Hi
I’m using a French press and separate steamer to do my flat whites. Getting good results on par with many cafes I’ve tried.
Just wondering if there would be any improvements getting a coffee machine?
Thanks
Any Taste Benefits Getting a Coffee Machine Vs French Press
Comments
Yeah I’m happy with my coffee. Just wondering if any improvements by getting a machine. Thanks
Stick with what works for you. I use espresso half strength ie only brew for 15 seconds using Aldi beans. Your method sounds very cheap which fits in perfect with the ethos of this site also.
Everyone tastes differently. If you are happy with your set up, stick with it.
If I took this advice to heart I'd buy so much less junk. But it's black friday so I'm bound to win up with yet another pair of earbuds before the day is out.
It's just a different taste.
We have French Press / Moka / Aeropress / Espresso and rotate just for variety.
There is the intangible satisfaction from getting a good result with an espresso machine, particularly with black coffee and crema.
Huge difference to me, brown water with french press and coffee (emulsion/suspension) with a decent coffee machine. Can fine tune with a decent coffee machine to your taste.
However if you're happy with flat whites save your coin.
Ignorance is bliss :) Espresso and French Press are two totally different beasts, worlds apart.
I’m sure you are right especially if having coffee black. Adding a load of steamed milk probably dilutes the difference.
We call it a coffee plunger here, not a French press, that's American
You would get very watery coffee if you use a coffee plunger with steamed milk. Plunger coffee is weak enough that you would only add a dash of milk similar to instant coffee. Adding the same amount of steamed milk that you'd add to espresso would mean you'd hardly be able to taste the coffee.
Espresso on the other hand is very concentrated. So even when the liquid in your cup is 90% milk 10% coffee you still get a rich coffee taste.
If you left the coffee plunger brewing long enough to make it as concentrated as espresso, not only would it get cold but it would taste bitter. Espresso is the way to get concentrated coffee without bitterness.
If you have it black, assuming you usually add hot water to espresso to dilute it when you buy a coffee in a café (long black), there wouldn't be a big enough difference between plunger and espresso coffee to justify spending hundreds of dollars on a machine. But if you have it with milk (and aren't satisfied with just adding a dash of milk), definitely.
Thanks. I normally let the coffee sit in the plunger for about 4-5 minutes and extract about 100ml with maybe 300ml steamed milk.
I agree. I find Espresso too strong so only go for half stregth.
What’s the reason for the machine producing more concentrated coffee? I pre heat the plunger and add water at about 90 degrees.
@shertiger: The water is pressurised when it is pushed through the grinds to pull the coffee essence out with it (not sure what the right terminology is). But in a plunger the coffee sits in the water and the essence leaks out out the water very slowly, it isn't forced out like it is with the pressurised water being forced through.
I am sure there is a chemical explanation, with the different chemical compounds found in coffee grinds and how they respond to having water forced through or just sitting in water (whether they come out of the grinds and into the water or just stay in the grinds). I am not a food scientist though
Your taste buds!
I am a capsule lover but no milk, no sugar.
No 2 humans have equal taste buds.
Life is too short to suffer.
Buy to satisfy what your buds prefer!I do espresso purely because it is quicker and easier for me. I can just turn on my machine, grind, and have a coffee ready all in about 30 seconds. A french press will take me longer with boiling etc.
French press and espresso are two very different coffee creation methods. It really is up to you and how you like it.
The benefits of a french press are that it's cheap for the 'machine', takes up little to no space and gives you consistent results with little training/knowledge.
Espresso, depending on the machine, has a learning curve, takes up space, and costs substantially more.
If you're happy with french press why change?