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There’s nothing I enjoy more than a delicious cup of coffee. It warms the body and gives me energy to tackle the day.
Recently, I’ve been trying to liven up my coffee drinking experience. I experimented with different flavored syrups, different roasts of coffee. They were all fine.
I still felt kind of stuck in my ways, though. Next, I decided to completely change the way I brew my coffee to see if that could jazz up my morning routine.
In this post, I’ll be comparing the AeroPress to the Hario V60. It’s a legendary showdown: AeroPress Vs V60!
All the Ways to Brew
It feels like there are a million different incredible ways to brew coffee.
In my younger years, I used a simple old coffee maker left to our family by my grandmother. You load up the back of the pot with water, put some ground coffee beans in the filter, and turn it on.
I felt so fancy and established when I purchased a single cup brewer. Now, I could have a delicious single cup of whatever flavor coffee I wanted without brewing an entire pot.
Recently, I’ve been thinking I need to go back to my roots and use a more traditional form of brewing coffee.
So many options
French press coffee makers have been around since the 1800’s. I was amazed to learn that! While the technology is so simple, it feels far too sophisticated to not be a recent invention.
In an AeroPress coffee maker, you insert a filter and your desired coffee grounds. Pour in hot water, and press the plunger down.
The force of the air in the vessel makes the water pass through the coffee grounds. This takes all its delightful flavor and much needed caffeine with it.
The pour-over method feels much more traditional than the scientific French press. But it was actually invented after the press came into the world.
In the pour-over method, you pour hot water over grounds situated in a filter. Gravity drags the water down as it passes through the coffee grounds. This makes a delightful and warm cup of coffee.
For either method, you should definitely buy a gooseneck kettle. It makes pouring much easier and is ideal for the slow pour needed for pour over coffee.
I couldn’t decide which to turn to, so I bought both an AeroPress and Hario V60.
AeroPress
It isn’t hard at all to find an AeroPress. Many stores that sell cookware have them on their shelves.
And online retailers make it so easy to buy a new way to brew your coffee without ever leaving your couch.
They’re inexpensive as well, costing around $30. With a price tag that low, I didn’t have to wait until a major sale or clearance event to buy one.
Not like with a single serve brewer.
AeroPress Functionality
The AeroPress doesn’t need a particular brand of coffee or shape of K-cup to function. That was a huge plus for me.
There’s one major difference between the AeroPress and a traditional French press. An AeroPress isn’t designed for full immersion.
Full immersion means every single coffee ground gets wet. This allows for an even brew and no wasted coffee grounds.
You can of course use the inverted method or an attachment like the Fellow Prismo. You can learn more about the Fellow Prismo here.
Using the AeroPress
I was a bit worried that the AeroPress would be complicated to use. I’d never pressed my own coffee.
Forget about completing a difficult task before getting your daily dose of caffeine. The results would be disastrous.
I was shocked at how stupid-simple it was to use the AeroPress.
- Add a metal or paper filter and screw the filter cap onto the body.
- Add your ground coffee into the extraction chamber.
- Pour in hot water that you’ve prepared in your kettle.
- Give the water and grounds a good stir to make sure all your coffee grounds are taking a nice hot bath.
- Insert the plunger and press.
With my AeroPress resting on top of my favorite mug, I applied an even pressure to the plunger. Rather quickly, coffee came trickling into my cup.
AeroPress Results
The smell was heavenly. I felt like I was at a fancy little coffee shop but in my pajamas.
The amount of coffee produced didn’t fill up my whole mug. I decided to have a taste of what I created.
The strength of that brewed cup was out of this world. I should’ve been sitting down, because it almost knocked me over. As strong as it was, there was no bitterness to the drink.
I was tempted to sip on this black gold, but I figured I didn’t need to be bouncing off the walls at 7 am.
I poured in some of the hot water that was left in my kettle, and I had my very own pressed cup of coffee.
Cleaning an AeroPress
After I’d finished sipping on my delightful cup of coffee, I figured a clean-up was in order.
I was preparing myself for some ghastly ritual. Something like taking the appliance apart and scrubbing each tiny part of it.
You cannot imagine the shock I felt when I read the user manual. I realized all I had to do was take the plunger out and rinse the press.
