Somewhat bewildered by the millions of Aeropress recipes on youtube, I’m wondering if daily users end up settling into a reliable, simple process that’s similar from person to person.
In particular, I note that my method (basically a french press) is vastly different from the one in the instructions which is ground much finer, uses less water, and starts dripping through the filter immediately.
Anyway, here’s me:
- 12g mild-roast (coarse ground a touch finer than most people would use for a french press, done with a C2)
- inverted
- one filter paper, not washed, but damp enough to stick
- fresh boiled water (so probs 95°+) 180g
- stir enough to break up the floaties
- push the plunger in far enough that the liquid is almost at the top before I put the filter on
- tip over and start plunging at 1:30, finish by 2:00
- into ~70g warmed milk
I’d love to hear yours.
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unpopular opinion. The beauty of the aeropress is it doesn’t matter.
I was like you when I first got my press. All the recipes were overwhelming and I worried entirely too much about figuring out my favorite. This was a barrier to what, to me, is the true beauty of the brewer.
- As an immersion brewer it is super forgiving. Give it anywhere from long enough way up to like 5-6min and it’s pretty much the same.
- Do you like flipping tubes of boiling water around? Then do inverted. Do you prefer to keep your skin? Do conventional and use the plunger to make a seal an hold the water in. They are the same.
- Do you want to brew concentrate and cut it or pour all the water through. Again are they a touch different? probably. Will I notice if I am not blind tasting 2 side by side cups? No
If what you enjoy is something you can constantly fiddle with, the aero press is great because the recipes are endless. BUT if what you want is a good cup of coffee, accept that this brewer makes it easy, travels well, doesn’t need a goose neck kettle or even a scale if you brew to the volume of a known mug.
lol - you are probably right, I’m over-thinking it. The coffee I drink every day now (with an acceptably small amount of fiddling around) is reliably excellent. Perhaps I don’t need to watch the Aeropress movie ;-)
Can confirm. The AP is far more forgiving than some other methods such as a moka pot. If you use the right amount of water and grinds, and you let it extract for more than a few seconds, the details don’t really matter all that much. If you’re really experienced, you should be able to taste the difference between two recipes, but these tend to be tiny differences that don’t really matter when all you really want is a cup of good coffee in the morning.
However, there is another area where the AP shines: flexibility. By adjusting the recipe, you can make a single cup for yourself or 4 cups just as easily. If you need even more more than that, you need a to go XL or use a pour over.
I don’t know how many grams of coffee I use. I aim to make coffee concentrate equal to 4 shots of espresso roughly using the Reverse Hoffman Method.
Steep time depends on beans. Espresso roast 1.5 minutes, longer when it’s a light roast. Not using a timer, mostly watching for the bloom and adding more water when it’s done.
I extract right onto ice and add a moderate amount half and half to taste. I call it a slow release Americano.
I don’t keep track of how much water or its temperature really. Just a cup microwaved until barely boiling and usually don’t use it all. Similarly I don’t spritz the beans with water, just haven’t bothered yet.
Can you clarify what you mean by “Watching for the bloom”? I’m an espresso boy, I don’t generally get to see what’s happening in the brew chamber, so I’m unfamiliar with what that term actually means. I’ve watched James’ videos pretty religiously, but it’s your comment that’s made me realise I don’t know what that actually means!
Bloom is the grounds offgassing carbon dioxide. The darker the roast, the greater the bloom. When you’re brewing in a filter or a French press you can watch the grounds bubble up and expand as the gas is released.
