Let me start off by saying that this is going to be a fun comparison. In this article, I will tell you all about the AeroPress vs pour over. The pour over brewers that I will use for this comparison is the Chemex and the Hario V60.
After reading this article, you will be able to make an informed decision on which of the three coffee brewers is right for you. I will be comparing the taste difference, the difference in filters used, and the amount of coffee that you can brew at once.
Grab yourself a nice cup of joe and start reading away!
What kind of coffee does the AeroPress make?
To start it off, I will tell you a bit about what an AeroPress can do. The AeroPress is a one-of-a-kind coffee brewer. The coffee is made by the pressure created in the chambers of the AeroPress. It’s a fun way of making coffee, I must say.
When brewing coffee with the AeroPress, you will be able to make anything from an espresso-style coffee to a full cup of coffee.
When you want to brew coffee with the AeroPress for the first time, I recommend starting with espresso-style coffee. This will give you a nice indication of what you can do with this amazing coffee brewer.
If you feel like a bigger cup of coffee is what you need, you can add more water before pressing down on your AeroPress. Or you can choose to make an Americano by adding more hot water to your espresso-style coffee after brewing.
There are many ways to make coffee with this fun coffee brewer. Suppose you are interested in the brewing guide of the AeroPress. I suggest clicking here for the regular method and here for the inverted method.
Which pour over brewers are there?
To start this comprising off, let me tell you a bit about the two pour over brewers out there.
When talking about pour over coffee, most of the time people will be talking about the Chemex and the Hario V60. These two coffee brewers are both considered to be pour over brewers.
Let’s talk about the Chemex
The Chemex is a really nice coffee brewer. When first looking at the Chemex, you almost wouldn’t expect to be able to make coffee with it, as it’s so nice looking.
There are many sizes, and types of Chemex’s out there. The most widely known kind is the one that I have as well. This Chemex has a wooden collar and a leather string attached to the hourglass lookalike coffee brewer.
Later on, I will be telling you a bit more about the different sizes, the filter used, and the price of the Chemex.
The second pour over coffee brewer, the V60
Let’s take a look at the Hario V60. The V60 is another pour over coffee brewer which is known for its design. The coffee brewer has ridges throughout its V-shape cone which is what makes it so unique.
The biggest difference between the Chemex and the V60 is the missing “cup” underneath the V60 where the delicious coffee will drip into. Instead, a cup is used to catch the brewed coffee.
Down below, I will talk a bit about the taste difference between the coffee brewers. If you are interested in the Hario V60 brewing guide, you can click here.
Is pour over coffee stronger?
To answer these questions, let me first explain what I found out while making a comparison between all three coffees:
- The AeroPress has a punchy, full-bodied taste and has a fuller mouthfeel.
- The Chemex has fruity notes and has a clean palate with a small punchy bitter at the end.
- While the V60 tastes fresh and full-bodied, the V60 also has an oily texture, making it pleasant to drink.
Is pour over coffee stronger? Pour over coffee is considered to taste a bit weaker than the AeroPress. The filters used in a pour over brewer remove a lot of oil and coffee goodies from the cup. While this isn’t a problem at all, the AeroPress coffee tastes a bit “stronger” and bold in flavor.
While tasting the three coffees next to each other, there wasn’t much difference in taste. Let’s talk a bit about the comparison between the Chemex and V60. The difference between the two is really nothing to write home about.
The most noticeable difference between the Chemex and V60 is the filter used. The Chemex has the thickest filter, and this reflects in the coffee flavor. Most of the flavor is left behind in the filter because of it.
The V60 has a thin filter that will let some oil through. The oily layer was barely visible but still there.
Which coffee brewer makes the fastest coffee?
For this article, I made all three coffees with a timer next to me. Using a timer, I was able to see which of the three had the fastest brewing time. Here are my findings:
- AeroPress: 10 seconds bloom, total brew time 1 minute 20 seconds
- Chemex: 30 seconds bloom, total brew time 2 minute 45 seconds
- V60: 30 seconds bloom, total brew time 2 minute 40 seconds
For every brew, I used 18 grams of coffee and roughly 250 grams of water. This is about one cup worth of coffee. When comparing these brewing times, you can tell that the pour over brewers is nearly identical in brewing time.
The AeroPress, however; was about 1 minute and 30 seconds faster than the two pour over brewers. If you are looking to make a good cup of joe in the least amount of time, I would suggest brewing with the AeroPress. The AeroPress wins the brewing time by far.
Although an AeroPress can brew a quick cup of joe which might be great for the weekdays, you might want to consider any of the pour over brewers for the weekends. Using the Chemex and V60 is a lot more fun and you will be able to experiment with these brewers a bit more.
What is the difference in filters?
To compare the filter of the three coffee brewers I made a nice photo:
If you look at the coffee filters in the photo you can see that the difference is quite significant. The biggest difference is the thickness of the filters. Also, the size and form of the filters are different:
- The AeroPress has a small circular filter and is pretty thin.
