Moka Pot vs. French Press vs. Pour Over 

With Coffeeza's newly launched ground coffee range, coffee lovers can now enjoy delicious blends with a variety of home brewing methods. You can choose from three grind sizes depending on your brewing equipment:

• Coarse Grind (for French press)
• Medium Grind (for Pour-over)
• Fine Grind (for Moka pot / Espresso machine)

Every brewing style will produce a slightly different tasting coffee. Is one better than the other? Let’s learn about the most popular brewing equipment for ground coffee.

Moka Pot

The Moka pot is a classic Italian stove top coffee maker that gives you a concentrated cup of coffee. The strong coffee produced is similar to espresso, however it does not have a thick crema and is not as rich as an espresso. 

How is it used?

The moka pot is divided into three parts: one for water, one for grounds and one for the final coffee. The bottom part called the pressure chamber has to be filled with water. 

The middle part has a funnel and filter cup. You have to fill the filter cup with finely-ground coffee. Coffeeza’s Cremoso Ground Coffee - Fine Grind is perfect for this. The funnel pulls up the hot water and the filter prevents the grounds from falling into the collection chamber and only lets the extracted liquid coffee flow.

When the Moka Pot is placed on the stove, the water gets heated up and it generates steam, this increases the pressure in the bottom chamber. The pressure forces the water up through the funnel and into the part that contains coffee grounds.  The grounds absorb the water and expand. Once all the grounds are wet, the water continues to boil and goes up the funnel into the top part of the moka pot, which is collection chamber. The water which was forced through the grounds to extract coffee is collected in the form of concentrated coffee here. 

The moka pot has a nice stylish design, it makes strong concentrated coffee which has a rich flavour compared to drip style brewing meathods. However, you require a stovetop, it’s a little difficult to clean and you have to monitor it when brewing. 

French Press

The French press is a type of manual coffee maker with a cylindrical container, a plunger and a built-in metal mesh filter. You immerse the coffee grounds in hot water and allow it to steep. Then the filter is pressed to the bottom of the container to separate the coffee grounds from the brewed coffee. This filter allows the natural oils of coffee and fine particles to pass through it giving the brewed coffee a full body.

How is it used?

(Use water that is a few minutes of the boil. Water to grounds ratio is ~15gm for every 200ml)

First you pour ground coffee into the container as required, and pour hot water over it. Then gently stir the coffee and water for a few seconds so that all the grounds are wet and then they settle down. Place the lid with the plunger on the top, see that it is pulled all the way up and wait for 3-4 minutes. (The lid, plunger and filter are connected)

Gently press the plunger all the way down. Once the plunger reaches the bottom, pour the brewed coffee slowly from the French Press into the coffee cup and enjoy. Coffeeza’s Intenso Ground Coffee - Coarse Grind is ideal for this brewing equipment.

It’s easy to learn this brewing technique and cleaning is a breeze. The French press is not very expensive and you can get a coffee with more natural oils. It takes less space and can be carried around easily. However, since it is a manual brewing technique, any variation in coffee grounds, water temperature or the ratio between the two can affect the taste. It also requires a time and effort and there is a chance of coffee sediments ending up in the cup. 

Pour-Over Coffee

In the pour over brewing style, you use a cone shaped filter to slowly pour hot water over the coffee grounds. The brewing equipment is very easy to use, a pour-over funnel is placed directly over a cup, and the coffee filter is placed inside the funnel (made of paper), finally the coffee grounds are placed on the filter cone, ready for brewing. The grounds are then wet with hot water and left to sit for a moment before more adding more. The filter allows the water to soak through the grounds. The final brew is light and smooth

How is it used?

First set up the pour over funnel and filter over a cup of container. To brew the coffee, hot water has to be manually poured in a circular motion evenly over the grounds. This creates a drip of coffee that goes falls into your cup. The water extracts flavour from the grounds as it passes through it. Coffeeza’s Classico Ground Coffee - Medium Grind is recommended for this brewing equipment. This brewing style is typically used when the person wants to control how strong they want their brew to be.

With this method you can create great-tasting coffee smooth coffee and you can get maximum flavours of the beans. You don’t have to invest in expensive coffee maker. However, it takes more time, and you have to oversee all these steps.

Finally, when you are choosing the best brewing style, all the above factors should be considered, including the pros and cons of each type and your personal take on the same. The ultimate decision should be based on ease of use as well as the quality of coffee brewed.