I paid extra attention to the bottom of the machine where the coffee came out. But the aftercare couldn’t be any less complicated.
Even though I was excited about the new brewing method I’d found, I still felt like there was more to discover.
V60
Pour-over coffee feels so traditional to me. I’m sure many people would agree it’s a lost art. It’s not completely lost, though.
A recent resurgence in coffee has made many people shy away from their single serve cup brewers. They’re returning to older methods of brewing their brew.
When I researched pour over coffee methods, I was a little intimidated.
So many articles described so many variations and things that can go wrong with your coffee. I’m sure you’ve found the same thing.
V60 Functionality
I was completely discouraged until I found the Hario V60. This wonderful piece of ceramic resembles a teacup sitting on a saucer.
Looking at it from an aerial view, you can see it’s definitely not suited for sipping tea out of.
The sides of the vessel have swirling ridges that empty out into a hole in the bottom of the cup.
The swirly bits help the coffee travel down the sides, ensuring an even brew. The coffee drains out of the ceramic body and into your coffee server pot.
The saucer-like edges at the bottom help the brewer remain stable while resting on top of your coffee pot.
Hario V60 Ceramic, Glass or Copper
The Hario V60 ceramic brewer is cheap on its own. If you’re looking for a bargain, here it is.
This brewer does need special filters. But with the money you saved on the apparatus, you can fit the filters into your budget.
I went with the Hario filters to keep things on an even playing field.
If you enjoy watching the magic of coffee brewing, the V60 also comes in glass form. Glass manufacturing is what Hario is known for, but I like the look of ceramic myself.
It gives a cozy, inviting feeling to the process. It reminds me of holidays where family members all brought a variety of ceramic cookware.
There’s also the option of a copper Hario V60. It’s a bit pricier, but it looks quite glamorous.
It has improved thermal conductivity compared to the other options, so you can expect a warmer coffee. Also, its less likely to break compared to the glass or ceramic options.
Using The V60
The set up for this brewing process was more than easy.
- Switch on your kettle to boil your water.
- Put the V60 brewer on top of your coffee pot.
- Place your filter inside the V60.
- When your water gets boiling hot, lightly pour the water around the filter. This makes sure it sticks to the inside of the brewer.
- Add your medium-fine coffee grounds. A few tablespoons will do the trick.
- Slowly pour the hot water over your coffee grounds in circles, making sure to get every single ground wet.
- Stop when you’ve reached the desired amount of coffee in your pot.
For a more detailed brew guide for the Hario V60, watch this video:
This brewing process wasn’t as simple as the AeroPress or turning the coffee pot on. But it was far from difficult. In about three minutes, I had a nice, hot cup of coffee ready for me.
This brewing process yielded a cup that was mild, but beyond delicious. I could detect subtle notes of other flavors in the coffee that I hadn’t noticed before.
AeroPress Vs V60 – How Do They Compare?
In a cage match of AeroPress vs V60, there’s no clear winner. At least not in my opinion. The biggest difference between the two was the coffee produced.
If you need a cup of coffee that will put some hair on your chest in the morning, you should go with the AeroPress.
The press is also a great option if you enjoy lattes and Americanos over a traditional cup of coffee.
You can make espresso-style coffee with the press. Yet without investing thousands of dollars in an espresso machine.
The Hario V60 produces coffee that people who truly enjoy coffee will like.
Much like tea, a nice mild cup allows you to enjoy and savor the flavors of your coffee. While strong brews tend to annihilate your taste buds.
The slower extraction time of the V60 also allows more flavor to be extracted from the ground coffee. This is different compared to the speedy process of the press.
Both methods of brewing are travel friendly, even the V60 with its glass model. You can place it in your weekend bag and take it wherever. The same for the press.
Conclusion
The method you choose to go with is up to you, your tastes and your preferences.
If you think of coffee as your fuel, go with the AeroPress. You’ll be able to produce robust cups in less time.
If you think of coffee as a delightful beverage to savor, go with the Hario V60. You won’t be disappointed.
How have you found the AeroPress to compare with the V60? Have you had a different experience? Let me know in the comments below.
Stay caffeinated!
