In this article we’ll cover what the Aeropress is and how to brew coffee with it, the required grind size and the best coffees to use in it. As well as complimentary accessories to make sure you get the best out of your brew.

What Is The Aeropress?

The Aeropress was created in 2005 by Alan Adler and has become an international sensation among coffee lovers. In a similar style to the Cafetière, the Aeropress is what we call a ‘full immersion’ brew method, you have full control over extraction and brew time. Other brew methods such as the V60 and drip filter are known as percolation.

It’s considered one of the most interesting and innovative ways of brewing coffee. It’s an easy way of brewing fantastic and consistent cups of coffee and the best bit? It requires minimal clean up. The plastic design is virtually indestructible, making it the perfect companion for camping trips of days out.

Which Grind Size is Best For Aeropress?

If you have a grinder, we’d always recommend buying coffee beans and grinding your own. Simply put, this is the freshest and tastiest way of consuming your coffee. If you don’t have a grinder and purchase ground coffee, be sure to do so in small batches to keep it as fresh as possible. Storing your coffee in an ambient location away from direct sunlight is also an important factor in its freshness.

We would recommend a medium to fine grind size for the Aeropress, visually it should look like table salt. This will ensure an even and full-bodied extraction. If your grind is too coarse this can lead to over extraction and bitterness.

Aeropress Brew Methods: Classic And Inverted.

We’ll show you the standard way to brew and then for once you’ve mastered the basics, the Inverted method. There are also other variations such as staggered pours and cold- bloom. But we won’t go there just yet. In a recent poll by Perfect Daily Grind, the Inverted method proved to be the most popular at 78.18%.

Who knows, you could be entering the Aeropress World Championships before long.

Classic:

Step 1 – Place filter paper in cap

Place the filter paper into the cap and rinse well to remove the papery taste.

Step 2 – Position the Aeropress

Attach the filter cap to the base of the Aeropress and put it on top of your cup.

Step 3 – Grind the coffee

Grind 15g of coffee (Up to 18g if you prefer a stronger brew) and put it straight into the Aeropress.

Step 4 – Pour the water into the chamber

Pour 250ml of hot water over the coffee. Between 92 – 94° is best, wait for 2 minutes after boiling the kettle to achieve this. *If you don’t have a set of scales, fill to just above the number 4*

Step 5 – Stir to break up clumps

Stir well to break up any clumps and saturate all the grounds and put the top of the Aeropress on the body. This will create a seal that’ll stop any more water from draining into your cup.

Step 6 – Wait 2 minutes. Plunge.

Wait 2 minutes. Start to press down and stop when you hear a hiss. This will take approximately 20 seconds as there’s some pressure required to push the water through the paper.

Inverted:

This method is literally ‘upside down’, stopping the water dripping through the filter before it’s time to plunge. This results in a slightly richer flavour as more water is retained for the immersion stage of the brew.

Step 1 – Place filter paper in cap

Place the filter paper into the cap and rinse. This gets rid of the papery taste.

Step 2 – Preheat your cup

Preheat your cup with hot water. This will need to be discarded before brewing.

Step 3 – Assemble the Aeropress

Put the plunger into the body of the Aeropress and invert. The end you fix the cap onto should be facing upwards.

Step 4 – Grind the coffee

Grind between 15g – 18g of coffee on a medium setting.

Step 5 – Boil the kettle. Wait for 2 minutes.

Boil the kettle and wait for a few minutes. The ideal temperature is between 92 – 94°

Step 6 – Bloom with 30ml water

Pour 30ml of hot water and allow the coffee to bloom for 30 seconds. This is the stage where the gases trapped in the coffee start to be released, you’ll notice it start to bubble. Stir once or twice to ensure all of the grounds are wet.

Step 7 – Pour in remaining water

Pour the remaining 220ml of water into the chamber. Stir again to disperse the grounds and break up any clumps.

Step 8 – Secure the filter cap

Place the filter cap on the body and secure, invert onto a mug.

Step 9 – Plunge!

This should take approximately 20 seconds, it takes quite a bit of pressure to push the water through the filter. Stop when you hear a hissing sound.

Recommended Coffees For Aeropress

Colombia Dora Mendez – Cedro Alto Collective (1 Star Great Taste Award 2022)

New to Adams + Russell last summer, Dora Mendez is outstanding when brewed in an Aeropress. It’s light, sweet and fruity. This is one we enjoy both black or with a splash of milk.

Nicaragua Women’s Co-Operative

To brew Nicaragua in an Aeropress is to make the most of the permissive notes of cocoa, caramel and peanut. This truly is an interesting coffee and a good candidate for those who wish to experiment with different brew recipes.

Decaf Mexico

A smooth, nutty coffee with a low acidity. The taste of our Decaffeinated Mexican is just as high quality as our other single origins, with no compromise on flavour due to the lack of caffeine. Perfect for those late afternoon brews.

Recommended Accessories For Aeropress

We offer a range of high quality accessories for your Aeropress. From grinders to reusable filters, we have everything you need to start brewing.

Hario Skerton Mill – A well designed and high quality hand grinder. The Skerton has ceramic burrs and a glass body with a capacity of 100g, so you can grind enough coffee for multiple brews throughout the day.

Paper Filters – The same 350 filter papers that were included with your Aeropress, available separately.

Metal Filters – Is it time to consider a reusable option? Our metal filters range from £9.95 – £19.95. Available in fine or super fine mesh, they let more of the coffee oils through and produce a fuller bodied brew.