The Aeropress has become a very popular brewing method for a number of reasons. It’s small, cheap, and makes awesome coffee. In this how to I will go over everything you need to know to start making coffee in your Aeropress right now (in under 3 minutes).
What is an Aeropress
The Aeropress is a compact immersion-style coffee maker that packs a punch in a small package. It only immerses in the coffee grounds for a few seconds. The grinds are usually the size of espresso to compensate for the shorter immersion time.
The water is forced out by a plunger when it is finished and the grounds stay inside the chamber because a filter holds them back.
The result is an espresso style brew.
It was invented in 2005 by Alan Adler who was a renowned inventor. It only took a few years for everyone in the coffee world to realize how great his invention really was.
If you are a lover of all things coffee, you need to try the Aeropress. It can produce a great cup of coffee on a small budget.
It also makes a great substitute for an espresso machine.
The Aeropress has such a compact design that people who travel often take one in their suitcase to make great coffee away from home.
Aeropress Grind Size
Because of the brewing method, a fine grind size similar to espresso is recommended. To achieve this, you will need an automatic burr grinder. A manual grinder just isn’t going to give you the fine grinds that you need.
How to use an Aeropress
Using the Aeropress is simple. All you need to do is add your grounds to the chamber. Add some water for it to bloom. Then add the rest of the water and let it steep for 2 minutes. Then plunge into a cup.
Aeropress Ratio
The estimated ratio of coffee to water is 17 to 18 grams of coffee to 230 grams of water. This is around 2 1/2 tbs of coffee to about 1 cup of water.
Aeropress Inverted Method
To use the Aeropress inverted you will be brewing it upside down and then flipping it over to plunge.
- You will need to rinse your filter and set it aside.
- Put the plunger inside the main chamber to make a seal.
- Place coffee grounds inside.
- Add 1/4 of the 175 to 185°F water straight inside.
- Stir (10 seconds) to get all the grounds wet and let it bloom.
- Add the rest of the water and stir again.
- Wait 2 minutes, attach cap with the filter, flip it over, and plunge into a cup. (you will hear it hiss from the air pressure)
Aeropress Iced Coffee
For iced Aeropress coffee, I recommend using the inverted method. Then brew the coffee as we talked about above. The only difference is when you plunge it into your cup there will be ice cubes in it this time. And just like that, you will have iced Aeropress coffee.
I don’t think it can get any easier than that.
Aeropress Cold Brew
This is by far the easiest, fastest way to cold brew coffee in the world. You really can make a great cup of cold brew in just 2 minutes!
What you will do:
- Using the Inverted method, add coffee grounds
- Add room temperature water
- Stir for 60 seconds (Very Important)
- Flip and press gently into a cup and add ice water (or room temp)
See, it’s insanely easy! You can watch the video on Aeropress.com to see exactly what to do.
The key to this method vs others is the longer stir time with the fine grind.
AND just so you know the guy who invented the Aeropress (Alan Adler) says his favorite coffee is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
Reasons the Aeropress is Awesome
Total Immersion is key
The reason why Aeropress coffee tastes so delicious is the total immersion of the coffee grounds in the water. You get a very fast extraction of the beans but robust flavor as a result.
Air Pressure for flavor
The air pressure also makes the filtering time shorter and prevents the bitterness that you get from drip coffee. The pressure also releases the flavor from the ground by compressing it.
Lower Acid Content
It also contains about 1/5th of the acid as a regular cup of drip coffee. It makes this method easy on the stomach. This is due to the lower brew temperatures (175 to 185 °).
Conclusion
The Aeropress is worth a try. With its low cost and durability, it’s an easy investment to make and add to your brewing arsenal. You will love the espresso-like flavor that it puts out.
