Keurig Vs French Press: Which One Worth The Money?

Avid coffee drinkers need that extra energy boost in the mornings, which is why brewing coffee at home is essential. A coffee brewing method at home should be quick and easy without requiring much effort.

Over the centuries, there have been numerous ways to prepare coffee, but the French Press and Keurig machines have become two of the most popular brewing methods.

Even though the French Press and Keurig are coffee makers, they differ in some ways. Their underlying methods differ in the specifics, but they both mix hot water with coffee grounds.

Keurig is an advanced invention that makes brewing coffee extremely easy. A Keurig operates on a power supply to brew coffee. It is an easier coffee brewing method than a french press and requires less time. You can also choose from a lot more flavours and brands with Keurig.

On the other hand, French Press coffee makers use the grounds to extract as much flavour and strength as possible from the coffee beans without extending the brewing time. They make more concentrated coffee than Keurig if you brew the same amount of coffee using each machine.

Both brewing methods can work well for you depending on your preferences based on your budget, taste, and the effort you are willing to put into coffee brewing.

In this article, we will make a side-by-side comparison of Keurig vs French Press, elaborating on their similarities and differences to help you make an informed decision about committing to either of these brewing methods.

Keurig vs French Press: At a Glance.

You might prefer the Keurig machine for convenience or the French Press for its manual control over the brewing process. Either of them won’t disappoint, but how do you know which you’ll like? Let’s go through a few considerations.

Keurig Coffee Maker: An Overview

Keurig coffee makers are single-serve machines that come in various models with different price tags ranging from mid to high. They are known for their ease of use and quick brewing. They brew one cup at a time, taking only a few minutes.

Keurig machines don’t require measuring and grinding coffee grounds before brewing because they use K-Cups. K-Cups contain pre-proportioned coffee grounds full of flavour, strength, and aromas and remain fresh till use. It takes a few steps and minimal effort to brew coffee using a K-Cup.

Keurig coffee machines are an expensive investment but have many benefits. It lets you make several beverages and has several flavours and blends. However, You must know its pros and cons before opting for it, as it might not suit your taste or budget.

French Press: An Overview

Having Italian origin, the history of French Press brewing goes back to ancient times. This method can make several cups of strong and intense coffee. French Press makes the most authentic-tasting coffee compared to any electric coffee brewer.

French Press mixes boiling water with coarsely ground beans and lets it steep for a few minutes. The coffee is left to steep in a glass cylinder till all the strength and flavour from the coffee grounds are extracted. Then the flavorful coffee filters out through a mesh.

French Press is budget-friendly and also requires no power supply. It is probably the most environmentally friendly brewing method because it includes no pods or filters. It gives you control over the brewing process, and you can alter the recipe according to your taste buds.

Keurig vs French Press: A side-by-side Comparative Analysis

Now that you know the basics of Keurig and French Press, let’s break it down further to understand how one is better than the other in different categories.

Coffee Quality

We can distinguish brewing methods based on their coffee quality. If you are committing to a brewing method, you must consider the consistency and flavors of its coffee.

Keurig makes coffee that tastes similar to any standard drip machine. Their coffee brewing method requires just a few minutes to make coffee. They filter the coffee out after stripping off its oils, so the taste is not as authentic as expected.

Keurig is not suitable for coffee drinkers who enjoy strong and nuanced coffee flavours with an authentic taste.

A French Press yields the purest coffee, full of flavours and texture. Because the French Press uses only one filter, the result is an intense, oily coffee. Unlike automatic drip machines, this brewing method doesn’t cloud the flavour of coffee grounds.

Regardless of the coffee grounds you use, you can customize the strength of your coffee. You can leave the coffee for longer to have a stronger and thicker cup.

Brewing Technique

The brewing technique determines the coffee’s taste, consistency, and strength. You can choose between Keurig and French Press depending on how fast or efficient their brewing technique is.

Keurig coffee makers take a few minutes to brew a cup by pushing water through the K-Cups. As soon as you pop in a pod and press the brew button, the machine starts brewing and dispenses coffee in under a minute.

French Press is a slower coffee-making method, but it has its benefits. The coffee grounds are left to steep in hot water in a French Press to bring out the best flavours. The standard time for steeping coffee grounds is 4 to 7 minutes, but you can alter that depending on how strong you like your coffee.

Brew Sizes 

Coffee brewers have several brew sizes that vary from brand to brand and model to model. They allow you to customize a cup according to your preference. Keurig and French Press have significant differences in their brew sizes.

Single-serve Keurig comes in various brew sizes depending on the water reservoir of the model. It offers five cup sizes: 4 oz, 6 oz, 8 oz,10 oz, and 12 oz. A Keurig can brew only one cup at a time, no matter what cup size you go for.

A French Press can make several cups of coffee simultaneously, depending on its size. It can make 3 cups, 4 cups, 8 cups, and 12 cups of brewed coffee. It works great for people who like having company over coffee.

Control over Brewing Process

Having control over the brewing process means you can customize your coffee according to the strength and taste you prefer and alter the recipe as you want.

Some people might like having control, but some might find it more convenient for the brewer to direct the brewing process.

Keurig has the latest technology for the coffee brewing process. The Keurig coffee machines have control buttons, each specifically for a different type of action. It means you press a button once and then leave it to the machine to complete the process. Keurig also indicates when the brewing process comes to an end.

A French Press has no electrical parts or control buttons to supervise the brewing process. Everything depends upon you, from the grind size of coffee to its quantity, water temperature, and strength.

