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The AeroPress Thread

I see a lot of people have been buying these lately. Let's start a thread with our experiences and tricks and see if we can improve each other's coffee even more.

I tried the thing for the first time this morning using some of DJ's Ethiopia Harrar beans. I tuned the burr grinder to a pretty fine grind (I think too fine, actually), and loaded up three scoops worth. Then I ran into a small amount of confusion. The marked amounts on the device (2,3,4) - are they volume with the coffee grounds in there or just the water? There is a large difference, obviously. Anyhoo, I decided that it was the mark for everything, so I added hot (not boiling) water on top of the grounds to the "3" mark.

What resulted was a very thick slurry. I actually had some trouble mixing it up to wet all the grinds; some clumps would remain in the very thick mix. I forged ahead with the press, which required a fair amount of effort. Again, I think I ground a bit too fine.

I added an equal amount of hot water to the concentrate in my cup, which filled my Far Side mug about 3/4 full. And the result? A very rich, concentrated cup with zero bitterness. I mean ZERO. This is a huge difference. I almost always add milk (but no sugar, heaven forbid) to coffee to balance the bitterness. This stuff required nothing at all. I never drink black coffee, but this was a new twist for me. Amazing.

Things I need to play with:
(1) My cup wasn't as hot as I would like. I need to use a bit hotter water
(2) The grounds were too fine, I think. I am going to reduce the grind a bit tomorrow

All in all, it was a very easy way to get a great cup of coffee.

Oh, and lest I forget, kudos to DJ for his wonderful beans. How nice to not get a bag full of over-roasted ashes for once!
 
I have not tried mine yet. I went out this afternoon to look for a non-blade grinder. I found one at one of our local stores but they were out of stock. I stopped by Target and bought a Black & Decker grinder. I also purchased a tea kettle for heating up water. I will give it a try tomorrow morning.
 
I use the accompanying scoop to measure out my whole beans. I grind my scoopful of beans (blade grinder :frown: ), then add that to the main cylinder. I then boil my water, and measure out the water using the marks on the plunger. I pour the water into the main cylinder, use the plastic mixer to wet the grounds for ten seconds, then finally use the plunger.

At that point, the coffee is espresso. I'll either drink that, or dilute it to produce a cup of Americano. The result is a consistently strong, but never bitter cup of coffee.

Simple design, fantastic results. And the best part is how easy cleanup is.
 
First things first, the directions provided with the AeroPress are just plain WRONG!!! Here is how I make a 11oz cuppa coffee:

Dosing: I use about 2.5 scoops of beans (heaping)

Grind: I grind the coffee finer than I would for a cone filter, but not quite as fine as I would for espresso, this grind is about the size of table salt maybe slightly more course.

Water: Bring to a boil, then cut the heat and let the water rest for about 30 seconds, or until the temperature drops to 195-200f. Do not use 175f water like the directions state.

Brewing: First you need to wet the grounds, pour in just enough water so the grounds are covered with water (about 1/3 filled) now let the water soak into the grounds for 20-30 seconds. Now add another 1/3 of water and stir for 15 seconds, now add the last 1/3 of water and stir for a final 15 seconds.
Now you just need to plunge slowly.....about 20 seconds, top off your mug with hot water, stir, and enjoy!
 
Thanks, maestro! Do you fill the water to the top?

BTW, an amusing aside:I was showing off my new toy to my (not impressed) wife this morning. After I had my coffee, I popped the puck of grounds out into the garbage. Being a curious sort, I picked it out the garbage to show off how cool the compressed coffee was. "Look, honey!" I said, only to have it explode into a rain of wet coffee grounds all over our nice hardwood floor. Needless to say, the doghouse is nice and warm tonight.... :redface:
 
Brewing: First you need to wet the grounds, pour in just enough water so the grounds are covered with water (about 1/3 filled) now let the water soak into the grounds for 20-30 seconds. Now add another 1/3 of water and stir for 15 seconds, now add the last 1/3 of water and stir for a final 15 seconds.
Now you just need to plunge slowly.....about 20 seconds, top off your mug with hot water, stir, and enjoy!

DJ, how does 1/3 translate to the measurements on the cylinder?
 
Fascinating! I've recently ordered one of these myself and can hardly wait for it to arrive.
 
I also got myself one of these for Christmas. EXCELLENT little device.

Scotto - I also think I ground too fine because I had to press like a freight train! However, the resulting coffee was WONDERFUL and clean as a whistle.

Coming from a professional espresso machine - this thing practically cleans itself. I can have coffee made and the mess cleaned up before the coffee is cool enough to drink!

I love this little bugger and I really appreciate the amount of thought and engineering that went into it!
 
Thanks, maestro! Do you fill the water to the top?

