In this review, we’ll show how the modern Aeropress performs versus the classic French Press – and how both are good options for brewing coffee at home. Among other factors, we’ll compare the two in terms of:
Let’s start with a quick look at both brewing methods.
What Makes the Aeropress So Great?
In 2005, Alan Adler introduced the Aeropress to the coffee world to solve a common problem – how to brew less bitter coffee? He found that the best way to do this was to shorten the total brew time by using pressure. This led to the unique design of the Aeropress where the coffee is plunged out after a quick steep.
Because of its unique design, the Aeropress can be used for brewing different types of coffee. This versatility means a wider range of flavors – some unique to the Aeropress, while others a good approximation of espresso-based drinks. More on this in the later section.
Outside of its brewing capabilities, the Aeropress gets a lot of love for how convenient it is. The plunger-type design makes for quick and easy cleaning. By itself, the brewer is also compact enough to easily bring around when traveling. The team for the European Coffee Trip magazine has even tried brewing with the Aeropress in the middle of a flight.
French Press: The Most Underrated Brewing Method
2007 World Barista Champion, James Hoffmann, describes the French Press as “the most underrated method for brewing coffee”. In his book “The World Atlas of Coffee” he mentions the origins of the French Press date back to 1852 and was traced to two Frenchmen named Mayer and Delforge. Since then, the brewer has gone through many iterations. And it wasn’t until 1958 when the French Press was patented in the form we’re familiar with today.
It’s easy to gloss over the coffee a French Press can make. Unlike a pour over, or even an Aeropress, it isn’t a flashy way of brewing coffee. But that’s the beauty of it. Because of how straightforward it is to use, it’s far more unlikely than other manual brewers to make a bad brew.
As a brew method, the French Press saves a lot in terms of the time and frustration needed to dialing it in. This is the most plug-and-play you can get in the world of manual brewing.
Swiss Army Knife vs. Timeless Classic
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of each factor, we’ve summarized into this table how the Aeropress and French Press perform against each other:
| Factor | Aeropress | French Press |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ✓ | ✓ |
| Versatility | ✓ | |
| Durability | ✓ | |
| Price | ✓ | |
| Serving Size | ✓ | |
| Taste | ✓ | ✓ |
| Overall | 4 | 4 |
Ease of Use
The French Press gets an easy point for this category since it’s basically a ‘set and forget’ method. But what about the Aeropress?
While not as dead simple as the French Press, the traditional method for brewing the Aeropress is still quite straightforward. Relative to pour overs, the Aeropress is much more forgiving and does not require a fancy kettle either. It also has an advantage with the speed of its brews, in terms of its usability.
Versatility
With the French Press, what you see is what you get. The only other kind of coffee you’ll be able to make with it is cold brew since it still involves steeping.
On the other hand, the Aeropress offers much more flexibility with what you can brew with it. The traditional method has its own taste but it can also approximate a pour over. While the inverted method can produce a concentrate similar to an espresso. This can be used as a base to add water over and simulate an americano, or milk to for a faux latte.
The Aeropress is also capable of making small batches of cold brew concentrate. Compared to using a French Press, much less steep time will be needed since the coffee will be plunged out. Effectively, you’ll be able to get a cleaner concentrate within a matter of minutes instead of waiting overnight.
Durability
The Aeropress takes the point here since it is commonly made out of plastic and is basically unbreakable. Whereas the French Press is commonly made with thin glass. Regardless of whether it is supported by plastic or stainless steel, it is still quite fragile.
Price
While some builds of the French Press can cost as much as (if not more than) an Aeropress, they’re typically much cheaper and can go as low as $10. The lower price range of the Aeropress, on the other hand, usually benchmarks at around $20.
Serving Size
This is where the Aeropress is quite limited. The regular version can only hold up to 250ml (8.45oz) of coffee at a time, while the Aeropress Go is smaller and holds even less.
At best, the Aeropress can only serve up to 2 full cups at a time – if using the inverted method to make a concentrate and then adding water or milk after. Otherwise, it will serve about 3 long espresso shots.
There are multiple sizes for the French Press which range from a single serving of 235ml (8oz) to a large serving of 1L (36oz). The French Press takes this one especially if you’re making coffee for more than just yourself.
Taste
In reality, taste profile is subjective and can’t really be scored for which is better. Good beans will always result in a good brew, regardless of which method. At the same time, there is no brewing method that can magically save bad tasting coffee and make it taste good.
Both the French Press and the Aeropress brew coffee through immersion/steeping. What you can typically expect from both is a rich and strong coffee. That being said, the key difference between the two is in the mouthfeel.
While mainly an immersion brew, the Aeropress is also a filter brew since the coffee passes through a paper filter at the end. This removes any coffee sediments and oils from the final cup. The result is a unique tasting coffee since it has the same richness of a French Press but with the cleanliness similar to a pour over.
On the other hand, the French Press does not filter out the oils and sediments from the steeped coffee. This creates that heavy mouthfeel in the final cup.
Does that mean the French Press is inferior because its final cup is not as clean as the Aeropress? Not necessarily. Between both brew methods, the French Press gives a more unbiased brew since it closely simulates a cupping format. Meaning it gives you a better baseline for how the coffee tastes without any tricks.
It’s the same reason roasters like to “cup” their coffees instead of using specific a brew method when evaluating flavor profiles.
Conclusion: Get Both
At the end of the day, don’t overthink it. You can’t go wrong with either and we recommend you get both to really taste the difference for yourself. That being said, if you really had to pick one, here are some things to think about:
Get the Aeropress if:
- You want to experiment
- You want a clean final cup
- Don’t have to brew for more than 2 people
Get the French Press if:
- You want to taste your coffee for what it is
- You want a plug-and-play brew method
- Have to brew for more than 2 people