What's the difference between a coffee plunger and drip coffee - and which is best ?

bendejo · July 31

9 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

https://www.amazon.com/Diguo-Belgian-Belgium-Retro-Style-Capacity/dp/B01MTOS32P?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A2HZ7WKEN4IWYQ&th=1

Wow! That design is somewhere between steampunk and Wallace & Grommet!

Digitalbanana · July 31

I use the glass French press in the op - cost under 120THB and works well with very little or no sediment with correctly sized groundings, I grind my own. Always boil new water for each cup, very fast way to drink coffee and uses the least amount of coffee beans.

damian · July 31

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

just watched the video and very interesting .... he leans toward the french press for taste especially with the medium ground coffee which I would probably use. I think I am going to buy the french press over the drip machine for 2 points.

1. preparation and cleaning is simple and easy. 2. taste is not compromised with the french press with medium ground coffee.

Good choice for the right reasons.

An added bonus is the wife saves the leftover granuals and uses it for her body scrub!

Still goes down the drain eventually but at least it's recycled - sort of.

steven100 · July 31

11 minutes ago, Digitalbanana said:

I use the glass French press in the op - cost under 120THB and works well with very little or no sediment with correctly sized groundings, I grind my own. Always boil new water for each cup, very fast way to drink coffee and uses the least amount of coffee beans.

You have a 350ml or 600ml French press ? I'm thinking like you, boil new water for each cup ....

KannikaP · July 31

17 hours ago, mokwit said:

Buy a metal french press. glass ones are too nerve wracking.

But you can put glass ones in the microwave to boil the exact amount of water you need, 400ml = one mug.

Mine is 1 litre capacity, Bht 200 from Makro.

Kerryd · July 31

I prefer a drip coffee maker.
Especially with a programable clock function. Easy to use, easy to clean.

I set my machine to start dripping about 5 minutes before my alarm goes off in the morning.
I get up, pry my eyelids open, stagger to the bathroom, then to the coffee maker and I've got (however many) cups of coffee ready. (Depending on how I set it up the night before.)

Most (North American) machines are set up to keep the coffee hot for 2 hours and if you need it, you just have to click the power button off/on and you're good for another two hours.

Most have a "reusable" filter basket but I still use paper filters. Easier to clean, fewer grounds and less "silt" in the cup and the pot.

Simply open the top, pick up the old filter and drop it in the garbage, insert new filter and however many spoons of whichever blend of coffee, add the appropriate amount of water, close the lid and press "program". (Or "On" if you want it to start dripping right then.)

Old wives tales suggests you should never clean the coffee pot itself. I generally give it a scrub once a month.

I bought this one from Lazada. Made in China (of course). 1,226 baht with delivery.

Only a 40 minute timer for the heater which isn't normally a problem as I'm not making full pots these days. I generally set it up for 1-2 cups and that's it for the day.

Lots of options for coffee on Lazada as well. Local and imported. Got about 2 more days on the Maxwell House. Just ordered the Folgers Monday morning from Bangkok and it arrived 25 hours later in Pattaya. The bag is from a local supplier (in Chiang Mai I think).

Most grocery stores have a selection of (medium or drip grind) coffees as well. Watch out as the packages are almost identical to "whole beans".
And many are "espresso grind". Basically pure powder for use espresso machines and "presses". You can use it in a drip machine but you usually end up with more "silt" in the cup and pot.

And if you really wanted to, you could simply pop a new filter in, run a pot of water through it and now you've got a pot of almost boiling water for tea (or Ramen noodles or whatever - just don't make them in the coffee pot) !

scubascuba3 · July 31

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

so you don't like the drip coffee ... ? you prefer french press ...

Neither, i prefer moka pot, probably due to the steam pressure

scubascuba3 · July 31

2 hours ago, save the frogs said:

moka pot is better than french press because it does have some pressure.

pressure extracts more flavor from the coffee.

and I love the sound of brewing the moka pot makes.

but I found moka pots to accumulate some kind of residue at the bottom ... calcification? Or whatever it is ... isn't that getting into your coffee? Needs to be cleaned. And I couldnt even figure out how to get rid of it, so went back to French press.

Don't buy the crappiest coffee. Buy good coffee and French press is good enough and no cleaning or maintenance needed.

I don't have a problem with the mokapot for cleaning, as often as you prefer clean using soapy water, or don't bother at all, just water, views are mixed on YouTube

steven100 · July 31

I've decided to go with a 600ml French press .... and I can use the steamer on my coffee machine for hot frothy milk .............. Hot Latte ...

