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AeroPress Perfection—Finally

martym

Unacceptably Lasering Chicken Giblets?
Earlier this week I had a great cup of coffee brewed with my AeroPress. Then I had two days of “meh” coffee using the same AeroPress and same brand of coffee.

Hmmm???

I figured it out and had a perfect cup of coffee this morning. When I say perfect I mean Marty perfect. Exactly what I love in my coffee. Just a smooth cup with a good taste.

How?

I just heated the water to the point there were bubbles on the bottom of the Water pot and I removed it from the heat before it boiled and brewed. Hot enough that I needed to be careful at first sip. I used a regular coffee mug so it cooled quickly. Had I used my insulated tumbler it would have kept very hot.

All in all very satisfying with my breakfast. Thank you for your time.
 
190-200° is perfect water temp. Not boiling not warm.

What most do is let the water come to a roiling boil. Turn the kettle off and wait 4 minutes. This should give you 195/8° water.

As an alternative, you can use a temp controlled kettle.

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ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I learned something new today. Temperature Controlled Kettle. I need to get out more.
 
I actually like mine at 170-175. And while camping, the bubbles just starting to form at the bottom puts it right there temp wise it seems.

if all else fails, just grab a cheap analog meat thermometer to verify your temps.
 
The instructions that came with my AeroPress actually specifies 175° F, or 185° F for very light roasts.
As with many things YMMV.
 
For Aeropress I boil my water in a non-temp controlled electric kettle. Then I pour it into a glass measuring cup then wait 15 seconds or so. You can use a meat thermometer and it will tell you how long you need to wait. As I recall I got to 185 F at 15 seconds. This method works well for a pour-over too. That way you know how much water you are brewing.
 
I use a kettle with a thermometer like this one. Works great for Aeropress and pour over.


i’ve got a similar one at the house and they work perfectly. There are also pricier electric kettles that you can program the temps on.
 

kelbro

Alfred Spatchcock
I nuke my 1 cup of water in a 2-cup glass measuring cup for 1 1/2 minutes and it just starts to boil. Remove and wait about 30 seconds (enough to add the coffee to the AeroPress) before I pour. Soak coffee about 4 mins, stirring after 2 mins. My process provides consistently good coffee.
 
If your budget is a bit bigger, skip the kettles and get a Zojirushi water boiler/warmer. On demand hot water at a programmed temp for coffee, tea, instant noodles, etc. Very efficient.

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TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
If your budget is a bit bigger, skip the kettles and get a Zojirushi water boiler/warmer. On demand hot water at a programmed temp for coffee, tea, instant noodles, etc. Very efficient.

Something like that might save you some time, but only if you keep it on and heating all the time (or for long periods, but then you need to reheat over and over). I can see those warmers working very well in high volume situations, but I never could make them make sense in a small home. We very, very rarely need 3+ liters of hot water over a day, so I'm either holding heated water for very long periods or reheating the same water (or trying to predict how much I'll need over the day and filling the tank accordingly). None of those options appeal to us when our Cuisinart kettle boils a pint of very cold water (from the fridge door) in about 2.5 minutes.
 
Something like that might save you some time, but only if you keep it on and heating all the time (or for long periods, but then you need to reheat over and over). I can see those warmers working very well in high volume situations, but I never could make them make sense in a small home. We very, very rarely need 3+ liters of hot water over a day, so I'm either holding heated water for very long periods or reheating the same water (or trying to predict how much I'll need over the day and filling the tank accordingly). None of those options appeal to us when our Cuisinart kettle boils a pint of very cold water (from the fridge door) in about 2.5 minutes.

No reason not to keep toe Zojirushi boiler on 24x7. They are vacuum insulated so they use very little electricity to boil the water and keep it at temperature (anyone who has owned a Stanley vacuum thermos knows). Keeping them on 24x7 uses LESS electricity than a electric kettle which is losing heat all the time. Also the unused water cools and has to be re-boiled in the electric kettle. There's a reason why these are so popular in efficiency obsessed Japan. Fill the tank once a day or two, have on-demand hot water, and use less electricity than a kettle.

 
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TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
Also the unused water cools and has to be re-boiled in the electric kettle.

I don't put any more in the kettle than I intend to use, so there's no cooling and reboiling.

It's good to know that the warmers are sensible enough.
 
I don't put any more in the kettle than I intend to use, so there's no cooling and reboiling.

It's good to know that the warmers are sensible enough.

I had one for years but now I have on demand hot water from my Espresso machine.
 
I just use a cheap meat thermometer and my water is usually around the 195 degree mark. Great coffee every time.
 
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