The Aerobie AeroPress and traditional plunger coffee makers, often called a French Press or a cafetiere, are both great options for home brewing but they are fundamentally very different devices. The AeroPress is easy to use, transportable and makes a tasty coffee whereas plunger devices make larger volumes in one go with a full-bodied flavour.
Which of the two is best for you depends on what you want to get out of your coffee, though you may ultimately decide that you’re better off having both in your home for their different uses. Whether you’re looking for a cheap option, a quick brew, or an intense flavour it’s worth exploring these two iconic devices.
This article will go into detail about the differences between the AeroPress and the cafetiere, what each device is best suited for and what to keep in mind when you are choosing between them for your own home.
How is an AeroPress Similar to a French Press?
Both devices are considered to be full-immersion brewers, which means that the coffee and the water steep together inside them for some time before they are separated. Pour over coffee makers, on the other hand, allow water to pass through the grounds and a filter without giving them time to steep and fully immerse.
How is an AeroPress Coffee Similar to a French Press Coffee?
Because the coffee is allowed time to fully immerse in both devices, the coffee that they produce is thick and full of flavour. With pour over coffee makers, you are unlikely to be able to brew a coffee that can be topped up with extra water or combined with hot milk while still maintaining its flavour.
What’s the Difference Between an AeroPress and a Plunger?
There are many differences between an AeroPress and a plunger coffee maker, even if they seem similar at a glance. The AeroPress uses pressure to create a cleaner brew with a more complex flavour directly into your cup, whereas a plunger steeps the grounds for greater volume and more body in a coffee that you then pour yourself.
How Does an AeroPress Work?
The AeroPress is made up of a chamber that sits on your cup with a filter attached to the bottom, into which you pour your coffee grounds and hot water before applying the plunger. The plunger for an AeroPress is a column with a rubber seal that forces hot water past the grounds with pressure, directly into your cup.
How Do Plunger Coffees Work?
A French Press, or cafetiere, is essentially a jug in which you can steep coffee grounds and hot water. The plunger in one of these devices is actually a metal filter that separates the grounds from the water so that you can then pour the steeped coffee out of the jug and into your cup.
What Kind of Coffee Does an AeroPress Make?
The AeroPress is known for making a single cup of nuanced, consistent coffee that is more similar to an espresso than other home devices on the market. The use of pressure means that your coffee will taste clean and full of flavour, in a way that highlights the quality of good beans without being too heavy.
What Kind of Coffee Does a Cafetiere Make?
Coffee from a cafetiere tends to be stronger in general, with a rich flavour that has a bit more weight to it than you get from an AeroPress. It can, however, have more grounds in the end result and have less clarity of flavour, making it difficult to identify the different nuances of high-quality grounds.
What is the Advantage of an AeroPress?
An AeroPress is particularly beneficial because of its size and durability, making it very easy to transport and practically indestructible. The AeroPress is also quite versatile and allows for more experimental coffee makers to try out different things, and often get more out of their beans than you might with a traditional plunger device.
How is an AeroPress Both Reliable and Versatile?
Because the brewing method is very easy to replicate, you can reliably repeat the same brew multiple times in an AeroPress, which is not as easy to do in a cafetiere. An AeroPress is also flexible, however, in that it can be used in different ways to prepare many different coffee recipes.
Is an AeroPress Easier than a French Press?
Both devices are incredibly easy to use, as they require little more than putting the grounds and water inside, waiting, and then plunging. In some ways, a cafetiere requires less in the setting up process and it is less likely to make a bad brew if your timing is off, but the AeroPress is significantly easier to clean.
Does an AeroPress or a Cafetiere Make More Coffee?
If you are making more than one cup of coffee, the cafetiere is almost always the way to go. While the AeroPress can only make one cup at a time, cafetieres come in all different sizes and are much easier to fill and leave on the side for multiple guests to drink from.
Which is Quicker to Brew, an AeroPress or a Plunger Coffee?
Once the coffee and water are inside your machine, an AeroPress requires less time to get a great flavour out of your brew. Cafetiere coffee should be steeped for around 5 minutes in order to get a good amount of extraction, but an AeroPress can be plunged after just a couple of minutes and still get the full flavour.
Can you use Cafetiere Coffee in an AeroPress?
Both devices require ground coffee, though the type of grounds that you use will differ between the two, particularly if you are looking for certain flavours. An AeroPress is designed for a finer grind consistency to get a more complex flavour, whereas a plunger device will need coarser grounds so that they don’t pass through the filter.
What Grind is Best for an AeroPress?
AeroPress recommend a medium-fine grind because it allows for full extraction and great flavour while still being relatively easy to plunge. Many AeroPress users, however, prefer a finer grind consistency to get a flavour and texture that is closer to espresso, but this requires a bit more skill to plunge reliably with good pressure.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.