French press vs pour over, the $12 scale settled it for me

I used to think my $40 French press made better coffee than my buddy's pour over setup. Then I bought a cheap $12 kitchen scale and weighed everything the same, 22 grams of beans, 350 ml of water, 3 minutes steep. The pour over came out cleaner and sweeter every single time. Anyone else find that measuring changed which method they actually prefer?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_thomas19d ago

Scales expose everything, man. My pour over got noticeably better once I dialed in the ratio, but the French press turned bitter and muddy with the exact same measurements. Measuring just showed me the press was hiding my sloppy habits behind heavy body and grit. Clean water helps too, but the scale is what killed my French press loyalty. Now I only break it out when I want that thick, cowboy-style cup.

sullivan.finley20d ago

Dumped my fancy scale after day three cause my cat kept knocking it off the counter. Ended up just using the same scoop for both and honestly the pour over still wins but now I cant tell if its the coffee or the fact that I'm measuring less because I'm lazy. The real game changer was realizing my tap water tastes like pool water so now I use bottled and everything tastes better regardless of method.