AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

I have had my AeroPress about a year or more now. I bought mine to use at work and bought a second one for home. It is very soundly made, the only thing you need to watch out for is to be sure you use a sturdy, squat cup, not a tall thin cup, or you may tip it when pressing the brew out. It took some experimentation, but I would like to share what I have found.

Temperature, the amount of water, and the brew time all affect the result. Surprisingly, I believe the amount of water is the most critical with temperature being second. I have combined the use of my AeroPress with the idea of the recent popularity of cold brewing by using water that is only warm (about 150 deg F) and not more than about 2 ounces of water per scoop of coffee. (2 oz is about what the AeroPress is marked to allow per cup) I allow it to brew about 40 to 60 seconds, stirring the whole time before pressing out what is left. This may seem like a long time to French press users, but since so little water is used, and the temperature is low, it works perfectly. Some of the brew will drip through the filter during this time, but I have found that if I add more water, it depreciates the flavor significantly. Seems counter-intuitive, but that is what I have seen. You will end up with almost a slurry in the press at the end of this time, and it will have a tan creamy top that must be some kind of oil from the beans. I have tried adding more water just before pressing, but that ruined the flavor. I also tried beginning with more water, but that also ruined the flavor. There seems to be a critical water to grounds ratio that controls the flavor. Using water that is not too hot also prevents some of the acids and other bitterness from coming out. I end up with a very smooth, bold flavored coffee.

Obviously, after brewing the two ounce espresso-like shot, you can top up the cup with hotter water for a hot cup, or even use some ice and cold water for iced coffee. Brewing a cooler, more concentrated cup this way allows ice to not dilute the result so much, and you can have that iced coffee immediately without waiting for the brew to cool.

Apparently, regular drip machines make poor coffee because the distributor runs so much very hot water over the same grounds for some time, over-extracting some chemicals that add to bitterness and acidity. If you read up on the cold brew devices, they also use much less water, and make a concentrate that is later diluted to make a standard cup of coffee. My method is similar, but a little faster since it uses warm water to speed up the process.

Enjoy, hope yours comes out as good as mine.

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