Coffee Maker: French Press vs Percolator

Two of the oldest devices for making coffee are the French press and the percolator. They are easy to use and convenient, which is why they are still around today.

The manner in which French presses and percolators brew coffee is dissimilar, which results in varied final products.

A few things you should keep in mind while deciding between the two coffee brewing devices are how they function and how the coffee tastes! We will discuss the pros and cons of each method below and then compare them to each other.

French Press Overview

The French press is a coffee brewing method that involves immersion of coffee grounds in water. A French press coffee maker consists of a glass or metal carafe with a plunger and built-in filter screen that presses hot water through ground coffee.

The coffee maker also comes with a plunger that has a fine metal mesh on the bottom. This pushes the grounds out of your coffee once it has finished brewing. A French press is a simple way to make a bold and flavorful cup of coffee.

A French press is best for making a flavorful cup of coffee. This brewing method, along with others, results in a strong cup that typically makes dark roast profiles stand out.

French presses make better coffee than percolators because the coffee is more delicious and has more complexity.

Even the largest French press will only make about three or four cups of coffee.

They’re only good for making coffee for yourself or for making coffee for a few friends.

A French press is a coffee brewing device that is very affordable and is potentially the cheapest one you can buy. Although, you will need a kettle or pot to boil water. They require no extra care beyond regular washing.

The recipe you choose will determine how long to brew the coffee, how closely you need to monitor the process, and when to remove the coffee to avoid over-extraction.

Percolator Overview

Another device that can be used on your stovetop is a percolator. The coffee grounds are placed in a basket that is inside the percolator. The basket is above the waterline.

As water is heated, it turns into steam, which then rises up through the device and escapes from a hole above the basket of coffee grounds. The water falls back down to the coffee grounds and is reheated along with the rest of the water.

You can time how long the coffee takes to brew, but many percolators have a small window where the boiled water comes out so you can watch the coffee as it’s brewing and see when it’s finished.

Percolators don’t offer a very refined brewing process, and while you can time the brew, it usually doesn’t turn out the same each time.

While percolators may be quick and efficient, they are not the best machines for making flavorful coffee. This is likely because the percolator was designed to make large volumes of coffee quickly, rather than emphasizing quality.

The size of percolators vary, but most can make six to eight cups of coffee.

Percolators are ideal for making a lot of coffee quickly because some of the larger models can make even more coffee. They can be useful when you have groups of family or friends over.

Percolators are less expensive than French presses.

You will want to focus more on cleaning the thin tube that the steam travels up, as this can catch residue on the walls over time. Percolators do not require any maintenance beyond being cleaned after each use.

Percolators require you to pay attention and remove from heat once the coffee reaches its desired strength, but they won’t need you to stir or press at certain times throughout the brew as the French press does.

While percolators don’t offer abundantly rich coffee or nuanced flavor profiles, they are a bit more forgiving if you forget to take them off of the heat on time.

What Are You Looking for in Your Coffee?

What are you looking for in your coffee experience? This is the first thing to consider when choosing between a French press and a percolator. Even though these machines may look the same, they produce completely different products!

A French press is a great way to make coffee that has a lot of flavor. This coffee is especially effective at showcasing some of the flavors commonly associated with darker roasts, such as chocolate, nutty, and caramel notes.

If you want to have a consistent coffee brewing experience with regards to taste and flavor, then a French press is a good choice for you.

A percolator is a coffee maker that can make coffee quickly and efficiently, making it ideal for making large batches of coffee. You may want to consider a percolator if you don’t mind sacrificing some flavor nuances and you primarily drink coffee for the caffeine.

How Much Coffee Do You Need?

Some other factors to keep in mind when choosing between a French press and percolator include: -How much coffee you want to brew -The coarseness of the grind -The amount of time you have

The French press method of making coffee can produce coffee with a lot of flavor. However, even the largest French press coffeemakers can only make up to four cups of coffee.

If you make coffee for yourself or for you and your spouse each morning, this volume may be perfect. But larger groups of people will require multiple batches, which can be very time-consuming.

Each batch of pancakes will take about five to 10 minutes to make, so if you’re making pancakes for more than three or four people, it will take some time.

Percolator vs. French Press

The french press is a coffee brewing method where you add coffee grounds to a pot of hot water and let it steep for a few minutes before pressing a plunger down to separate the grounds from the coffee. The percolator is a coffee brewing method where you add coffee grounds to a pot of hot water and let it steep for a few minutes before putting it on the stove to boil.

