Aeropress - anyone have one?

Yaacov, look away. neener

I got an Aeropress for Christmas for my extended travels. When I go to Europe for work I’m usually there 3-6 weeks, and the apartments I rent always have some crappy drip machines. So this year my wife got me an Aeropress as it’s easy to travel with. In addition, I keep hearing great things about it. Any and all independent roaster I speak with swears by the machine.

Has anyone made coffee/espresso with it? I’ve just cleaned it and followed their instructions, and the result was good, not great, but I’m a noob at this. I found a TON of instructions online, but wanted to hear from my fellow winelover community as well.
Cheers! [cheers.gif]

I have one. Have used it sporadically over the past year or so, with generally average results. Have tried some of the stranger methods online, like turning it upside down, extended stirring, no stirring, etc. Haven’t noticed a huge difference in any of them. Sorry I can’t be more help.

too late.

at least the price was right. and it’s the thought that counts.

i’m a silver lining guy.

merry xmas.

The proper response, when someone posts about their Christmas present [cheers.gif]

Oy vey. rolleyes

I needed something that was portable and made a good cup, and all the reviews and every single independent roaster I speak with swears by this thing. I’ll play around with it more today, as God knows with a newborn I need as much coffee as possible.

I’m sure you can get it right by playing with the grind and timing. I use a single serving french press and a hand grinder for portability.

Grind and temp are key, IMHO. I started to play with dialing that in. One thing I have seen is that a lower temp than typical pour over works better. I was getting better results at 170-175 degrees instead of “just off the boil”. And a much finer grind seemed to do better, but was really hard to push.

One thought would be to ask at some of the local roasting shops that sell them as an accessory. Often there is someone there who really knows how to work it. Offer to buy some beans in exchange for a lesson. I’ll bet that you’ll get some good info.

Check out permanent filters for the aeropress:

I have had one for several years and use it at work or when I go on the road (I then bring a hand grinder as well). You need to experiment to get the right beans:water ratio for your taste. Then there is also the stiring the first ounce or two and how fast your press down on the “plunger.” Almost all of it is trial and error to suit your preferences. All of that being written, I really like mine for use away from home.

wow - that’s shocking since it’s a good 20 degrees cooler than the low-end of espresso brewing. never tried, but that’s fascinating.

I have one that I use sporadically. Agree on finding right grind. And the stir part seems essential; otherwise too much water drips through prior to adequate extraction. I would say for travel, versus alternatives, this is a decent solution.

First thing first: GIGO. Make sure you’re using good beans, definitely grinding them right before use.
20g beans, fine-ish grind.
Inverted brew method only.
30 sec preinfusion with enough water to just cover, with a bit of a stir.
Add water to near the top, 2 additional minutes. Press.

Yeah, it’s counter-intuitive. Note Sweetmaria’s suggests starting with the low end of the normal pour over range (195 or so) since temp drops much quicker in the aeropress. http://www.sweetmarias.com/aeropress/aeropress_instructions.php

And here’s Stumptown on the Inverted Method. AeroPress Brew Guide | Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Used one for years before needing to make more than one cup. After perfecting temp and grind for my taste I think it’s as good as my technivorm for black coffee.

thanks for this. very interesting.

Tried this method this AM. Really no more difficult than the normal method. I need to try again to be sure, but do believe it was an improvement. I got a little carried away wetting the filter and warming my mug, not leaving enough hot water to mix with the extracted coffee, so wasn’t a completely fair comparison to what I make with the “regular” method.

Thanks for posting this link. It is quite informative to me.

You guys are inspiring me to pull the Aeropress out of the cabinet and give it another go.

I haven’t used mine in a while but I thought the permanent stainless filter helped. Maybe it was my imagination but I felt like I could taste the paper with the disposable filters. I liked the coffee it made but I found the French press easier for my preferences so I went back to it.