Cafetiere grind is not the same as Aeropress. In the Cafetiere method, coffee undergoes full immersion throughout the brew time. Hence, it requires a large and coarse grind.
On the other hand, an Aeropress involves using pressure to force water through the coffee grounds. Here the contact time is shorter than the Cafetiere method and requires a fine grind.
This article will demonstrate how a Cafetiere differs from an Aeropress, what grinds suit the best for each brewing method, and which coffee beans suit them best.
What Is A Cafetiere?
A cafeteria, also known as a press pot, coffee plunger, or french press (modern Cafetiere), is a manual coffee brewing device.
It has three main parts: a cylindrical beaker, a plunger on the top of the cup, and a tray beneath the cup for storing coffee grounds.
The filter size for Cafetiere is much larger than for Aeropress. Plunging down the metal filter with a Cafetiere separates grounds from the extracted coffee.
What Is An Aeropress?
Aeropress is a manual coffee brewing device that uses a standard and inverted method for brewing. The standard process involves placing the coffee grounds at the base of a large cylinder. The smaller cylinder functions as a plunger and helps to force the coffee out of the filter.
The Inverted method involves changing the position of cylinders during the brewing process. After breaching brew time, cylinders are returned to their original positions.
Later, regular or horizontal plunging makes your coffee drink. You can use coarse grounds in the inverted method compared to the standard form that uses fine grounds.
Which Grind Is Best For Aeropress?
Aeropress suggests an espresso-level grind for use by the brewing device. A coarse grind is also suitable for Aeropress, but the extraction time is more, being the only drawback. Otherwise, Aeropress brews the best coffee of coffee beans of every size, whether finely ground or coarse.
Which Grind Is Best For Cafetiere?
You can use any grind size in a Cafetiere press. However, to get a straightforward and delicious coffee with fully emerged flavors, coarse ground sounds the best option for a Cafetiere brew.
Utilizing normal or overly fine coffee ground may direct bitterness and sludge formation in your coffee. This bitterness results from using the same brewing time and temperature conditions for regular coffee grounds that are best to use for the coarse ground.
Standard coffee ground provides a large surface area for extraction compared to coarse ground. This may result in the over-extraction of coffee.
What Kind Of Coffee Beans Suit Cafetiere?
Natural coffee with an inherent high body and honey processed coffee beans are the best choices for Cafetiere.
Additionally, an espresso roast type of recipe, or a single-origin coffee, suits a Cafetiere because of its higher body and texture. Cafetiere brews a large quantity of coffee at once, offering a full-bodied coffee with a full mouthfeel. This silky mouthfeel is one of the most attractive features of a Cafetiere.
What Kind Of Coffee Beans Suit Aeropress?
Freshly ground coffee beans are best used in an Aeropress with medium to fine grind size.
Pre grounded coffee beans work well for an Aeropress brew. But if you grind your coffee beans fresh just before you are about to brew your coffee, it will make a significant difference. Freshly ground coffee beans provide your coffee with a flavor that is twice good as already ground beans.
For best results, your grinds should be a little coarser than the grinds for an Aeropress.
How Is Cafetiere Different From An Aeropress?
Some important features make Cafetiere different from Aeropress:
- Taste.
- Convenience.
- Durability.
- Flexibility.
How Is Cafetiere Different From An Aeropress In Taste?
Aeropress brew tastes different from Cafetiere brew. The main difference lies in body, mouthfeel, and clarity.
Cafetiere brewing produces coffee with a higher body and heavier mouthfeel than an Aeropress. This is because it uses a mesh or metal filter, which allows the passage of oils and fine particles into the coffee.
On the other hand, an Aeropress uses highly effective filter paper, which absorbs the oils and prevents the passage of fine particles.
However, with a Cafetiere, clarity of flavor is masked or influenced by the oils or finer particles present. Paper filtration in an Aeropress gives coffee more clarity of flavor.
Here is a brief overlook of the taste differences between Cafetiere and Aeropress brew:
- Aeropress: A dense cup with characteristic clarity, lighter mouthfeel, and is more bitter.
- Cafetiere: A clarity of flavor is masked with a higher body, heavier mouthfeel, and is less bitter.
Besides Aeropress, Cafetiere and Siphon also allow full immersion, but the resultant beverage in each case has a different taste and look.
How Is Cafetiere Different From An Aeropress In Terms Of Convenience?
Cafetiere is more convenient than an Aeropress; however, it is more difficult to clean up Cafetiere after brewing. In addition, Aeropress takes a long time to brew coffee because of using a coarse grind. Hence, an Aeropress makes a single cup of coffee much shorter time than a Cafetiere.
The Aeropress has two filters that give maximum filtration to your coffee, whether finely ground coffee or coarse ground coffee and make it tastier. The Aeropress method using coarse grind gives a sweeter brew and controls the acidity in the coffee; however, it takes a little more time for extraction. Therefore, the coffee made in Aeropress is less bitter.
Is Aeropress More Durable Than A Cafetiere?
Cafetieres are usually glass, while Aeropress consists of hard plastic material. This feature makes Aeropress a better choice than a Cafetiere.
Cafetiere needs to be handled with care as it is more susceptible to breaking apart than a plastic Aeropress.
How Is Cafetiere Different From An Aeropress In Terms Of Flexibility?
Cafetiere allows for some brewing ability as compared to an Aeropress. However, it doesn’t allow you to respond to errors made during the brewing process and limits flexibility.
The Aeropress, however, is flexible as you can adjust any mistakes made during the brew.
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.
