Is French Press Coffee Better? Get The Facts Here!

Many coffee lovers have that question in their minds, Is French press coffee better? This article addresses that question in a wholehearted, open and honest way, addressing when French press is better and when other coffee brewing methods are better.

When is French press coffee better?

Keep reading to find out!

Is French Press Coffee Better?

Coffee is entirely subjective and what is better for you may not be better for another person. Whether or not a French press coffee is better depends on what type of coffee bean you are using.

What is absolutely certain, and verifiable not by personal taste or opinion, but by fact and absolute certainty is that a French press coffee maker is better at extracting the full flavor from dark roasted coffee bean.

The reason that a French press is better is due to the way in which it extracts the flavor compounds from your coffee grounds. The full immersion technique of steeping your coffee grounds in hot water for a prolonged and extended period of time, typically 4 min to 5 mins, extracts all the great, deep, intense and bold flavors and all the coffee oils.

The use of a metal mesh filter ensures that none of the coffee oils are filtered out and get into your cup of coffee.

Which results in that strong, bold, intense and full-bodied cup that you enjoy.

To make the perfect French press coffee you need some specialist equipment, which are:

• A waterproof digital coffee scale.
• A ceramic flat burr grinder.
• A French press coffee maker.

The digital coffee scale is to help you weigh the correct amount of coffee and water (by weight) to use with precision.

A ceramic flat burr grinder helps you to get the perfect grind size with the highest quality and greatest consistency.

The type of coffee bean that works best with a French press are:

• Medium roast.
• Medium dark roast.
• Full city roast (dark roast).
• Vienna roast (dark roast).
• French roast (dark roast).
• Italian roast (dark roast).

While a medium roast and medium-dark are perfectly fine with medium roasts, you will not get the flavors of origin in your coffee as they get muddied and lost with full immersion brewing. Due to being less oily, they are not as good as dark roasted coffee for this brewing method.

Read: French press or Pour over?

Why French Press Coffee Is Better

There are a few reasons why a French press coffee is better. The stand-out reason for me is the rich, bold, intense full-bodied flavor. It is far superior to all other brewing methods, with perhaps espresso or moka pot coffee and far superior in strength of flavor than drip coffee and single serve coffee machines like a Keurig and Nespresso.

It’s also very easy to make French press coffee. All you need is the same basic equipment that you need for precision brewing that you use for other coffee brewing techniques like a digital coffee scale, a ceramic flat burr grinder, and of course your coffee press, ground coffee beans and hot water.

As a bonus, French press coffee brewing is environmentally friendly as there are no paper filters to waste, no plastic coffee pods or foil lids. This makes the humble press pot a sustainable choice for the eco-conscious.

Another plus point is your French press coffee plunger brewing is versatile and can be used to make cold brew coffee and is an excellent back-up milk frother.

Is French Press Coffee Better Than Drip?

Whether a French press coffee is better than drip is entirely subjective and depends on how you like and enjoy your coffee.

It also depends on what type of coffee beans you have and are brewing with.

Of course, a French press is better than drip coffee, which is also known as filtered coffee, under the right circumstances like using medium dark to dark roasted coffee beans.

Also,

and conversely speaking, the opposite is also true. Under the right circumstances drip coffee is better than French press coffee.

Again, it all depends on what type of beans you have, and the type of coffee that you want to brew.

Drip coffee is brewed with a constant flow of fresh hot water and is particularly excellent at extracting the nuanced flavors of origin, the intricate, delicate and exquisite flavors from your light roasted coffee beans and perfectly extracted by this technique.

Drip coffee, though struggles to extract the great flavors from medium dark roasted beans and dark roasted beans.

This means that a French press is better than drip coffee for medium-dark roasted and dark roasted coffee, while a pour over coffee is better for your light roasted single origin coffee beans.

That sums up what is at the core of coffee brewing, using the right beans with the right technique.

Read: What does a French press do?

Is French Press Coffee Stronger?

Stronger, in the world of coffee, has a double meaning, flavor and caffeine content. I’ll address both in this section.

French press is stronger in flavor than most other brewing methods due to the long extraction time and the metal mesh filter that ensures that all the coffee oils get into your cup of coffee.

The standard and typical coffee to water ratio of 1:15 ensures that your coffee is strong and bold coffee.

As far as caffeine content is concerned, the fresh flow of hot water of the pour over technique is more efficient at extracting caffeine than the full immersion technique as a pour over coffee uses a weaker coffee to water ratio of 1:16 to 1:17 yet still has more caffeine than a French press.

An 8 Oz (240 ml) cup of French press coffee has from 80 mg to 120 mg of caffeine depending on the individual beans that you are brewing with.

The same 8 Oz (240 ml) cup of pour over coffee has 100 mg to 140 mg of caffeine.

French Press Coffee Ratio

The ratio of coffee to water for making a great cup of French press coffee is typically 1:15.

You can make your coffee weaker by using a 1:16 and using more water.