Edited July 31 by steven100

Cameroni · July 31

The moka pot is the best choice. The original Bialetti of stainless steel is the best choice, but many knock offs also do a fine job and are way cheaper.

The right coffee is more important, in Thailand Cafe Ronn and the brown Wawee are good options, Mandailing Estate from Sumatra is the best for me, but hard to get in Thailand. Of course there are other good coffees like Puerto Rican Yauco, some Ethiopian and the Spanish Torrefacto can be interesting, but overall the best coffee is Mandailing from Indonesia.

Pay attention to grind and get a good grinder, like Braun and go for the darkest roast. A hit of Monin Caramel syrup will give you that Pret experience.

scubascuba3 · July 31

38 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

The moka pot is the best choice. The original Bialetti of stainless steel is the best choice, but many knock offs also do a fine job and are way cheaper.

I agree with you about the mokapot, but the design below is an improvement of the original Bialetti design, Germany apparently, beats my other mokapots easy

scubascuba3 · July 31

57 minutes ago, steven100 said:

I've decided to go with a 600ml French press .... and I can use the steamer on my coffee machine for hot frothy milk .............. Hot Latte ...

Come on buy the mokapot as well then you can do a direct comparison and give us a verdict, only 200 baht 😁

Cameroni · July 31

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

I agree with you about the mokapot, but the design below is an improvement of the original Bialetti design, Germany apparently, beats my other mokapots easy

Lol, that's the one I have! Love it, but I didn't realise it was German. It's really well made and never lets me down. It is very similar to this Bialetti, so I thought it was just a knock off.

https://shopee.co.th/product/459203401/12246588486?gads_t_sig=VTJGc2RHVmtYMTlxTFVSVVRrdENkWVp3RFo3Mkw5czd4Z0hzdEF1WVFibjBLcDNHSW9zd2c5b2h0N1V4WUZEUmtJTlJoMkdseGlnUmhsUlROREtKUjBkUzZCQ0d4eVRIWFdDNkRvR0VIR0lrQ2tsbFpmcW5tUGppSTN4QURwUkQ&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnqK1BhBvEiwAi7o0XwnIFCIX2TtJilMbZfeAjrpxIysOjFH0d6zR6nWSqbM1HGKseKqibxoCPgQQAvD_BwE

Anyway, I had a DeLonghi at home and this Moka Pot makes Espresso that is on a level with that machine. You can't ask for more really. Unless you pay stupid money for a top of the range Espresso machine which is of course going to give the best result of all.

scubascuba3 · July 31

2 hours ago, Cameroni said:

Lol, that's the one I have! Love it, but I didn't realise it was German. It's really well made and never lets me down. It is very similar to this Bialetti, so I thought it was just a knock off.

https://shopee.co.th/product/459203401/12246588486?gads_t_sig=VTJGc2RHVmtYMTlxTFVSVVRrdENkWVp3RFo3Mkw5czd4Z0hzdEF1WVFibjBLcDNHSW9zd2c5b2h0N1V4WUZEUmtJTlJoMkdseGlnUmhsUlROREtKUjBkUzZCQ0d4eVRIWFdDNkRvR0VIR0lrQ2tsbFpmcW5tUGppSTN4QURwUkQ&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnqK1BhBvEiwAi7o0XwnIFCIX2TtJilMbZfeAjrpxIysOjFH0d6zR6nWSqbM1HGKseKqibxoCPgQQAvD_BwE

Anyway, I had a DeLonghi at home and this Moka Pot makes Espresso that is on a level with that machine. You can't ask for more really. Unless you pay stupid money for a top of the range Espresso machine which is of course going to give the best result of all.

ah i didn't realise it was a knock off of a new version of the Bialetti, anyway it's very good, of course it can't match good coffee in a good coffee shop with perfect frothed milk

richard_smith237 · July 31

8 hours ago, save the frogs said:

moka pot is better than french press because it does have some pressure.

pressure extracts more flavor from the coffee.

and I love the sound of brewing the moka pot makes.

but I found moka pots to accumulate some kind of residue at the bottom ... calcification? Or whatever it is ... isn't that getting into your coffee? Needs to be cleaned. And I couldnt even figure out how to get rid of it, so went back to French press.

Don't buy the crappiest coffee. Buy good coffee and French press is good enough and no cleaning or maintenance needed.

I agree with this...

I used a number of brewing methods...

