Man, do I love the Aeropress. A seemingly innocuous collaboration of two plastic tubes and a rubber stopper. How has something so simple become so synonymous with the world of coffee and great coffee at that?
I can’t speak much to the engineering, design or history of the Aeropress. Designed by Alan Adler and released in 2005. But I can tell you now, that if you only had an Aeropress to hand, you could be far far worse off.
Why love the Aeropress?
Simplicity really. It’s easy to use, easy to clean, easy to store and filters are pennies.
The coffee you get from an Aeropress is fantastic, too.
It always seemed to me like a cross-over between drip coffee and espresso. Relying on an element of pressure, but a bloom and stir. It’s a thing of beauty.
I’ve made a couple of poor cups, due to bad quantities and messing-up my methods etc. But by and large, the minute I opened her up, I was making a decent brew!
Hard to dislike something that makes brewing so straight forward. That, and the Aeropress only requires a medium/medium-coarse grind. Perfect for those off-the-shelf pre-ground coffees!
Get an Aeropress and the world is your oyster!
Take a look here for a buyers guide for other plastic presses, too.
Getting the best out of the Aeropress
I have made hundreds and hundreds of cups of coffee using my Aeropress, and I’ve learned plenty along the way.
Scoops, grinds, water quantities, bloom. Everything you can think of has been tweaked and changed to get it right.
The single most important step, to me. Is to invert your Aeropress. Literally use it upside down to start with (this comes with the risk of spillage later on……believe me, I know), but the quality and consistency are absolutely worth the risk.
I’ll be publishing proper brew video guides, but here’s a rough and ready “how-to” to help you get the best from your Aeropress quickly!
Quick method:
- Put your Aeropress together, with the plunger element just barely inside the main funnel. The rubber stopper should be fully inside, and creating a seal;
- Stand the Aeropress using the top of the plunger as the base;
- Put in one scoop (scooper provided) of your desired coffee;
- Boil the kettle and leave it for 15 seconds before pouring enough to just cover the coffee in the chamber;
- Wait one minute;
- Whilst waiting put a paper filter into the plastic mesh/cap and dampen lightly;
- Stir the coffee gently for a few seconds, then add more water as required (for an Americano in a mug, I fill it to the top);
- Add the cap and securely twist it into place;
- Place your mug upside down over the cap;
- Holding the mug and Aeropress, now turn it “right-way round” so the mug is on the bottom and the Aeropress is now plungable into the mug;
- Slowly apply pressure to the plunger and express your coffee into your mug;
- Allow any remaining drips to come through and you’re done!
Inverting the Aeropress can be tricky, especially when flipping it over, so take your time as you get used to doing it. I guarantee everyone that’s ever tried it has ended up with a worktop covered in water and coffee grounds at some point.
What next?
Once you’ve mastered your routine, the fun begins! New coffees, different grind settings, water temperature, scoop sizes. You can go nuts.
The world of coffee is kinda your oyster. Armed with your Aeropress you can go for it. Have a play, don’t use my guide as the be-all and end-all, but use it to help structure your own way forward.
If you’re unsure what coffee to go with, you can get 10% off using the code “Ninja10” at cannonballcoffee.co.uk or, if you’re here because of your gaming interests, how about some gaming-themed coffee from Crackd Coffee which were reviewed here last year.
Whatever you do, though. Just enjoy your coffee and make the process a ritual. It always tastes that much sweeter when you can enjoy the process of making it.
Let me know what you think of the Aeropress of the coffees above, too!