- The Chemex has a pre-folded circular filter. The filter is quite thick and the thickest side is placed at the pouring spout of the Chemex.
- Comparing the V60 to these to other filters, the V60 filter is somewhere in between the two. The filter is quite thin like the AeroPress kind but has the same shape to it as the Chemex.
All of these coffee filters are easy to get your hands on and are pretty cheap. If you don’t want to use paper filters when brewing your daily cup of joe, there are also nice stainless steel versions of all three out there.
For example, if you want to buy a reusable filter for the Chemex, you might want to look for something like this, which you can find on Amazon.
What is the difference in price between the coffee brewers?
For this price comparison I will put the coffee brewers in a list, where you will be able to look at the prices and get an idea of what your investment will be:
- AeroPress: The regular version will cost you between $29.99 and up to $36.00. However, if you are on the lookout for a coffee brewer to travel with, you are in the right place. The travel edition will cost you between $31.95 and $36.99
- Chemex: For the Chemex, you are looking at a price of $24.99 to $44.95, depending on the size and style you are looking for. The cheapest option will be the 3-cup version of the Chemex.
- V60: The V60 is the cheapest of the bunch. The plastic V60 can be found as low as $9. However, if you are looking for a glass or ceramic version, it will cost you between $22.50 and $24.95.
When you unpack the AeroPress, you will find a batch of filters included in the package. The Chemex and V60 require you to buy a batch of filters before you can start brewing. The filters’ price comes in around $9.50 to $12 for a batch of 100 filters.
Note: The prices of the coffee brewers can change, so I’ve made an estimate on how much they will cost. Please check the links listed for the correct price.
This price comparison will give you a good idea of how much your next favorite coffee brewer will cost. Your cheapest option will be the plastic V60.
However, if you are willing to spend a few more, I would suggest picking up either the Chemex or AeroPress, depending on the coffee you want to brew.
How much coffee does the AeroPress make?
The AeroPress can make a nice cup of coffee in one brewing. The amount of coffee that the AeroPress produces depends on how much water you want to add. Most likely you will end up with an espresso-like cup of coffee, or one full cup of Americano-style coffee while brewing with the AeroPress.
I have tried multiple AeroPress recipes that all start with about 17-20 grams of ground coffee. Some days I might feel like a small cup of coffee, like espresso, and I will make myself an AeroPress brewed cup of coffee with 50 grams of water.
Using 50 grams of water and 17 grams of ground coffee will give you a strong cup which you can dilute with a bit more hot water to your liking. When I want a nice full cup of coffee to enjoy, I will add about 100 grams of water after the coffee is made for an Americano style.
However, you can always add more water to your AeroPress before pressing down, using this amount of water is best used when brewing with the inverted AeroPress method.
Using this method will ensure you get a nice bloom and you will be able to add more water after that. Much like brewing a pour over coffee.
How many cups of coffee can a Chemex brew?
Now you know how much coffee you can brew with the AeroPress, let’s get into the coffee brewing capacity for the Chemex.
Depending on the Chemex size you buy, you will be able to make anywhere from 3 to 10 cups of coffee in one brewing session. These are the sizes that are available to buy:
- 3-cups version
- 6-cups version
- 8-cups version
- 10-cups version
I chose the 8 cups version of Chemex to brew a bit more coffee at once when family or friends come over. Comparing the Chemex with the AeroPress, the Chemex does have a leap in the amount of coffee it can brew at once.
What about the V60 brewing sizes?
Moving on to the V60, the V60 can brew between one and 6 cups of coffee, depending on the size. There are 3 sizes available of the Hario V60:
- Hario V60 01
- Hario V60 02
- Hario V60 03
Starting from the top: the V60 01 can brew just one cup of coffee at once. The 02 is the most commonly bought V60 out there as it has just a bit more brewing capacity than the 01. The 02 can brew up to 4 cups at once.
And then the biggest of the bunch, the V60 03 version, will be able to brew up to 6 cups of coffee at once. The biggest size of the V60 is most commonly used in coffee bars because of its brewing capacity.
The Chemex and V60 come quite close when you are looking for the biggest coffee brewer out there. So, it all comes down to what you find most important next to the brewing size.
Final verdict
Wow, that’s quite an article. I do hope you can make a decision based on the comparison that I gave you. It will be a hard choice to make if you ask. I really like the Chemex for my daily brew, although the AeroPress is used a lot too.
Most of the time, I use the V60 to make just one cup of coffee, which is where this coffee brewer will fit in nicely. The Chemex is for a nice evening with some visitors, and the AeroPress is most used when I like a stronger cup of joe.
If you want to put the coffee brewers to the test, you can check out the recipes I’ve listed below. The recipes all require either a strong cup of pour over coffee or an espresso basis.
Which of the three coffee brewers do you prefer? Let me know by leaving a comment down below. If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top!