- Espresso Machine (best coffee / expensive machine)

- Nespresso Voluto (quick & convenient / expensive per cup)

- Moka-Pot (easy for travel)

- French Press (at work / most convenient)

- Picopresso (hand held espresso machine - PITA to use)

I'm currently drinking a coffee brewed by Moka-Pot (as I'm not at home and dont have access to my espresso machine).

I'd say the Moka-pot brews the best coffee next to the machines, but it also takes 'some technique'...

After adding the desired amount of coffee (I like a fine grind), I gently press the coffee into place, not too hard as that causes the coffee to 'lift up and crest, which cracks through which the water can flow' (making weaker coffee), also if not pressing at all, I find the coffee could channel (again making weaker coffee) - so a gentle press works for me.

Cafetière (French Press), also works well and is perhaps the most convenient, I use the same coffee for the Moka-Pot.

IMO this is the simplest, most hassle free brewing method, easy to clean etc.

As mentioned by STF above - the quality of coffee is important, doesn't need to be the best, but getting decent coffee is key to a decent brew and most important is grind size... too small and the coffee is over-extracted, muddy and bitter, too coarse and its under-extracted and bland.

I find that with a French-Press choosing a grind size specifically for french press leads to under-extraction, as mentioned earlier, I prefer finer ground coffee and go for Espresso Grind sizing and don't 'over-brew' by pouring in recently boiled water (about 1-2mins after boiling), stirring and allowing to sit for about 1 min before 'plunging' gives me the extraction I prefer.

I don't use 'drip coffee' - I've never felt it comparable and have found anything left for a second cup rather horrible.

Pour over coffee is popular with aficionado's, but find that too much effort and time consuming, so I've never tried it.

Finally - Cowboy coffee !! (as some call it)... just putting grinds in a cup... but, I much prefer Turkish Coffee, extremely fine grind and boil it up in a Cezve Pot - rich, but also somewhat muddy coffee - definitely worth a try.

Beans - For more 'caffiene' go for Robusta, for a finer taste, go for 'Arabica'... then there is roast level, I prefer medium dark, but thats individual and often individual to the bean - then it starts get like wine and we can end up going down a rabbit hole...

My current Cup is a morning Arabica-Robusta blend, espresso ground, brewed in a Moka-Pot.

My preferred cup is a Khun Chiang Khan Medium Dark Roast, Espresso (2:1 ratio / 30 seconds) from my espresso machine, lengthened to a double latte.

+1 on the James Hoffman suggestion - his coffee knowledge is second to none with some excellent advice and lots of different brewing methods covered - the general consensus in many of his videos is that grind size is more important than anything when brewing fresh-coffee.

richard_smith237 · July 31

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I agree with you about the mokapot, but the design below is an improvement of the original Bialetti design, Germany apparently, beats my other mokapots easy

Agree with this... While the Bialetti is the original (and the one I currently use), newer designs are perhaps better.

I have learned that one key point with the Moka-Pot is to watch it... try and anticipate the 'boil' so the coffee doesn't flow / spurt up the 'upper spout thingy-ma-jig' too quickly...

steven100 · July 31

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I agree with this...

I used a number of brewing methods...

- Espresso Machine (best coffee / expensive machine)

- Nespresso Voluto (quick & convenient / expensive per cup)

- Moka-Pot (easy for travel)

- French Press (at work / most convenient)

- Picopresso (hand held espresso machine - PITA to use)

I'm currently drinking a coffee brewed by Moka-Pot (as I'm not at home and dont have access to my espresso machine).

I'd say the Moka-pot brews the best coffee next to the machines, but it also takes 'some technique'...

After adding the desired amount of coffee (I like a fine grind), I gently press the coffee into place, not too hard as that causes the coffee to 'lift up and crest, which cracks through which the water can flow' (making weaker coffee), also if not pressing at all, I find the coffee could channel (again making weaker coffee) - so a gentle press works for me.

Cafetière (French Press), also works well and is perhaps the most convenient, I use the same coffee for the Moka-Pot.

IMO this is the simplest, most hassle free brewing method, easy to clean etc.

As mentioned by STF above - the quality of coffee is important, doesn't need to be the best, but getting decent coffee is key to a decent brew and most important is grind size... too small and the coffee is over-extracted, muddy and bitter, too coarse and its under-extracted and bland.

I find that with a French-Press choosing a grind size specifically for french press leads to under-extraction, as mentioned earlier, I prefer finer ground coffee and go for Espresso Grind sizing and don't 'over-brew' by pouring in recently boiled water (about 1-2mins after boiling), stirring and allowing to sit for about 1 min before 'plunging' gives me the extraction I prefer.

