AeroPress is a much loved coffee brewer invented by Alan Adler in 2005 the AeroPress has had multiple iterations, with 2009's 'Crystal Clear' AeroPress chamber to be the first manufactured without BPA. 

 

The AeroPress has a very simple design, with the main parts including: 'Chamber', 'Plunger', 'Seal' (attached to the plunger) and the 'Filter Cap'. The simplicity of this design I believe is the driving factor to the AeroPress's success.

What makes the AeroPress unique?

The AeroPress is unlike any other brewer and since it's release has revolutionised the travel-space in the coffee brewing market. While there are some similar shaped / designed press's such as the Delter press and a huge amount of attachments to the AeroPress, there really is no other coffee brewer just like the AeroPress.

Brew: The AeroPress can be brewed in many different ways but brewing immersion style (coffee grounds immersed, similarly to brewing tea) offers a much more forgiving and easy-to-use approach to brewing coffee.

Feature Packed: The design of a hand held plunger that uses filter papers and pack down into itself, not to mention its light-weight and easy clean design makes the AeroPress so successful as a coffee brewer today as it was in 2005.

Versatile: AeroPress can be brewed in many different ways, it is incredibly versatile and as mentioned previously there are a bunch of aftermarket adaptors, attachments and accessories that are compatible with the AeroPress.

Why the AeroPress is perfect for beginners:

I recommend the AeroPress to anyone who is interested in starting brewing coffee, in fact the AeroPress was the brewer that I first started using when making coffee at home.

The reason why I love the AeroPress for beginners so much is because It removes a lot of the technique from the brew method and allows you to focus on things like (coffee grind size, How much coffee, How much water, how long you brew for, etc)

An awesome intro to filter coffee, while the AeroPress can be used to make a great 'strong coffee base' for milk based coffees it also makes delicious black filter coffee. (Recipe attached below 😉)

Best brewer to make coffee when travelling?

I always recommend paying attention to your grind size, weight of coffee in / water in, water temp and all the other variables when it comes to brewing coffee, this is with exception to brewing coffee on the go. Recently whenever I travel I don't use scales and I rarely know any of my variables and while the coffee I brew isn't the most amazing, mind blowing I've had, it still beats most cafe's batchy.
By referring to the numbers on the outside of the AeroPress you can estimate well enough to make yummy coffee.

Here's how I make AeroPress without a scale:

1. Place 1 paper filter into your AeroPress cap and screw onto the chamber, place this over a cup / server.
2. Add coarse ground coffee roughly filling up 1.5cm from the filter cap.
3. fill with water all the way up to the number '3' indicator and stir until all the grounds are evenly submerged.
4. After around 2 minutes plunge your coffee into your cup / server.

AeroPress vs AeroPress Go:

There are two models currently available for the AeroPress the classic 'AeroPress' and the newest addition the 'AeroPress Go', While the design is similar and some components are the exact same (Filter cap, Seal, Filters).

The AeroPress Go has some new additions such as the 'Travel cup' which allows you to pack your AeroPress down and avoid any messes. As well as this there is also the slightly shorter body / brew chamber which allows for the same amount of brewing capabilities as the regular AeroPress but with a much slimmer profile making this a much more appealing grinder for coffee lovers traveling.  

It is noteworthy that for larger brews the AeroPress Go physically can not fit the same amount as the original AeroPress in the brew chamber, AeroPress recommend using bypass water (water added to the final cup that avoids touching the coffee grounds) in their recipe however I am not the biggest fan of this approach and there definitely is a limit as to how much water you can add before it tastes too watered down and diluted. 

AeroPress + Reusable Metal Disks:

Able pioneered this space, making the first and most popular reusable metal filters for the AeroPress. Currently Able make a Standard size filter and a Fine size filter, with smaller holes. The size of the holes will determin how much oils and fines can pass into your final cup, but how does this effect taste?
The more oils and fines = a thicker tasting, heavier body.

Basic AeroPress Recipe (Black Filter Coffee):

• 15g of filter roasted coffee beans
• 250g of water at 95ºc
• AeroPress or AeroPress Go 
• 1x AeroPress paper micro filter
• Scales (with timing function preferred)

1. Add 1 AeroPress paper filter to your filter cap and screw it on to the chamber.
2. Grind 15g of your filter roasted coffee medium coarse and add this to your AeroPress chamber, place this over a server / cup, if you have a set of scales place all of this on top of one and tare it out.
3. Pour your 250g of water all at once and start the timer as soon as water comes in contact with your coffee grounds.
4. With the stirrer paddle included give your grounds a quick stir and then place your plunger in on an angle and lift upwards to create a seal and stopping the drips.
5. At the 2 minute mark slowly start pressing down on the plunger, pushing your coffee out the filter cap into your server / mug.
   This should take around 30-45 seconds, making your whole brew time around 2:30-45.

WAC 2023 Winning Recipe by Jibbi Little: 

Jibbi Little representing Australia won the 2023 WAC (World AeroPress Championship) While she interestingly chose to use 2 grinders you can still replicate this recipe yourself with just 1 grinder. ( the first grinder to remove chaff and the secondary grinder to grind the coffee to the correct grind size.)

Learn more here.

Set Up:

Brewer Position: Inverted

Filter: 1 AeroPress Classic, Rinsed

Dose: 18.0

Water: Perfect Coffee Water, 90°C, 150ml

Grinder: Two Grinders. Timemore at a very coarse grinder, followed by a Kinu grinder at setting 4. Sift the fines out (100-200 microns).

Time: 2:10

Coffee: Cafe Imports Colombia Finca Juan Martin, Natural, Striped Red Bourbon

Method:

1. Pour coffee into chamber

2. Pour 94ml of water and stir 35 times gently

3. At 1:20 screw on cap and press out remaining air

4. At 1:30 flip and press for 30 seconds from 1:40 - 2:10

5. You will have about 58-64g of concentrate

6. Bypass 90C water to 150g

7. Aim for TDS of 1.3 – 1.35 (it is amazing at this strength)

8. Serve

Optional: use extract chilled ice balls (3 at the bottom and 1 on top. total of 4). It will give you a smooth mouthfeel. Can you make espresso with the AeroPress?

How to make a Latte with an AeroPress:

While you can not make espresso with an AeroPress you definitely can make a strong coffee base perfect for the base of latte, flat white or cappuccino.

Watch our full video to learn how.

Win an AeroPress coffee Maker!