You can manually control the amount of water you pour and how long you would like coffee grounds to steep. Also, you might need an external timer to ensure your coffee isn’t overcooked. You can easily alter the coffee recipe when using a French Press.

Maintainance and Cleaning

The maintenance and cleaning of the coffee machine are crucial for its long life, efficiency, and brew quality. The brewing method must be easy to maintain, so you don’t have to spend more time cleaning than brewing coffee and enjoying it.

A Keurig brewer requires special cleaning and maintenance for its internal components. It needs descaling every three to six months, depending o how much you use it. If its internal parts are not working properly, you might need to replace them with new ones.

A French Press requires no actual cleaning process that has several steps. It takes a few minutes to rinse and prepare for the next brew. It doesn’t require special maintenance because it has no electrical or technical parts that need proper cleaning.

Price 

Price is important in choosing the right brewing method because you must be sure it is worth it.

Keurig coffee makers are an expensive investment and require frequent restocking of K-Cups. The price of an automatic drip machine like Keurig is usually more than any alternative coffee brewing method. They range from mid to high prices, providing ultra-convenience and quality to coffee drinkers.

French Press is an exceptionally cheaper option for coffee brewing ranging from $10 to $60, depending on its size. With the most affordable ones, you get about 12 oz of coffee, which isn’t much for more than one person.

The equipment, as well as the ingredients it requires to brew a cup, are affordable. You can use a French Press to enjoy authentic coffee without paying a hefty price tag.

Sustainability 

Coffee machines and coffee pods indirectly threaten the environment when we do not use them consciously. The pods contain plastic and aluminium that are hard to recycle and end up in landfills.

Keurig machines use K-Cups and plastic and aluminium containers containing coffee grounds. Even when we recycle K-Cups properly, the plastic part of the pod goes into a landfill. So it is not a hundred per cent sustainable choice. To make your Keurig machine sustainable, you can replace K-Cups with reusable pods.

On the other hand, French Press is a sustainable alternative to other brewing methods. It is because it doesn’t use any coffee pods or capsules that will, later on, end up in a landfill.

How to use a Keurig Coffee maker?

All Keurig models have the same basics for brewing coffee. You can make freshly brewed coffee in a matter of a few minutes. Following the steps to use the Keurig coffee maker to make delicious coffee:

1. Plug in the coffee machine to a power source.
2. Fill the water reservoir with fresh water.
3. Turn the machine on.
4. Once you turn the machine on, it will start heating up. During the heating process, the pipes and tubes inside the coffee machine take the water to the heating chamber.
5. Open the lever and pop in a K-Cup correctly in the pod holder.
6. Close the lever.
7. As soon as you close the lever, needles in the pod holder pierce the K-Cup from the top to let the water pass through it with pressure.
8. The boiling water passes through the K-cup, extracting all the flavours and strength from the coffee grounds.
9. Another needle in the pod holder pierces the K-Cup from the bottom to pave the way for the coffee to pass through the filter.
10. Keurig machine will automatically stop once the brewing process completes, and you get a cup of delicious coffee.
11. The last step is to eject the pod.
12. Enjoy your freshly brewed cup of coffee!

How to use French Press?

Using a French Press can seem like putting in a lot of effort if you are new at it, but it is probably the simplest and most authentic way of coffee brewing. To prepare the purest form of coffee, follow these steps:

1. Take some coffee grounds of your choice and coarsely grind them.
2. Boil water on a stove top to 190-195°F and let it sit for about 30 seconds.
3. Remove the plunger and pour hot water into the french Press to preheat it.
4. Add coffee grounds and hot water to it. Their ratio must be 1:15.
5. Give it a mix and let the mixture sit.
6. Put the plunger back and press it halfway through the pot.
7. Wait for 4 to 7 minutes, depending on how strong you want your coffee to be, and then push the plunger down fully.
8. Your French Press Coffee is ready to be served!
9. Rinse the pot with water after every use.

Keurig vs French Press: Which one should you buy?

Keurig and French Presses are efficient ways to brew coffee with minimal effort and minutes. Both are exceptional at their jobs, but you might find one better depending on your budget and taste.

The French Press coffee maker is an inexpensive coffee brewing method. It makes rich, flavourful coffee that tastes better than anything else. If you can’t compromise on the taste and authenticity of your coffee, a french press will work for you better.

On the other hand, Keurig is quick and versatile in its coffee brewing method. We recommend Keurig if you prefer convenience and ease over the taste of coffee.

In today’s fast-paced world, investing in a Keurig can save you a lot of time in the morning when you want a caffeine fix.

FAQs

Can I use Keurig for the French Press?

Yes, you can! Switch on your Keurig and open and close the lever without a K-Cup to initiate brewing. Choose the largest cup size, and use the french press pot to collect hot water. Wait a few minutes for the coffee grounds to steep, then plunge. Your coffee is ready!

Can you use K-Cups as ground coffee?

Yes! You can empty K-cups to use its coffee grounds, but they contain 9 to 12 grams of coffee. So you will need several K-Cups to make a strong cup of coffee.

What grind of the coffee is best for Keurig?

Keurig makes the best coffee with medium to medium-fine coffee grounds. The coffee grounds must be gritty, like sand from the water, to pass through them easily during brewing.

What grind is best for the French Press?

Coarsely ground coffee grounds work best for a French Press. If the coffee grounds are fine or too coarse, water will flow through them too quickly without extracting their flavours to their full potential.

Is the French Press the strongest coffee?

Yes! French Press coffee is the strongest because coffee beans extract flavours and compounds aggressively due to constant infusion in hot water. When you steep the grounds for a longer period, you get a higher concentration of caffeine. Hence, making the strongest coffee.