French press vs pour over showdown ended with a burned hand

Last Sunday I decided to settle the debate for good with a side-by-side test using the same beans from this local roaster in Austin. I brewed a French press with a 4-minute steep and a pour over with a 30-second bloom, both using 200 degree water. The pour over came out cleaner and brighter no question, but I totally fumbled the kettle and spilled hot water on my thumb. Was it worth the better flavor? Honestly I'm still icing the burn and wondering if I should just go back to my old drip machine. Has anyone else had a coffee experiment go physically wrong like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.kevin2d ago

Man dude. That blows. My buddy tried to do the same thing last year. He had both setups going on his kitchen counter. He reached for the gooseneck kettle and knocked a full ceramic mug off the drying rack. It shattered on the tile and a hot shard bounced up and hit his ankle. He was hopping around cussing and had to get three stitches. His wife still brings it up at dinner.

nathanking2d ago

That's the thing about kitchen setups... they always look good in theory until something goes wrong. @grant.kevin, your buddy's story makes me wonder if people should just pick one method and stick with it instead of running two stations. Less gear on the counter means less stuff to knock over when you're half awake making coffee.