How to brew with an AeroPress

Why the AeroPress

The AeroPress is a plastic tube with a plunger. Coffee and water steep together inside, like a French press, and then you push the plunger down to force the coffee through a paper filter, like a pour-over. You get the sweetness of an immersion brew with the clarity of paper.

It is also the most forgiving brewer we know. The short brew time and gentle pressure mean that small mistakes in grind or timing barely show in the cup. If you are new to brewing coffee by hand, start here.

What you'll need

• An AeroPressOriginal or Clear. The Go works with this recipe too.
• Paper filtersThe round papers that come with it.
• A sturdy mugWide and strong enough to press down on.
• A scale and timerWeigh the water straight into the chamber.
• A grinderMedium-fine, a little finer than for pour-over.
• Fresh coffee15 g makes one generous cup.

Get the ratio right

Our standard AeroPress recipe uses 1:14.7, slightly stronger than our pour-over because the AeroPress extracts a little less in its short brew. The chamber holds about 250 g of water, so for bigger drinks brew a concentrate and top it up.

Step by step

This is the standard, upright method. Start the timer when you begin pouring.

1. Heat the water

   Boil the kettle and let it rest for a minute, to around 90 °C. The AeroPress likes slightly cooler water than other methods; it keeps the cup sweet.

2. Rinse the filter

   Put a paper filter in the cap, rinse it with hot water, and screw the cap onto the chamber. Stand the AeroPress on your mug.

3. Add the coffee

   Grind 15 g of coffee medium-fine, a little finer than table salt, and tip it into the chamber. Shake it level, put everything on the scale and tare.

4. Pour0:00–0:10

   Pour 220 g of water quickly, in about ten seconds, wetting all of the grounds.

5. Stir0:10

   Stir three times, back and forth, with the paddle or a spoon. Just enough to make sure there are no dry clumps.

6. Steep0:10–1:30

   Insert the plunger about a centimetre into the top of the chamber. This creates a seal that stops coffee dripping through while it steeps.

7. Swirl and press1:30–2:00

   Lift the whole AeroPress and mug a few centimetres and give them a gentle swirl. Then press down slowly and steadily, taking about 30 seconds.

8. Stop at the hiss2:00

   When you hear a hissing sound, stop pressing. Pushing further squeezes bitter liquid out of the spent grounds.

9. Clean up in one push

   Unscrew the cap over the compost and push the plunger through. The puck of grounds pops out and the rubber seal wipes the chamber clean.

The inverted method

Many people brew with the AeroPress upside down, with the plunger already in and the open end facing up, so no coffee drips through early. Add coffee and water as above, screw on the cap with a rinsed filter, then at 1:30 carefully flip it onto your mug and press. It gives a slightly fuller cup. Be careful flipping it: hold the chamber and plunger together, and use a mug that won't tip.

Dialling it in

The AeroPress forgives a lot, so if a cup tastes off, start with the grind, then the water temperature.

Common mistakes

• Pressing too hard. If you need to lean your body weight on it, the grind is too fine.
• Pressing past the hiss. The last few grams of liquid are the bitterest. Leave them.
• Using boiling water with light roasts. It isn't wrong, but 90 °C is usually sweeter in an AeroPress.

Which beans to use

The AeroPress makes fruity coffees taste sweet and juicy, and gives darker roasts a clean, chocolatey cup.