To make coffee using a French press, all you have to do is put the coffee grounds in the water and let it steep. The plunger on the press will then be used to push the coffee grounds to the bottom of the pot, and the coffee will be ready to drink. It offers a very full-bodied, strong brew. It is not good at making large amounts of coffee.

Percolator coffee makers have been around for a long time and are great for making large pots of coffee. It uses steam and grounds to brew coffee.

You put the ground coffee in the filter, which is usually shaped like a donut, and pour in the hot water. The percolator heats up and produces steam, which then condenses and falls through the coffee grounds.

Differences in Taste

French press

The French Press delivers a robust, full-bodied brew. If you are expecting the classical flavors usually associated with coffee, you will taste them strongly.

French press coffee is not a good way to taste the delicate, floral flavors of coffee. If you’re looking for a coffee with strong flavors that will go great with a shot of cream, this is the way to go.

Flavors like chocolate and nut will be front-and-center. The french press will produce a brew that is thicker than other methods. The beer is often murky because a lot of oil and sediment end up in it.

The coffee from a french press has a robust body that can handle being mixed with other ingredients like cream and sugar, or honey and butter.

The common belief that the french press is the best way to brew coffee is largely due to the fact that it leaves sediments and oil in the coffee.

The main variable you should experiment with when making coffee is the steeping time. This will change the taste of the coffee, so play around with it until you find a time that you like. This may accentuate different flavors.

Percolator

coffee made in a percolator is not usually very good It was created during a time when the primary concern was making large quantities of coffee to get the most caffeine possible.

Although electric coffee makers are becoming increasingly popular, there are still many people who prefer the taste of coffee made in a stove-top percolator. You will only be getting a cup of coffee that tastes like it is strong, but you will not be able to taste the actual profile of the beans.

Instead, focus on stove top models. If you want to brew using a percolator and are chasing after flavor, focus on stove top models and ignore the electronic devises. These coffee makers are designed for making large amounts of coffee quickly.

Of course, that can be a highly valuable thing. You can have a coffee party with 20 of your friends in 5 minutes, although the coffee won’t be as good as it could be.

Differences in Brew Time

French press

French press takes about 5 minutes on average. You can add or subtract 30 seconds from this time. The average time it takes to make a cup of coffee is 5 minutes, provided you have already ground your coffee and heated your water.

If you are trying to batch brew using a French Press, it will take five minutes per batch. I do not recommend doing so if time is a constraint. Brewing multiple French Presses of coffee can be quite time-consuming.

Percolator

The percolator is an all-in-one system. Drop the grounds in, add your water, and go. It takes an average of 2-10 minutes to brew a cup of coffee using most devices.

You can also control the strength of your coffee by taking it out at any point during the brewing process.

The percolator does not suffer when batch brewing. It is not unbelievable to see a coffee maker that can produce 100 cups of coffee. It’s great for brewing coffee quickly when you need a lot of it.

Differences in Ease of Use

French press

Not much is easier than pressing down. There is not much to fiddle with. Add your grounds, heat your water, add your water, wait and press. Pretty easy.

Percolator

Percolators are generally quite easy to use. Fill the filter with water, add the prescribed amount of water, and turn on the switch or flame.

Percolator brewing is an easy method to produce a lot of coffee quickly.

Differences in Portability

French press

You can make coffee using this method provided you can heat water and have properly ground coffee. This method is very portable and all-in-one.

Percolator

You can use any type of coffee beans in a percolator, as long as they are coarsely ground. Most slow cookers need an electrical outlet to function, though there are a few stovetop models.

Single-cup and two-cup brewing in a percolator is probably overkill and inefficient. Choose something else for portability.

Differences in Ease of Clean Up

French press

Some people’s presses may be a little difficult to clean, but it only takes 5 minutes and some effort.

Percolator

Wash the urn and empty the grounds. That’s all the clean up that’s needed.

Wrap Up

Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding which method to choose:

An French press is a great choice if you are looking for something that is portable and easy to use. Some people find the percolator easier to use, but the French press is just as easy to use and is more portable.

Although a percolator will be less portable, it is better for brewing large amounts of coffee.

If you want coffee with a distinct flavor that you can discuss and talk about, the press will be much better. Percolators are not as good at making coffee as presses are.

But large amounts of press brewing take more time. If you are entertaining a crowd which does not care about the flavor of their cup, go with the perc.