Immersion brewing
also: immersion, steeping, full immersion
Grounds fully steeped in water, as in French press, cold brew, or cupping; forgiving and even.
Immersion brewing is any method where the grounds sit fully submerged in water for the whole brew, then are separated at the end. The French press, cold brew, and the cupping bowl are all immersion. So is the steeping phase of an AeroPress.
It is the opposite of percolation, where water flows continuously through a bed. Because every ground sits in the same water for the same time, immersion is naturally even and forgiving. There are no fast channels and no dry spots, so a small mistake in grind or pour rarely ruins the cup. This is why it is often recommended to beginners and why cuppers use it to judge coffee fairly.
The trade-offs: extraction is gentler and slower, so immersion brews can taste rounder and lower in clarity than a sharp pour-over. Steep time and grind size are your main controls, since there is no flow rate to manage. Many brewers, like the AeroPress and the siphon, combine an immersion steep with a final filtered draw to get the best of both.