BTW, an amusing aside:I was showing off my new toy to my (not impressed) wife this morning. After I had my coffee, I popped the puck of grounds out into the garbage. Being a curious sort, I picked it out the garbage to show off how cool the compressed coffee was. "Look, honey!" I said, only to have it explode into a rain of wet coffee grounds all over our nice hardwood floor. Needless to say, the doghouse is nice and warm tonight.... :redface:

Scotto, you need to leave some room (air) at the the top, this is how the press works, and you should have a nice little pocket of air as you press down the plunger.
Now as far as the dog house goes....maybe you should bring her some coffee in bed.:lol:
Good luck, DJ.
 
Okay, gotcha. Thanks.

So the instructions about not passing a full cup of water through the grounds is incorrect?

They're not incorrect regarding THAT. If you were to put that much water through the grounds it would over-extract them (causing bitterness). Also, don't forget that a cup in regards to coffee is not the same as a measuring cup. Depending on who's giving the definition, a cup of coffee is made up of 4-6oz. of liquid. I tend to stick to the lower end of that (4-4.5 oz).

You extract a "coffee concentrate" of sorts that you then dilute with hot water. Basically, it's similar to making an "Americano" with an espresso machine. That's why the cup is so clean while still maintaining so much flavor.
 
I use the accompanying scoop to measure out my whole beans. I grind my scoopful of beans (blade grinder :frown: ), then add that to the main cylinder. I then boil my water, and measure out the water using the marks on the plunger. I pour the water into the main cylinder, use the plastic mixer to wet the grounds for ten seconds, then finally use the plunger.

At that point, the coffee is espresso. I'll either drink that, or dilute it to produce a cup of Americano. The result is a consistently strong, but never bitter cup of coffee.

Simple design, fantastic results. And the best part is how easy cleanup is.

I just want to point out something, B. This device is incapable of making espresso. The words on the box are just marketing hype. I'll agree that it's strong coffee - but that's it. Espresso, by definition, is extracted under great pressure (9 bars) around 135 psi. That creates a whole different animal than what this device or those stovetop Bialetti products can produce.

Now, that's NOT to say that you can't get a good cup of coffee with either one of these things (of course you can!). You just can't get espresso.
 
I just want to point out something, B. This device is incapable of making espresso. The words on the box are just marketing hype. I'll agree that it's strong coffee - but that's it. Espresso, by definition, is extracted under great pressure (9 bars) around 150 psi. That creates a whole different animal than what this device or those stovetop Bialetti products can produce.

Now, that's NOT to say that you can't get a good cup of coffee with either one of these things (of course you can!). You just can't get espresso.

Goes to show you how much I know about coffee. :blushing: Maybe I should go back to drinking McDonald's as punishment.
 
I just want to point out something, B. This device is incapable of making espresso. The words on the box are just marketing hype. I'll agree that it's strong coffee - but that's it. Espresso, by definition, is extracted under great pressure (9 bars) around 150 psi. That creates a whole different animal than what this device or those stovetop Bialetti products can produce.

Now, that's NOT to say that you can't get a good cup of coffee with either one of these things (of course you can!). You just can't get espresso.

+1, the AeroPress does NOT make espresso! but it does make a heck of a good cuppa clean COFFEE.
DJ.
 

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Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
Based on Din's recommendation, I picked up my fisrt Aeropress at Zabar's about a month ago. Even though I've always been an "instruction's are for wussies" guy. I went by the book. Not hot enough for me. After dicking around for a while, I decided that if I just pulled the kettle off of the stove, by the time I dodged the dog and made it to the press, the temperature would be fine. Temps drop from boiling pretty quickly.

What I like about it-
Makes a strong, clean cup in a jiffy.
Tastes great, some of the best cups I ever made for myself.
Scares the guys at work.
Cleanup is super fast.

What I don't like about it-
Would like a double size (triple?) version, although I don't see how.
I wouldn't call it a true espresso maker, but I don't care.
+1 on the "impress the wife with the exploding puck" factor.


I've been using a French press for decades, pretending not to mind the sludge factor. This is a big improvement, and if you've used a press pot before, you won't mind going through the motions. Adding hot water/diluting still seems strange, to say the least, but I can't argue with the results.


One more reason I'm glad I read the instruction- I think they're right when they say to store it with the plunger completely in or completely out.


And, of course, Din's coffee rocks!:punk:
 
Scotto thanks for starting this thread!

I used my press yesterday for the first time and I followed the directions exactly (yeah when was the last time that happened) and I was very disappointed! I also used espresso grind-

What I got was a tepid flat swill-

I did not get a Chance to fool with it today,but the good news is that I am making friends with the technivorm and getting some great cups from that!

So to sum up-

Not to fine a grind

Water just off the boil

Wet-stir-fill up- press

Looking forward to it!
 
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