The Aeropress might seem like a straightforward way to brew a killer coffee. But did you know there are a few nifty things you can experiment with to spice things up in your morning cup?
Filters
Your standard Aeropress set comes with a pack of paper microfilters. They already yield a drip with more distinct flavours and a thicker texture than your average filtered coffee drip. But if you want even more clarity in your cup, try using two microfilters at once. Or if you’re a fan of a french-press style brew, set yourself up with one of the Aeropress metal filters. It’s less wasteful too, just rinse it off and re-use.
Water to coffee ratio
Simplicity is inherent with an Aeropress. Easy-to-follow numbers on the side of the chamber, nifty size and the automatic pressurisation of the coffee and water. But don’t be limited by this. You might be surprised how different each cup can be when you experiment with the levels of water and coffee. Throw away the handbook and add extra coffee, you’ll find out how easy it is to create an espresso like brew using the Aeropress
Inversion
This isn’t just an advanced yoga move. The Aeropress is designed with gravity in mind, but who’s to say you can’t take back a little more control by flipping the process on it’s head. Insert the plunger into the chamber before flipping it upside down, then add your coffee and water, and brew for your desired length of time. Pop the filter in the cap, dampen, screw it on, and with a little bit of skill (may we suggest popping the cup over the Aeropress end while you do this), flip the whole thing onto your cup and proceed as normal. Check out this handy video below, even in Portuguese you can see how simple it is!
So as simple as the Aeropress might seem, don’t feel limited by it’s design. It’s always fun to experiment with your new toy so give it a go!
Leave your own special Aeropress experiments and experiences in the comments below, we’d love to hear what you’ve tried.
