A simple AeroPress technique for great coffee
It can be hard to make great coffee when you're travelling, camping, or if you don't have the right brewing equipment at the office. If you're like Aly and I, then you NEED great coffee to survive!
I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't try an AeroPress until fairly recently on my coffee journey, but it's so simple, quick, and produces such a great cup, that I had multiple cups whilst shooting photos and writing this blog post.
Equipment Required
To make a great AeroPress coffee you will need, freshly ground coffee, a kettle, a scale / timer, an AeroPress, and a mug, that's it. I'll be using the older version of the AeroPress, but the latest Aeropress Go is the newer, slightly improved version.
Step 1 - Insert The Micro-Filter
Push the plunger out of the AeroPress, unscrew the cap off the base, take one of the AeroPress Microfilters, and place it into the cap. Screw it back onto the AeroPress.
Step 2 - Brew
Put the AeroPress onto your mug, and on the scale. Put 11g of medium-fine ground coffee into the AeroPress. The grind size should be slightly finer than for a V60, but a little coarser than for espresso. You can use a hand grinder like the Porlex Tall II if you're travelling or camping. These are the grind settings for electric Baratza grinders.
The coffee grounds should look like this.
Give the AeroPress a little shake to level the grounds. This is important, as if they are not level, water can get through the filter too quickly.
Zero/tare the scale, start your timer, and add 200g of water, just off boil so around 95C/200F. Make sure all the coffee is getting wet.
Step 3 - Wait
Gently put the plunger into the top of the AeroPress. You don't want to push any coffee out of the bottom just yet so I find putting it in at an angle helps. You can take it off the scale at this point.
Wait for two minutes...
When you get to two minutes, carefully (whilst holding the plunger, base, and mug all together) give it a gentle swirl to get the coffee grounds moving around. Then wait another 30 seconds.
Step 4 - Plunge
After the 30 seconds are up, gently start to press down on the plunger, making sure that the AeroPress and your mug are stable. You do not need to press hard at all. You will hear an audible hiss as all of the coffee has been expelled into your mug, and the rest is just air coming out. Plunging should take about 30 seconds, don't rush.
Step 5 - Drink!
That's it, done! The AeroPress produces a strong, concentrated coffee, sort of like a large espresso. So it's good to add milk, or steamed milk for an AeroPress latte. I just top up the mug with more hot water to make an Americano.
To clean the AeroPress just remove the cap, and push on the plunger. The spent coffee puck will pop right out and into the trash. Then just give it a rinse.
There you go, a very simple AeroPress brew guide, for a very good cup of coffee.
Top Tips
Some of the smaller hand grinders out there fit perfectly inside the AeroPress (like the Porlex Tall Grinder II in the older AeroPress), saving packing space.
If you are camping, pre weigh your beans into individual sealable bags, and mark where 200g of water is on a container, this way you don't need to take a scale. I also put the beans in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
Use hotter water for lighter roasts (90C-95C), and cooler for darker roasts (80C-90C).