# So I've ended up filtering french-press coffee



## tdfg7583 (Nov 16, 2016)

After a few experiments with fresh roasted coffee a V60 and a French Press, I've been struggling to find the perfect balance. The V60 makes a lovely cup, if all goes well, but I have often ended up with bitterness and uneven-tasting extractions as I experiment with pouring techniques and grind sizes. I'm just not consistent enough yet. The french press just seemed a bit muddy and lacked the zest of the V60.

So I tipped some of my <gs id="dcb08e19-7ff0-4a76-a109-7947f4a74405" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="efdf2a69-a7c3-47df-86a5-c9226415c6e4" class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">cup</gs> of french-press coffee through a V60 filter and the result was fantastic. Clear, smooth, rich and fruity. Spot on for me. But I could use a more elegant solution than using both the french press and the V60. It's a lot of <gs id="2551570f-58d4-4e30-8daf-9536f0afafba" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="aa7bdcc8-50cb-4d71-a334-e6b0fd8278e5" class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">faff</gs> at work and makes a fair bit of cleanup. And I'd like to keep the temperature of the coffee up a little. What are my alternatives, do you think?

I've heard that the Kalita Wave might give me more even extractions than the V60 as a beginner; might that put me in the same ballpark? Though I'd also read that the filters are thicker than the V60's, might I lose some of the brightness or <gs id="d33307ed-16f2-415c-afda-03d373b118ed" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="56ade012-a373-451f-aa87-e1e09e0d736e" class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">acidity</gs> of the brew? I also thought about the Clever Dripper but I'm not keen on all that plastic and hot liquid mixing four times a day.

In an ideal world, I'd get great at V60 pours but, as I say, I want something that I can do without too much messing around at work. Any ideas?


----------



## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

I use a Cafflano which serves me really well. I just bring beans in a sealed pot - totally portable, no mess. Means I can have fresh coffee anywhere, just needs hot water from either work or a burger van!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cafflano-Klassic-All-in-One-Coffeemaker-Black/dp/B00VRYMTR0

Prices vary quite a bit - pretty sure I got mine from Edgcumbes.


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Changing brewers won't really 'help', but hey, we all probably have couple of different ones, so it won't do any harm either.

When you brew the V60 presumably you are using a pouring kettle? If not, you'll struggle to get consistent extractions. Kalita wave & the Melitta 102 cones can produce consistent extractions from a regular kettle as long as you are careful. You get good clarity with the V60 and Kalita, acidity will be more down to how you brew.

Any pour over pretty much demands you are there for the brew time, so I wouldn't worry about the 'messing about' as you're either watching timing & pouring or watching & timing for that time. The key is to use the same amounts each time (coffee to the decimal place of a g, water to a gram, or two), similar roast levels & consistent brew times (+/-20sec of your average)...if you can do this with 1 mug brews, you shouldn't need to make many, or large grind adjustments.

I wouldn't worry about the Clever, they redesigned it with a different BPA free plastic - V60, Aeropress, Melitta all come in plastic variants, the filter holders In drip machines are plastic too. Personally, I think you can make pourover as consistently as any other manual brew method.

French press will always be hazy, if it's muddy you're doing something wrong...I'm not keen on it for a work place brewer due to the clean up though.


----------



## the_partisan (Feb 29, 2016)

Clever dripper sounds like what you want - it's basically like a french press with a filter. and there aren't really any variables to mess up except grind size + steeping time.


----------



## Robbo (Feb 17, 2016)

Another vote for the clever. easy and consistent


----------



## tdfg7583 (Nov 16, 2016)

the_partisan said:


> Clever dripper sounds like what you want - it's basically like a french press with a filter. and there aren't really any variables to mess up except grind size + steeping time.


Yeah, I really liked the idea of the Clever Dripper but I'm not so fond of the plastic, in terms of potential leeching into hot water. I know the new Clever Drippers are BPA free, but some studies say that the BPA alternatives might not be so great either. If they made one in glass or ceramic, I'd be all over it!


----------



## tdfg7583 (Nov 16, 2016)

I might give it a try though, as it seems to be the popular choice here


----------



## the_partisan (Feb 29, 2016)

tdfg7583 said:


> Yeah, I really liked the idea of the Clever Dripper but I'm not so fond of the plastic, in terms of potential leeching into hot water. I know the new Clever Drippers are BPA free, but some studies say that the BPA alternatives might not be so great either. If they made one in glass or ceramic, I'd be all over it!


I personally use the Hario V60 plastic cone. Aeropress is also plastic. They're all approved for use. If you are really concerned you could also try the Bonavita porcelain one maybe?


----------



## Cirya (Jan 2, 2016)

+1 The ceramic Bonavita should work well, if any form of plastic is not an option.

I sometimes use a cut v60 filter in a french press, attached in between the mesh filter and lock plate of the plunger. Works well but it's a bit of a hassle.


----------



## tdfg7583 (Nov 16, 2016)

The Bonavita option looks promising to me, thanks. Anyone have both the Bonavita and the Clever, who has any thoughts on the difference in flavour of the brew from each?

Interesting idea in cutting v60 filters to fit the French Press plunger! This week I also saw the Espro P5 Cafetiere, which has optional paper filters designed to fit, so I might try that and also one of the immersion drippers to compare the methods. I hadn't seen any UK stockists of the P5 filter papers yet though.


----------



## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

tdfg7583 said:


> The Bonavita option looks promising to me, thanks. Anyone have both the Bonavita and the Clever, who has any thoughts on the difference in flavour of the brew from each?.


I have both, I prefer the Bonavita, the Clever can be more of a faff to get the best flavour (I use a paper & a gold filter together), but if you do them both right there shouldn't be much in it. ALWAYS place the Bonavita on an adequately sized carafe/mug when steeping, as the shut off valve can occasionally leak. The most consistent brews I have had from the Bonavita have been drip brews, not immersions though.


----------

