/cafertiere tends to be something you associate with an older, more traditional tea-room or hotel I think, and that's a perception that speciality coffee shops generally try to avoid. There's also the issue of not wanting to present something that people will think "I could do that at home" and to give them something novel. That said, I'm personally much happier to see an FP on the menu, and there are a number of speciality shops which include it among their brewed choices


----------

