Home Brewing Methods: Aeropress

READ TIME: 3-4 minutes

The Aeropress, introduced in 2005, is a unique form of coffee brewing that allows for quick brewing of high-quality black coffee. Currently at version 8, the Aeropress is an ever-evolving piece of equipment that continues to improve over time. Throughout this blog, I’ll go through everything you’ll ever need to know about an Aeropress – plus more!

What is an Aeropress?

The Aeropress is a coffee brewing method that produces coffee similar to that of a plunger. It’s very easy to use, and pretty much everyone that uses it will ensure you that it’s the absolute best coffee brewing method out there. Put simply, you brew coffee in an Aeropress by pushing hot water through ground coffee and a filter, into your cup.

Where Does the Aeropress Originate From?

The company, Aeropress Inc., was founded in America in 1984 by Alan Adler, a retired Stanford University engineering Instructor. With research and production of the Aeropress starting in 2004 and 2005 respectively, the company has been thriving for over a decade, with the Aeropress continuously gaining more popularity as time goes on.

The best way to Brew Aeropress Coffee At Home

It’s hard to say what exactly is the “best” way to brew coffee with an Aeropress, as everyone who uses it will argue that their method is the best. Realistically, it will be a lot of experimenting until you find a way to make your perfect cup. The following method would be a good place to start –

1. Weigh out 15 to 18 grams of your preferred coffee and grind to a texture just slightly finer than sea salt. The weight you use will depend on how strong you like your coffee – if you’re not sure, I’d recommend you start somewhere in the middle and then keep adjusting each time you make your coffee until you find your preferred weight.
2. Insert one paper filter into the detachable cap of the Aeropress.
3. Bring 7 oz (around 200ml) of water to a boil
4. Use some of this water to wet your filter and cap to help the filter adhere properly to the cap, and also to pre-heat the cap.
5. Assemble the rest your Aeropress as usual – make sure it’s dry though! Any excess moisture can ruin the seal.
6. Place your Aeropress on a set of scales with the flared end up (the numbers on the side of your Aeropress should be upside down).
7. Add your ground coffee through the top of the Aeropress, being careful to not spill any into the “gutter” around the edge of the device.
8. Add twice the weight of boiling water than you did coffee (e.g., for 15g of coffee you should add 30g of water).
9. After ensuring the coffee is saturated evenly by mixing it in slightly with the paddle provided, and tamping the grounds down lightly, leave to sit for 30 seconds.
10. Use the remainder of the water to fill the chamber.
11. Leave for one minute, then stir the grounds around 10 or 12 times to agitate them.
12. Fasten the cap, ensuring it is properly locked.
13. Flip the whole device over and position over your cup.
14. Begin to apply downward pressure on the Aeropress and push the coffee into your cup. If you’re finding its’ too difficult to push down, your coffee may be ground too finely, and if it’s a little too easy to push down on, it may be too coarse.
15. Once the Aeropress starts to make a type of “hissing” sound, this means there’s no more water to push through the filter – so your coffee is ready!
16. Unscrew the cap and push the coffee puck out.
17. Add milk or sugar if you like, and enjoy your coffee!

The Best Coffee for Aeropress

A lot of different coffees will work very well with an Aeropress, but it’s fully dependant on your flavour preferences, and whether or not you add milk.

For the black coffee drinkers out there who prefer a bit of a mellower cup, our Brazilian Single Origin Beans will provide you with wonderful flavours of cocoa, malt and maple syrup with a full body and mild acidity. For a stronger, fuller and punchier flavour in a black Aeropress brewed coffee, we would recommend our Papua New Guinean Single Origin Coffee. With a full body and medium acidity, these beans will pack a punch with flavours of chocolate and fruit.

If you do add milk, we’d recommend either our Il Caramello or Tall Dark and Handsome Blends. While these both go well with white coffee, the Il Caramello has a softer, smoother flavour profile whereas the Tall Dark and Handsome blend is a little bit fuller and punchier.

Or, if you’re not too sure of your flavour preferences – you could always give our All-Rounder Sampler Pack a go to test your taste buds.