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HOROG
8
Nov 13, 2017
Hey Coffee Community,
What's the difference between aeropress, French press, drip and chemex? Sorry for the ignorance, but don't they all produce similar results?
jkiemele
222
Nov 16, 2017
HOROGI view the difference between these as the difference in extraction and brewing style. Aeropress is ground finer and extracts faster. French press is ground coarse and extracts slower. Drip/Chemex is in the middle. The extraction will impact the flavor, mouth feel, and overall characteristics. Also, all these, but French press, use filters so oils will be partially or totally removed. French press doesn't use paper filters and, therefore, allow for oils to remain, adding a different complexity.
French press can be "muddy" in a lot going on in the cup due to extraction and brewing style (immersion). Aeropress is partially similar in brewing style (starts as immersion), but is filtered and is cleaner. It can make somewhat of a pseudo espresso. Drip, Chemex in particular, I find to be the cleanest and brightest in flavor.
It's fun to play around with them or find a coffee shop that offers these various methods so you can taste the same coffee bean made different ways. The taste variation is definitely noticeable.
Salamando
1
Dec 30, 2018
jkiemeleThe only thing I'll add to this is you can play around with your variables, to get very different results, from the same brew method. Whilst it's not the most comprehensive article, this wiki page gives a good insight into coffee extraction https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_extraction Without a refractometer, you're looking for sweetness and balance. If it's dry, gritty and bitter, try and use a coaser grind, or reduce the brew time. If it's sour and astringent, make the grind finer, or brew for longer.
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