I don't use 'drip coffee' - I've never felt it comparable and have found anything left for a second cup rather horrible.

Pour over coffee is popular with aficionado's, but find that too much effort and time consuming, so I've never tried it.

Finally - Cowboy coffee !! (as some call it)... just putting grinds in a cup... but, I much prefer Turkish Coffee, extremely fine grind and boil it up in a Cezve Pot - rich, but also somewhat muddy coffee - definitely worth a try.

Beans - For more 'caffiene' go for Robusta, for a finer taste, go for 'Arabica'... then there is roast level, I prefer medium dark, but thats individual and often individual to the bean - then it starts get like wine and we can end up going down a rabbit hole...

My current Cup is a morning Arabica-Robusta blend, espresso ground, brewed in a Moka-Pot.

My preferred cup is a Khun Chiang Khan Medium Dark Roast, Espresso (2:1 ratio / 30 seconds) from my espresso machine, lengthened to a double latte.

+1 on the James Hoffman suggestion - his coffee knowledge is second to none with some excellent advice and lots of different brewing methods covered - the general consensus in many of his videos is that grind size is more important than anything when brewing fresh-coffee.

yes, very good information Richard. I'm like you, I prefer a 50-50 Arabica-Robusta ... medium dark , not overly strong but strong enough for a good coffee burst...

richard_smith237 · July 31

6 minutes ago, steven100 said:

yes, very good information Richard. I'm like you, I prefer a 50-50 Arabica-Robusta ... medium dark , not overly strong but strong enough for a good coffee burst...

For the Espresso Machine I much prefer Medium Dark Roast 100% Arabica...

I also prefer Medium or Medium dark roast 100% Arabica for the French Press, but find that a blend of Arabica-Robusta to be good, but not as rich as 100% Arabica.

For the Moka-Pot I find that 50/50 Arabica-Robusta works well and there's not a huge difference when to using solely Arabica.

One thing I've noted - when making a French Press coffee with Robusta or a Robusta-Arabica blend is that the caffeine hit is stronger and if I have more than two cups I can get a caffeine headache and sometimes the heebie-jeebies if the caffeine intake is too much - which is one of the reasons I prefer Arabica, not only the richness, but less of a caffeine 'injection'...

... But, for a one stop quick hit of caffeine in the morning, the French-Press 50/50 Arabica-Robusta blend does the trick very well...

Cameroni · July 31

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

ah i didn't realise it was a knock off of a new version of the Bialetti, anyway it's very good, of course it can't match good coffee in a good coffee shop with perfect frothed milk

Yes, we just can't afford those ultra expensive machines the good shops use, but I think the general consensus is that the moka pot comes closest to a normal machine, simple because it has the pressure, which the cafetiere does not.

scubascuba3 · July 31

32 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Agree with this... While the Bialetti is the original (and the one I currently use), newer designs are perhaps better.

I have learned that one key point with the Moka-Pot is to watch it... try and anticipate the 'boil' so the coffee doesn't flow / spurt up the 'upper spout thingy-ma-jig' too quickly...

The taller moka pot as posted avoids the issues of the smaller original moka pot

BigStar · July 31

40 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Pour over coffee is popular with aficionado's, but find that too much effort and time consuming, so I've never tried it.

Least effort and least expensive of all. 61 baht:

Put it on top of coffee cup, slap a filter on, add a coupla scoops of coffee. Heat water and pour over. Done. Discard filter or add more coffee later for another cup. No cleanup.

Stocky · July 31

The Clever Dripper is my preference, but make sure you avoid the cheap knock offs; they don't use heat-resistant BPA plastic, so they start to crack and leak.

steven100 · July 31

57 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

For the Espresso Machine I much prefer Medium Dark Roast 100% Arabica...

I also prefer Medium or Medium dark roast 100% Arabica for the French Press, but find that a blend of Arabica-Robusta to be good, but not as rich as 100% Arabica.

For the Moka-Pot I find that 50/50 Arabica-Robusta works well and there's not a huge difference when to using solely Arabica.

One thing I've noted - when making a French Press coffee with Robusta or a Robusta-Arabica blend is that the caffeine hit is stronger and if I have more than two cups I can get a caffeine headache and sometimes the heebie-jeebies if the caffeine intake is too much - which is one of the reasons I prefer Arabica, not only the richness, but less of a caffeine 'injection'...

