I wonder what the pressure difference is?
If espresso is by definition pressure-brewed coffee, is French press coffee a form of espresso
espressofrench-press
Related Solutions
You do want a coarse grind for french press coffee. The key is letting the coffee steep for long enough to make a strong brew. I have good results with a 5 minute steep time. Be sure to use a timer, and compare different times to find the optimal brew. As a general rule, if you are at altitude, then you need to add time because boiling water is cooler. (Note that I am at 5000ft, so 5 minutes may be too long for you.)
Below is a picture of the coffee chunks in a coarse grind on top of a US 5 cent coin (21.21 mm in diameter).
The picture is from this article.
EDIT: The reason to use a coarse grind for a french press is that finer grinds will get stuck in the filter and/or push their way through. This has three potential problems: 1) it will be harder to press down the filter, possibly leading to spillage or breakage; 2) your coffee will have grinds in it; 3) the coffee may become bitter, as the finer grinds that passed through the filter remain in contact with the coffee for too long.
To answer the second part of your question ('the pros and cons of an espressomachine'):
Pros:
- Taste. If done right, you will capture much more of the coffeebean in your cup.
- Milk foaming. Most espresso machines have the possibility to froth milk for cappuccinos or lattes. Look up 'latte art' on Google Images for some inspiration :-)
- Process. The making of coffee becomes an enjoyable ritual with shiny machines, hot water and steam.
- hobby: there is an enormous amount of ustensils, tools, cups, coffees, online forums etc. to discover for enhancing your espresso.
Cons:
- Taste! as much more taste ends up in your espresso cup, you will also taste the defects much better (bad or stale coffee, badly grind, wrong water temperature etc.) will give you a sour or bitter cup.
- Technique. It takes practice to prepare a good espresso (except if you opt for a machine that takes coffee pads - but your choice of coffees will be limited and often not fresh).
- Cost. Espresso machines (good ones) are costly. And it doesn't stop there. To make really tasty espresso you might want to grind the beans yourself, so you'll need a grinder that can grind fine enough for espresso. After that you might start to suffer from upgraditis...
- Room on the kitchencounter. An espresso machine can take up quite some space.
Hope this helps!
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Best Answer
Espresso is brewed by passing high pressure water through the coffee at a temperature lower than 100°C (i.e. not boiling water).
Guidelines from the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano state that the entry water pressure is 9 ± 1 bar and the entry water temperature is 88 ± 2°C (67 ± 3°C in the cup). The coffe is brewed for 25 ± 2.5 s.
French press coffee, instead, is brewed by leaving the coffee for 2-4 minutes at atmospheric pressure (no high pressure involved) in 90-95°C water. The press in the name has nothing to do with high pressure, is just describing the fact that you press down the coffee grounds with the piston once it is brewed.