If you spend any time enjoying coffee in your life, you’ve probably heard about different kinds of coffee making, from the Chemex Coffee Maker to the French Press. But is a Chemex Coffee Maker the same as a French press or even share some characteristics?
Chemex coffee maker is not the same as a French press because a Chemex coffee maker lets the water drip through the coffee grounds into the reservoir below through a filter. A French press enables the coffee to sit and then presses the coffee grounds to the bottom of the reservoir. Chemex Coffee makers are far closer to a conventional electric coffee maker but require a pour-over technique.
Let’s discover some of the differences between Chemex Coffee makers and French presses, why a Chemex Coffee Maker might make better tasting coffee and some of the other reasons that you might want to choose Chemex over a French press from being able to diversify the flavors to having an easier cleaning job.
What Makes Chemex Different from a French Press?
The biggest difference between a Chemex Coffee Maker and a French press is that a Chemex Coffee Maker lets the water drip through the coffee grounds through a filter into the reservoir below. It is a pour-over method of making coffee which means that there are multiple times when you will pour water over the grounds before finishing the coffee.
In contrast, a French press involves pouring all the water into the reservoir and letting it sit for several minutes after stirring. Once it has steps for the appropriate amount of time, you will use the press to push the coffee grounds to the bottom of the reservoir, where they will stay until you have poured out all of the coffee.
There isn’t much difference between them in terms of time since they take about the same amount. Still, a French press is more of a pour and leave it method, whereas Chemex and pour over method requires you to pour a certain amount of water multiple times for 4 to 5 minutes.
Why Does Coffee Taste Better in a Chemex?
Chemex coffee tastes better than other coffees you may have encountered, mainly because of the filters. Chemex filters are thicker than traditional ones, so they can filter out fats and oils much better, resulting in a cleaner and more flavorful cup of coffee without bitterness or sediment.
The filter is vital to pour-over coffee since it will filter all the coffee grinds as the water drips through them. This is unlike a French press which presses the coffee grounds down to the bottom. The coffee will taste bitter if the filter isn’t enough to clean out most of the coffee grounds.
Why Chemex is Better Than a French Press
Not only does a Chemex Coffee taste better than a French press in many cases, but there are also many other reasons that a Chemex might be a better option for making coffee in a French press. Here are some reasons you might want to pick a Chemex over a French press.
Chemex Incorporates More Delicate Flavors
Chemex might be a good option if you’ve wanted to infuse more delicate flavors like Jasmine or Citrus into your cup, but you only ever taste coffee. The atomics filters remove most of the coffee’s body, allowing more delicate flavors to present themselves. This is especially true for floral coffees which come from Africa.
Chemex Reduces Grit
No one wants their coffee to have a gritty feeling, so having a Chemex is a great alternative to a French press. Since the insurance has a thick paper filter that holds the coffee grounds and ensures that only the liquid is going to filter through, you’re less likely to get any sandy sediment that settles into the coffee.
Better yet, you’re less likely to have any grittiness settling to the bottom of your cup whenever you pour coffee for yourself. You can say goodbye to getting to the bottom of your coffee cup only to be met with that awful grittiness coughing up a bit of a Bitter End to your morning cup.
Chemex Makes a Statement
No one is going to mistake a Chemex for a regular coffee maker. They usually have a dynamic shape and other decorative pieces depending on how much you want to invest in buying one. As a result, they become a piece of decor and something functional. It’s a great piece to bring when you have people over and want to make coffee.
There’s also a kind of ceremony to making pour-over coffee that you don’t get with an electronic coffee maker or even a French press. You have to repeat multiple steps, which creates the kind of showmanship in making coffee this way. If you have people over regular Aleve, this might be a nice thing to add to your routine.
Chemex is Easier to Clean
Since the filter will be holding the coffee grounds, you don’t have to worry about scooping them out of the bottom of the reservoir as you do with a French press. You can easily pull the filter off the top with coffee grounds and compost them or use them for anything else you would like.
Then all you need to do is clean the Chemex itself after drinking the coffee. Better yet, you can even put the salmon in the fridge if you want to chill your coffee for later use if you brought too much and have some leftover, or you can use it for gardening and other tasks.
Conclusion
Chemex coffee makers are not French press since they instead use a pour-over method with a filter to steep the copy through the coffee grounds into the reservoir below. French press, in contrast, steeps the coffee beans in the water directly and then pushes the coffee grounds to the bottom of the reservoir after steeping. However, there isn’t much difference in the time to make coffee.
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.