My French press vs pour over showdown ended with me eating my words

I have been team French press for like 5 years straight. Thought pour over was just for people who like fancy rituals and wasting time. But last month my cousin visited from Austin and brought her $30 plastic V60 setup. She made me a cup using the same beans I had been brewing and I swear it tasted completely different. Cleaner and brighter with none of that sludge at the bottom. I tried her method 3 times this week and now I am thinking about tossing my press. Has anyone else switched camps after being stubborn for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade5171mo ago

...wait hold up, $30 plastic V60? I thought those things were like $10 tops. That's wild she spent that much on plastic. But honestly I had the same exact experience with a friend's Chemex last year. I was SO sure my French press was superior until I tasted coffee that actually had... clarity? Like I didn't know coffee could taste that clean. Ngl I still haven't fully switched though, I feel like the French press gives me that thicker body I crave in the mornings. Maybe I'm just not ready to let go of my sludge yet.

paul_taylor211mo ago

But @jade517 are you saying you'd rather have mud than flavor? You tried clarity and still went back to sludge?

morgan.rose1mo ago

Borrowed my buddy's AeroPress for a whole month last summer and kept telling myself I'd convert. Ended up back with my old Bialetti that same month though. There's something about that heavy, almost syrupy coffee in the morning that just hits different you know? Like yeah the clean stuff is nice for a Sunday afternoon but when I'm dragging myself out of bed at 5am I want something that feels like a meal. My girlfriend calls my coffee "practically mud" but she also steals sips when she thinks I'm not looking. I swear there's a whole secret tribe of us sludge lovers out there just pretending to appreciate the fancy stuff.