Pour Over vs. French Press Ratios: Why They Are Not Interchangeable
I used to think a 1:16 ratio was a 1:16 ratio no matter the brewer. Then I brewed the same ratio in a pour over and a French press and they tasted nothing alike. The ratio is only part of extraction — the method is the rest.
Extraction style
- Pour over is percolation: water flows through the bed, so contact time is short and controlled.
- French press is full immersion: grounds sit in all the water for minutes, then a plunger filters.
What changes the cup
Immersion extracts more uniformly and pulls more body; percolation highlights clarity. Grind, time, and temperature interact with the method, so a ratio that works for one may over- or under-extract the other.
Start from each method's own page: Pour Over and French Press.
Why I'm telling you this
The percolation-versus-immersion split isn't my theory — it's how extraction actually works, and every brewer agrees on it. I'm just pointing it out so you stop blaming the ratio when the method is the real story.