Brew with the AeroPress

The humble AeroPress is every coffee lover’s dream, and here is why.  First of all, it was created by the same person that created the Aerobie and is a cross between a pour over and a French press, bringing together the best parts of both. More on that when I describe how it is used.

Points to consider when considering whether to buy an AeroPress:

Travelling:

You can easily travel with it.  This year, mine has travelled to a hotel in Cambridge, a chalet on the Isle of Wight and Kjellfrid’s has camped twice this summer!

Cleaning:

When you use the AeroPress, as you press the coffee through the filter it creates a firm “puck” of coffee. Once you take off the nest at the end that holds the filter paper, just hold the AeroPress over the bin and push the puck through with a “pop”, straight into the bin. All you need then is a mild amount of rinsing and it’s ready to use again.

Diversity:

The AeroPress is extremely diverse. You can create an espresso-style small, strong coffee, of which you can then add heated milk to make a flat white or latte-style coffee. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even make a cappuccino.  Or you can make a longer coffee, like a long black or American-style filter coffee, all depending on the ratios of coffee to water you use.  My go-to is to use 17g coffee to 150g water making a nice strong black coffee, or with a little milk to taste.

Making a coffee using the AeroPress:

Let’s focus on the traditional method first, and then you can play with ratio and different versions later. Here are the steps:1: Unscrew the filter cap from the chamber.

2: Pull the plunger out of the chamber.

3: Put a paper filter in the filter cap and re-attach to the chamber.

4: Place the chamber (with now attached filter cap) on top of your cup, filter cap resting on the cup.

5: Scoop coffee (medium grind) into the cup (I use around 17g).

6: Slowly pour hot (not boiling) water in circles into the chamber straight onto the coffee, allowing it to gently blend, (better to not pour fast), until water level either measures arur ound 150g or up to number 4 – depending on your taste and preferred ratio.

7: Place the plunger slightly into the chamber and pull upwards a bit to create a vacuum

8:  Wait for your preferred brewing time (I wait around 2 mins), and then gently press the plunger downwards until it reaches the bottom. You will hear a fizzing sound..

9: Remove the Aeropress and enjoy your coffee.

(Don’t press too hard as this can cause a mess!)

There is also an inverted method; you may have seen people brew coffee with an AeroPress by having it away from the cup and upside down to brew. For now, though, unless you want to, just get used to the traditional method and play around with your ratios and timings and even water temperatures.

Happy brewing!

Anna

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