You can make your French press brew strong by using a more focused ratio of 1:14, 1:13 o 1:12.

Anything stronger than 1:12 for this brewing method is too strong and is probably best that you brew with another brewing method like a moka pot.

Read: Pour over Vs French press

Why French Press Coffee Is Bad For You

French press coffee is not inherently bad for you as there are a lot of positive health benefits that are associated with drinking coffee, many of which are worth paying attention to such as being good for your liver health and your mental health.

The mental health benefit comes from the proven dopamine enhancement when drinking at least 3 cups of coffee per day. There is also a proven link between a reduced risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimers disease.

According to the studies, coffee is great for your cardiovascular health.

The numerous health benefits are due to chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, phenolic compounds and nutritional profile.

Thus, it is clear that there are a lot of health benefits to coffee and that includes French press coffee.

French press is said to be less healthy due to being filterless, effectively speaking, as all coffee oils get into your brew with none filtered out.

This means that your coffee contains a compound called cafestol which would have been filtered out had a paper filter been used.

While cafestol does have the effect of raising cholesterol, it is a substance that has anticancer properties.

The amount your cholesterol levels are raised by is minimal, from 6% to 8% when drinking 5 cups of coffee.

Thus, it is not of great concern for most people. However, if you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, it might be worth looking at ways to remove the cafestol.

Removing Cafestol From French Press Coffee

Research indicates that cafestol increased cholesterol levels by 6% to 8% when drinking 5 cups of French press coffee per day for 4 weeks. It is in the best interest of coffee lovers that have been medically diagnosed with high cholesterol to reduce or remove the cafestol from their French press coffee.

The health benefits of coffee are too good to be missed.

One step that you can take is to order the largest sized coffee filter, unfold it and draw a circle around it using your French press as a template and inserting the freshly cut filter paper inside your French press below the metal mesh filter.

This will cut out 90% of the cafestol.

Of course your French press brew will taste slightly different as it will have a cleaner, crisper taste.

Is French Press Coffee Is Bad For Your Stomach?

French press coffee can be seen as not being as bad for yoru stomach as other coffee brewing techniques due to the method working best with dark roasted coffee which has a reduced acidity when compared to other coffee roasts.

If you suffer from acid reflux and still want to enjoy a cup of coffee consider cold brew coffee which has 60% less acidity than other brewing methods.

Frequently Asked Questions About Is French Press Coffee Better?

Is Coffee Better Made On French Press?

Yes, French press coffee is better when you want bold, intense, rich and full-bodied coffee. The full immersion technique of a French press coffee maker combined with the metal mesh filter is fantastic for brewing dark roasted coffee.

How Is French Press Coffee Different Than Regular Coffee?

A French press coffee maker is different from regular coffee due to the coffee steeping in the hot water for a prolonged period of time combined with metal screen filter ensure that all the coffee oils get into your brewed coffee.

Why Do People Prefer French Press Coffee?

Coffee lovers enjoy a French press coffee due to the way that ground coffee beans are left to steep in the hot water for a prolonged period of time, typically 4 minutes or 5 minutes, to extract the flavors, oils and producing a deep, and intense cup of coffee.

Is It Healthy To Use A French Press?

French pressed coffee, due to the brewing method and technique of full immersion and the use of metal coffee filters you end up with all the coffee oils in your cup of coffee.

This includes cafestol, a coffee oil that elevates your cholesterol and thus is said to be unhealthy.

In my opinion, your cholesterol levels are raised by a minimal amount and is not a concern for you unless you have been medically diagnosed with high cholesterol.

If you enjoy French press coffee and have high cholesterol, add an extra step to your coffee brewing process and filter your brewed coffee through a paper filter to remove the cafestol.

Why Is French Press Better Than Drip?

A French press is better than an automatic drip coffee maker as you have full control over all the variables associated with coffee brewing meaning you can tailor your coffee to exactly how you like and want your coffee to be.

This is not something you can do with a drip coffee maker.

What Is Unique About French Press Coffee?

The French press coffee and its design allows for your coffee grounds to be in full contact with your hot water maximizing their extraction. The use of a metal filter ensures a bolder tasting coffee.

Do French People Use French Press Coffee?

Yes, I’ve been to France a few times and I did note the use of this piece of iconic coffee brewing equipment and I can say that many of my French friends have one and have commented that most French households own a French press.

Is French Press Only For Black Coffee?

No, you can use your French press to brew all different types of coffee and not only black coffee as your French press can be used to many of the milk based coffee beverages.

In fact, your French press can even double up as an amazing back-up milk frother.

Final Thoughts – Is French Press Coffee Better?

That question, is French press coffee better? has been answered comprehensively, accurately and honestly in this article. The key is using the right brewing method with the right beans to get the coffee that you want.

Join our fun and friendly coffee community and tell us about the times when you have used a French press and the coffee hs turned out to be better! Find us on Facebook/Meta.

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location