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Tricks and Tips to Improve Your AeroPress Game
Read this article to learn about to make a good AeroPress Coffee.
Published October 16, 2021
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David Akinwale
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
The AeroPress is loved for its affordability, portability, and most importantly for those tasty shots of thick, espresso-style coffee. But there's no reason to always stick with the reliable recipe designated with the kit.
Despite its small size and lack of flashy gadgets and features, this brew method continues to occupy a special place in the hearts of most specialty coffee drinkers. It's simple to use and clean, making it ideal for coffee drinkers who want a little more variety in their brewing. It can be used to make both an espresso-style beverage as well as a clean filter coffee. The AeroPress may appear to be a simple way to brew a great cup of coffee. But did you know there are a few interesting things you may try to spice up your morning cup?
Here's a list of AeroPress tips and tricks to help you move your brewing from average to legendary.
1. Brew in advance and dilute later on
The traditional AeroPress recipe produces a powerful, espresso-style coffee. So, for a typical American coffee, you'll need to dilute it with hot water, which anyone on a tight schedule may take advantage of.
You may brew your AeroPress espresso shot whenever you like and let it cool to room temperature. When you're ready for a cup of coffee, dilute the shot with hot water to get the ideal drinking temperature.
2. Use the inverted brewing technique and/or bloom your coffee
This is a very easy way to step up the flavor of your AeroPress. This method is known as the “blooming-the-coffee” technique. It is majorly used in drip brewing, most especially in pour-overs. The bloom simply means adding a small amount of water before incorporating the rest, and this happens to release the initial CO2 locked within the coffee beans. After this, wait 10-15 seconds; this will greatly boost the taste of the coffee as well eradicate any bitter taste.
Inverted brewing is another technique you can use. This method involves flipping the AeroPress upside down as you brew. This method ensures your coffee is rich, grit-free, and sediment-free!
3. One AeroPress can be used for four cups of coffee
Many AeroPress enthusiasts wonder why there isn't a larger version available for making several cups of coffee. They have no idea that a standard AeroPress can actually make up to four cups of coffee at the same time!
When preparing your AeroPress, use more grounds, around 60 grams, and fill it all the way to the top. This way, you essentially quadruple your dose. The result is more than enough concentrated coffee to dilute to a full liter—more than enough for sharing.
4. Use two microfilters at once
If you bought a standard AeroPress kit, it should come with a set of microfilters. Using microfilters by default already ensures your brew yields a drip of more distinct flavors and a broader texture than your normal filter paper. What do you think using two microfilters at the same time will do to your drip?
It gets even better if you are a fan of French press and you use metal AeroPress filters. You bother less about waste, and it can be reused after rinsing.
5. The filter paper should not be rinsed
Even if you are familiar with the use of an AeroPress, you may learn some new tricks as you read through these useful tips. For example, we're instructed to rinse paper filters with hot water to remove any paper flavor from the final cup of coffee.
However, because AeroPress filters are so small in comparison to conventional pour-over or drip filters, the inventor of the AeroPress claims they contribute almost no taste to the coffee, especially given the relatively short steeping period. So, you can skip the paper rinsing step if you want to save some time in your coffee preparation.
6. Don’t be afraid to tweak the water to coffee ratio
It is quite safe to stick to the manual and follow the numbers, or stick to the “pressurization of water and coffee ratio” guidelines, but you shouldn’t let this limit you. Get ready to be blown away with how differently each cup you brew will taste as you keep varying the water-to-coffee ratio. Take this advice, set the handbook aside, and add that extra coffee; you will discover how easy it was to make an espresso-like brew with AeroPress.
7. Stop the drip using back pressure
When you pour hot water into your AeroPress, you'll notice that it begins to drip, but this isn't a drip coffee maker. For the optimum extraction, we want the water to be forced through under pressure.
Insert the plunger into the body to stop the drip. This causes back pressure, which stops water from flowing. Also, the drip can be avoided completely when you brew with an inverted AeroPress method.
8. Don’t press/plunge full distance
While it may be tempting to press the plunger to the bitter end in order to extract every last drop of flavor from your ground coffee, you would be doing yourself no favors. You're probably over-extracting, which will make the coffee more bitter.
To avoid this, make sure to pay close attention while you plunge. When the AeroPress makes a hissing sound, the perfect-tasting brew is ready.
9. Always use filtered water when brewing
Since high-quality coffee beans are now common, coffee lovers are becoming more conscious of the significance of water quality when it comes to brewing coffee. This should come as no surprise, given that coffee is mainly water! To achieve the finest tasting brew from your AeroPress, use filtered water rather than direct tap water.
10. Pre-infusion for 30 seconds
Pre-infusion ensures that the ground coffee is thoroughly soaked while also degassing the carbon dioxide from the fresh grounds, resulting in more even extraction. This is also referred to as the bloom, as mentioned in the previous list item.
Add about 50 ml of just-below-boiling water and wait for about 30 seconds. Do this to saturate the grounds and force the release of gases/CO2 from the ground.
11. Do not fill the AeroPress container to the top
When you put the filter and cover to the container, it will overflow if you fill it all the way to the top with hot water. This may not only spoil your coffee, but you may also scald yourself with the hot water. You don't want to start the day with burnt hands and no coffee!
Instead, make a concentrated coffee shot with less water, then dilute it with warm water to your desired brew strength.
12. Use hot water to pre-rinse
Give your AeroPress a good rinse with warm water to get it ready to brew and retain heat. If you have enough time, you can even perform a blind press without using any coffee grounds. This warms up the AeroPress and wets the filter.
This is a wonderful tip for almost any type of coffee maker. It guarantees that your brewed coffee is hot and removes any possible off-tastes in the brewer.
13. Grind your beans well
So you've decided on your beans. Grind size is important with the AeroPress, just like it does for any other coffee maker, so take your time dialing it in. Aim for a medium-fine grind, which is finer than a standard filter coffee but coarser than espresso.
If you ground your coffee too fine, it will be over-extracted, resulting in a bitter drink. If the grind is excessively coarse, on the other hand, the coffee will under-extract, resulting in a weak and watery cup.
14. Use cold water if you want to drink your coffee right away
If you want to take your coffee right after brewing, then use cool water during the brewing process. This was a recommendation from Lukas Zahradnik, a barista who has won several awards, including the AeroPress World Championship in 2015. Lukas used the inverted brewing method and poured water into the chamber at 174°F, steeping it for 25 seconds, then he pressed it for another 75 seconds.
His technique so far has produced coffee that has an optimum unique flavor.
15. Explore new recipes
Did you know your device can brew 10 different types of coffee? Why not attempt some new recipes now that you've learned the fundamentals?
The regular and inverted methods have already been discussed. There are also recipes for certain types of coffee, such as light and fruity light roasts or low-acid chocolaty dark roasts, and you can even make cold brew with your AeroPress. With this versatile brewer, the sky's the limit!
In conclusion
A fantastic brewing tip can make your life easier, save you money, or improve the quality of your coffee. All of these ideas, and many more, are subject to experimentation. You should know that AeroPress's versatility is one of its finest features which can be explored even deeper.
So, as simple as the AeroPress may appear, don't let its design restrict you. It's always enjoyable to play with your new device, so give it a shot; and If you find this article useful, please share it with other AeroPress enthusiasts.
About the author
David Akinwale
A talented writer passionate about different types of coffee and the coffee making process. With lots of experience writing for different coffee blogs, David hopes to share all his experience with the community here!
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