Are you coffee-crazed? Maybe you need to be more mindful of your coffee drinking. No matter the reason, it might be worth looking into whether a drip coffee maker or French press is right for you.
Drip coffee makers are great for small households, but they’re not really our favorite single-cup brewer type. Besides, French presses are perfect if you want to serve a crowd or if your household is big enough to merit a pot.
But which one gives you the best services? In this article, I’ll intensely discuss drip coffee maker vs French press to help you select the right brewer for your needs. Ready to choose the best coffee machine? So, let’s take a closer look.
| Features | Drip Machine | French Press |
| Brewing Time | 2-8 Minutes | 6-8 Minutes |
| Control Over Brew | No | Yes |
| Volume | 8-12 Cups | 6 Cups |
| Grind Size | Medium Grind | Coarse Grind |
| Ease of Use | Simple | Medium |
Drip Coffee Maker Overview
The drip coffee maker is the most popular method of making coffee. Its popularity stems from the visual appeal of coffee dripping through a filter into a coffee pot.
A coffee dripper uses water dripping through the filter and into the pot or carafe. Usually, there is not a removable filter for replacement. The filter is generally made from a mesh, like a sizable woven mesh or metal screen.
Drip coffee makers offer a wide range of options from inexpensive to high-end models. It makes the process more convenient, easy and low-maintenance.
- Simple to use so that anybody can make it easier.
- Cheap and affordable for many people
- No individual or customized taste
- Good for use with small appliances
- Different sizes and shapes to choose from
- Uses more electricity than other coffee-making devices
- Must be cleaned up after use
How to Clean a Drip Coffee Maker?
A drip coffee maker is not as messy or difficult to clean as other coffee makers. All you need is a brush to remove the grounds from the filter. You can remove the filter and dump it in the trash or compost. If you have a glass carafe, you can wash it in the dishwasher.
When washing the filter, make sure to clean it carefully to avoid pieces of coffee grounds sticking to the mesh or screen. If you want a quick cleaning, you can soak the filter and carafe in hot water.
French Press Overview
The French press is a manual coffee maker which will brew a whole flavor coffee with an intense aroma. It is an ideal coffee brewing device for camping and traveling. A French press also consists of a plunger, making the extraction process more manageable.
You can use it to create coffee and tea by forcing the ground beans, coffee or tea leaves to the bottom of the filter. If you are looking for a coffee maker with no electricity that is easy to use, then you should choose a French press. It is also called a press pot, coffee press or plunger pot.
- No more grinding of the coffee beans
- Easy to adjust the flow rate for your cup of coffee
- No more negative aspects like dripping or spillage
- Higher quality and taste of the coffee
- No control over the temperature of the water
- Must be cleaned up after use
How to Clean a French Press?
The French press is a relatively easy coffee maker to clean. With the use of hot water, it will be easier for you to remove any particles that have fallen into the carafe or filter from the coffee maker. You should heat some water and pour it into the carafe or filter.
Also, you can use a brush to remove any unwanted pieces of coffee grounds. If you twist the plunger, it is easier to remove any dirt or wet coffee grounds from inside the plunger chamber.
Differences Between Drip Coffee Maker and French Press
A French Press makes it easier for you to brew one cup of coffee at a time. Also, the coffee taste and quality are better than drip makers.
Besides, drip coffee makers can be used to brew multiple cups and can be left brewing for a long time. Here are some major differences between drip coffee makers and French presses.
Flavor of Coffee
The taste of the coffee will be different between these two because they use different methods to make a cup of coffee or tea. A drip pot pours water through a filter basket containing ground coffee beans into a carafe.
As the water is heated, the hot water evaporates, drawing in the coffee flavors. It also extracts more of the coffee’s bitterness and oils into the final brew.
Cleanliness
The drip pot is a tiny glass carafe with a stainless steel mesh or woven metal screen filter basket. Pressing down on the filter basket forces ground coffee through the filter and creates coffee.
On the other hand, a French Coffee Press doesn’t use a filter. Instead of using a paper or cloth filter, it uses a fine metal mesh which allows more oils and flavors from your beans into your final cup of French Press Coffee.
Ease of Maintenance
A French press comes packed with plastic and metal parts that can be difficult to clean and maintain. A drip pot requires only hot water and physical skill to make a full-flavored cup of coffee without mess or trouble.
Also, no parts can leak over time without your attention due to their lack of moving parts in a French press.
Is Drip Coffee Maker Better Than French Press?
Yes, drip coffee makers are better than French presses. Drip coffee makers are more convenient and easier to clean up. If you want the best flavor, choose a drip coffee maker.
Drip coffee makers also make it easier for you to adjust the water’s temperature and brewing speed. On the other hand, a French press is typically made from glass and metal that can break easily.
It also could result in a scalded hand while trying to pour the hot coffee. If you love hot water for drinking, then a French Press machine is more appropriate for you.
You may also read about Pour over Coffee Maker vs French Press: The Biggest Differences
Final Thoughts
At the end of the discussion, both of these coffee makers make great coffee. I know that Drip coffee maker vs French press comparison is a new topic for most of us.
Both of these are very simple machines and make great coffee, but there are lots of different things to consider. If you are looking for something you can use on the go or camping, then the French press would be your best option.
When you want to brew your favorite ground coffee quickly and efficiently, then a drip brewer is the way to go.