How to brew AeroPress like a champ

Alternative brewing methods in the specialty coffee scene has taken off over the past few years which gets us really excited. One of the newer methods is the AeroPress which was invented in 2005 by Alan Adler. This is the same guy who invented the Aerobie long-flying frisbee, you know the one with the big hole in the centre. Yeah, so his two passions are coffee and frisbees! Lucky guy. Anyway, AeroPress brewing is superb and if you have not experienced it yet, you really should get into it. AeroPress is certainly the most durable and portable option for brewing quality coffee.

What you'll need for your brew

Aeropress
Fresh Coffee Beans
Filter Paper
Grinder
Kettle
Scale
Timer
Paddle to stir

Buy the gear you need here

Recipe

This is our standard approach to brewing Aeropress, and we will also write about our other brewing approaches soon. Our standard AeroPress recipe is 15g of coffee and 250g of water.

How to brew it

Step 1

Boil about 500mls of water.

Step 2

Insert a paper filter into the AeroPress filter holder (black plastic cap). Pour a dash of hot water over the filter paper to eliminate any paper taste. This will also form a seal between the filter paper and the holder, which will enable a better brew. Tip out the water in the cup.

Step 3

Assemble the brewer by placing the black filter holder into the base of the AeroPress and place on top of your favourite coffee mug.

Step 4

Weigh out 15 grams of coffee and grind it with either your hand mill or electric grinder. AeroPress needs finely ground coffee, finer than a plunger and coarser than espresso. Pour the ground coffee into the bottom of the AeroPress.

If you don’t have a scale, use about 4 teaspoons of ground coffee.
If you are using a porlex hand grinder, adjust your hand mill to make the blades touch, then screw back four clicks.

Step 5

Provided the kettle has recently boiled, set a timer to 1 minute and hit start. Pour in the hot water. If you pour between the 4 mark and the top it will be approximately 250g.

A heated water temperature of 95ºC is best for brewing AeroPress. If the water temperature is too low, the coffee will taste weak and sour. Alternatively, if the water temperature is too high, the coffee will taste harsh, bland and bitter.

Step 6

Agitate the coffee immediately after pouring. Move the paddle back-and-forth 6 times in a north-south motion, and then 6 times in an east-west motion. Immediately after agitation, delicately place the plunger part of the AeroPress into the section sitting on your cup.

Be careful as you only want the rubber seal sitting just into the AeroPress.
Another tip is to slightly pull up on the plunger after you have inserted it. This will cause a reverse vacuum and ensure that all of the brewed coffee stays in the top chamber until you are ready to plunge.

Step 7

After 1 minute press the coffee carefully. This should take 25 seconds. A slow pressing motion ensures that all the flavor is extracted from the coffee.

Do not be tempted to fast press, otherwise you will breach the paper filter and will get coffee grinds in your cup.
Remove the AeroPress and enjoy.
Clean your AeroPress simply by pulling apart and rinsing with hot water.

Tips

If you’re finding it hard to plunge it most likely means that your coffee is ground too finely so try a coarser grind.
This recipe will brew a very elegant cup of coffee that is best enjoyed black. This is the Specialty Coffee Association standard. However, if you would like a stronger cup my recommendation would be 18g o 250g of water. If you really want an early morning wake up call, use 20g of coffee to 250g of water.