As someone who has been using the Aeropress nearly every day for the past 2 years I can confidently say I still have no clue what the best method is. But that is honestly a good thing because there are so many ways to brew with the Aeropress. That’s what makes it fun.
However, you still want to have an everyday go-to method. Something you can make any time and know it will be delicious. I would also say a method you are confident you can make for someone else too. Now if you don’t have one and you have been winging it all this time then don’t fear, I will share with you a simple and easy Aeropress method that produces a tasty cup of coffee every time.
What you need
Before we discuss the method, let me list all the things you need:-
- The Aeropress
- One Filter Paper
- 14 Grams Coffee (Medium Grind)
- Kettle with 200ml Hot Water (Around 85 degrees celsius)
- Digital scales
- Timer
- A Tea Spoon
- Cup, Mug or whatever you want to drink from
The Method
Firstly you want to set up your Aeropress in the inverted position. This is where you connect the plunger with the brewing chamber and flip it upside down. You don’t need to pre-heat your Aeropress but you do need to ensure it’s clean from previous use. Put your single filter paper into the filter basket and rinse it through with some hot water to get rid of the papery taste. Leave this on the side.
Add your 14 grams of medium ground coffee into the Aeropress and level out the coffee. Before you start to pour the water, start your timer. Then fairly quickly (but carefully) pour your 200ml of water at around 85c into the chamber and ensuring you try to immerse all the coffee with the water. You want to be done pouring within 10 to 15 seconds. Once you had added in 200ml of water then you want to get a teaspoon and lightly stir for a couple of seconds on the top of the coffee bed to ensure the grounds has immersed with the water. Then you are going to connect the filter basket with the filter paper in it on top of Aeropress. Now let the coffee brew up to the 1-minute mark.
Once you have reached the 1-minute mark, then you want to gently and carefully flip the Aeropress over on to a cup. An easy way to do this is placing the cup on top of the Aeropress covering the filter basket and then turning it over to avoid any spillage. Immediately start to gently press down on the plunger. You should take between 30 to 45 seconds and you should press all the way down.
Let it rest to let some more of the coffee filter through for about 5 seconds and then remove the Aeropress. Remove the filter basket and pop out the coffee grounds into a bin or use it for composting.
Final comments
So let me add some comments to why I use this method. I think using 14 grams of coffee with 200ml water is a pretty common ratio used for the Aeropress. It’s good because you are not using up a lot of coffee on a single cup. I like this method because it produces a sweet, light, and a very clean cup of coffee. Regardless of what type of flavour notes your coffee has, it effortlessly brings about those flavours.
My preference is to use the inverted method when using the Aeropress because I find it easier to push the plunger through as it’s already set up. I also don’t like any coffee going through the filter although it’s only a small amount.
I advise using a medium grind size for the coffee but you can tinker a little by edging towards fine until it starts to taste too strong or bitter. The reason I suggest this is you can make the cup a little sweeter by going a little finer and it depends on what grinder you are using.
To clarify some additional things including why I only lightly stir the coffee when it’s brewing. As this is a short brew you don’t want to stir too much as you might over-extract. Also, as you do have to flip the Aeropress before you start applying the plunger, then there is a lot of agitation at this point. The last thing to is, I push the plunger down on the Aeropress all the way. I used to stop during the hissing sound but again with as short brew time I don’t think it makes much of a difference.
So there you have my simple and easy Aeropress method, which makes for a delicious cup of coffee. Let me know how you found this recipe and if I should make any improvements because I will probably change something somewhere in the future.
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