The Pros and Cons of French Press: Is It Worth Having One?

What are the pros and cons of a French press? 

This is what many coffee lovers wonder, especially those who are into trying out new methods of brewing. Stick around, I have compiled a guide that goes through the pros & cons of a French press and the one key element you should consider before purchasing yours. 

Let’s dive straight into it. 

Pros and Cons of a French Press

Let’s go over the pros and cons of a French press. 

Pros

Let’s take a look: 

• Dead easy to use a French press
• Pretty affordable; you can get a decent one for as little as $10
• Easier to clean and maintain in great condition than a coffee machine
• The taste of coffee is great; it brews rich coffee in flavour and aroma
• Brew many cups of coffee with 1 go (typically a French press can make 350ml-500ml of coffee with 1 brewing)
• Great to have if you often treat your friends and family to coffee
• Portable, so you can take it with you when you go on a trip
• You can easily brew cold drinks with a French press too

Cons 

Let’s take a look: 

• Coffee bits might end up in your brew (especially if you don’t use a filter)
• Coarse coffee is used which means more cafestol in your coffee which translates to higher cholesterol
• Not the best option if you don’t enjoy rich coffee 

Pros	Cons
Dead easy to use	Coffee bits might end up in your brew
Pretty affordable	More cafestol
Easier to clean and maintain	Not for everyone
The taste of coffee is great
Brew many cups of coffee with 1 go
Great for treating others
Portable
It brew cold drinks too

Breaking down the Pros and Cons of a French Press

We’ve briefly seen so far the pros and cons of having a French press.

Let’s dive deeper and go through them 1 by 1 so you get the big picture of what really a French press is all about.  

Pros #1: Dead easy to use

Brewing with a French press is fairly easy to use. 

All you need to do is boil water and grind your coffee beans (preferably coarse grind size). Put the coffee beans on the bottom of the cylinder, add the water and it let bloom for about 4-5 minutes. 

Push the plunger down to keep the coffee grinds on the bottom and avoid having any in your mug and you’re good to go.

Pros #2: A French press is pretty affordable

Yes, that’s right. You can get a decent one for just 10 bucks. 

Plus, you can find them pretty much everywhere from your local coffee shop which might be selling coffee gear, stores with electronics where they sell a range of coffee products including Moka pots, French presses and coffee machines to online stores. 

Pros #3: Easier to clean than a coffee machine

Think about it, all you need to do is dismantle it and wash the cylinder and the plunger. Leave them to dry out for some time and you’re good – this will probably take you 5 minutes or less.

What about cleaning a coffee machine? 

It’s not as easy, you need to take off the water tank, coffee filter, portafilter (for espresso machines) and other parts wash them and put them back on, but you haven’t finished yet…

Because coffee residue and water -minerals build up on the inside of your machine causing malfunctioning over time. 

This means that you have to use cleaning and descaling solutions every now and again to maintain your machine in great condition which is obviously a more laborious task than the process I described for cleaning a French press. 

Pros #4: The taste of coffee is simply great

Because you use coarse coffee grinds for brewing it typically means that the taste and aroma is going to be richer than a normal cup of coffee. 

This, of course, isn’t for everyone; those who really enjoy the taste of coffee will fall in love with coffee made with a French press.

Pros #5: Brew many cups with 1 go

Here’s a downside of brewing with a Moka pot or an espresso machine: 

You can brew 1-2 cups of coffee maximum at a time. 

What if you invited your buddies around for coffee and chit-chat? 

You have to brew and brew and brew and do a bit more brew. 

Fortunately, when you have a French press you can brew up to 500ml of coffee with 1 go, meaning that you just need to brew perhaps twice for 4 people and that’s all. 

Pros #6: Portable and great for trips

Who can do without coffee for a day? 

I’m pretty sure no one reads articles & guides on this website. 

Great news, if you have a French press at home it means that you can easily brew coffee wherever you go. Just bring your coffee pack with you.

What about hot water? 

Pop into a cafe and ask for some hot water if you don’t want to bring a thermo or other gadgets with you – you’ll be able to enjoy a delicious coffee while on a trip. 

Pros #7: Easily brew cold coffee with a French press

Here’s how to brew cold drinks with a French press: 

You brew your coffee with your French press as normal and then you just fill up a glass with crushed ice and pour over the coffee. Having a handy gadget to enjoy a cold drink on a scorching day is invaluable. 

Cons #1: Coffee bits might be floating in your drink

Yes, that might happen to you, especially if you don’t use a coffee filter. 

Traditionally no filter is used when brewing with a French press, good French presses keep coffee bits away from your brew. But if you’re on a tight budget and coffee bits are floating in your brew each time you use your French press for brewing it’s wise to use a carton filter to block all those bits from your coffee. 

Cons #2: More cafestol in your coffee

Because you need to use coarser coffee grinds for brewing with a French press your coffee is going to have more cafestol. 

Here’s why: 

Coarser coffee grinds contain more cafestol than thinner coffee grinds, and since cafestol can increase your cholesterol in the long run this means that coffee made with a French press isn’t as healthy as coffee made with a coffee machine or Moka pot.

If you have issues with your cholesterol, it’s wise to avoid having too much coffee made with a French press. 

Cons #3: Rich coffee is NOT for everyone

Yes, that’s true. If you find the taste of coffee too strong, the odds are that you do not enjoy much coffee made with a French press. 

Because coarse coffee grinds are used it means more of the coffee-grind flavours and aromas end up in your cup and this makes the taste of coffee more intense. 

Fortunately, there’s a bunch of alternative ways for brewing coffee; you can brew with a coffee machine, Aeropress or a Moka pot which typically take thinner coffee grinds and of course, the taste is more mellow – it really boils down to everyone’s personal preference. 

Let’s wrap it up

Let’s wrap up what we said about the pros & cons of a French press. In my view, it’s worth having a French press at home simply because it’s pretty affordable and it’s dead easy to use and keep in boss condition. If you can invest 10 bucks in a good one, you’ll enjoy coffee with rich flavour and aroma. 

FAQ

Let’s go over a couple of common questions about the pros and cons of a French press. 

Are French presses worth it?

Yes, they are imo. You just need to invest $10 in buying 1 and you’ll be able to make delicious coffee. Plus, I have already mentioned a bunch of other advantages of having 1 at home including portability and easiness for cleaning them.

Is coffee from a French Press better

The short answer is: it really depends.

If you really enjoy coffee with intense flavour and aroma, the chances are that you’re going to love coffee made with a French press. But if it’s not up our alley then I suggest you go for a Moka pot that’s also inexpensive and brew coffee which is less rich than the one made with a French press.