... But, for a one stop quick hit of caffeine in the morning, the French-Press 50/50 Arabica-Robusta blend does the trick very well...

off to the shops tomorrow to buy the ground coffee ....

medium ground .... not course and certainly not fine ... medium dark roast, 50-50 Arab'-Rob

Edited July 31 by steven100

richard_smith237 · July 31

32 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Least effort and least expensive of all. 61 baht:

Put it on top of coffee cup, slap a filter on, add a coupla scoops of coffee. Heat water and pour over. Done. Discard filter or add more coffee later for another cup. No cleanup.

That depends how far down the rabbit-hole you go... As with many things, the more detailed we go, the more we realise there is to it...

With 'pour over' coffee - if we are prepared to go down that rabbit-hole, there is a great amount of detail involved with even distribution of grinds, perfect distribution of pour, from a specially designed hot water pot (long thin curved spout) that easier to control and pours the hot water evenly over all the coffee in the 'filter'...

Or.. we just dump a load of hot water in the filter washing a lot of coffee up the side of the filter under-extracting a lot of the coffee and over extracting the grinds in the lowest part of the filter cone..... (as I said, going down the rabbit hole)...

This is why some do not prefer 'drip coffee' and only go for 'pour over' coffee if the process is carried out with greater attention to detail....

To some, its just a cup of coffee... to others, the detail is important and thats what makes a quality cup of coffee (which admittedly some may not be so bothered about).

I for one consider the efforts needed to make a consistently high quality pour over coffee a little too much with too many variables to make a repeatedly consistent enjoyable cup of coffee to the richness and strengths I prefer... (and understandably to others, its just a cup of coffee... as is instant coffee to others)...

scubascuba3 · July 31

40 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Least effort and least expensive of all. 61 baht:

Put it on top of coffee cup, slap a filter on, add a coupla scoops of coffee. Heat water and pour over. Done. Discard filter or add more coffee later for another cup. No cleanup.

Tried it, awful, lazy coffee, i went back to instant afterwards

richard_smith237 · July 31

5 minutes ago, steven100 said:

off to the shops tomorrow to buy the ground coffee ....

medium ground .... not course and certainly not fine ... medium dark roast, 50-50 Arab'-Rob

I was recently in a rush (before travelling on late notice) and didn't have time to order from the usual Roaster I get coffee from... I bought Bon-Cafe's blend of Arabica-Robusta (Morning Roasted Coffee - red pack) and also the Eyesen blend....

I was quite happy with the coffee... in the situation where beggars can't be choosers, the morning couple of cups from the above mentioned blends (brand) were quite enjoyable (not as good as my espresso from my home machine, but not a lot is).

BigStar · July 31

42 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

perfect distribution of pour, from a specially designed hot water pot (long thin curved spout) that easier to control and pours the hot water evenly over all the coffee in the 'filter'...

Nah, heat water in a glass measuring cup in the microwave (while you're preparing the filter). Has a pour spout, can control the flow & placement well enough.

45 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

make a repeatedly consistent enjoyable cup of coffee to the richness and strengths

For more or less of that, you just add more or less coffee in the filter. You may keep a little diary if you wish. Sorted! 🙂

47 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

its just a cup of coffee

Yep, that's about what it is, come down to it. Obviously, I'm not a gourmet coffee drinker, and fussing around preparing coffee (or anything else) is something I avoid.

Peabody · July 31

I prefer this Moka pot by De Longhi. Setup the night before, just hit the switch in the AM. I use a good burr grinder for the whole beans that I buy at Benjamit's on Buakhow.

I do keep a 600 ml press for company, as the De Longhi only makes a small amount.

https://www.thiptanaporn.co.th/en/product/detail/emkp-63-b

steven100 · July 31

4 minutes ago, Peabody said:

I prefer this Moka pot by De Longhi. Setup the night before, just hit the switch in the AM. I use a good burr grinder for the whole beans that I buy at Benjamit's on Buakhow.

I do keep a 600 ml press for company, as the De Longhi only makes a small amount.

https://www.thiptanaporn.co.th/en/product/detail/emkp-63-b

that looks a good unit ...and electric plug in ..

bendejo · July 31

12 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I agree with you about the mokapot, but the design below is an improvement of the original Bialetti design, Germany apparently, beats my other mokapots easy

Ikea had a pot of similar design, bought one around ten years ago. Couldn't fund it in the current online catalog.

When I was a wee lad this was the kind of pot Italians used to make espresso at home.

Hey, if you use one you just might have the same kind of luck with women that this guy had!

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