The Aeropress is a necessary tool in the barista's tool belt. The brew precision sets this gadget apart from others with its intricacies and finesse. If you constantly find yourself in need of a one-cup-brew scenario, then this little press is your go-to guy. With many ways to brew in one small press, you can tweak your ratios to achieve the perfect one-cup brew.
Baristas all over the world use this little press to work out their particular preference. I, personally, use my press inverted and flip to press. This allows me to let the ground coffee, once combined with water, to brew before pressing. In contrast, the traditional brewing method allows for the brewed coffee to begin to percolate before it is done brewing to my particular standards and is not ideal for lighter roasts, which I also prefer.
But let's take a step back and detail the Aeropress more. This little press is intended to brew one cup at a time, anywhere. This tool is perfect for at the office or even on the go. The chamber of the press fits about 240ml of water and even less with ground coffee added. This leads to a more concentrated cup that can be diluted after brewing. I personally fill my press all the way with water every time to ensure a more extracted cup. So let's get into brewing.
The press itself comes with a scoop, a funnel, and a stirring paddle. I personally never use any of these items. The chamber to my coffee grinder fits precisely into the chamber of the press so that I can go from the grinder to the Aeropress chamber instantly. This design is on purpose as I purchased the best grinder designed for the Aeropress, The Commandante coffee hand grinder. This tool lets me dial in the precision by 'clicks' as they're called in the Aeropress community. Personally, I use a medium-fine grind or about 15 - 20 clicks.
Before brewing, we have to select our beans. I order my beans on subscription service through a local roastery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Double Shot Coffee has been my go-to coffee spot for almost a year now and never have I been dissatisfied by their beans. I prefer lighter roasts due to their higher caffeine content (the lighter the beans, the more caffeine) and their typical citrus notes and fruitiness. But before we grind our beans, we need to weigh them out first.
For this step, I use a typical drug dealer's scale that you can get at any shady gas station or kitchen supply store in town. I typically go for about 16 grams of beans, higher when I need the extra caffeine. On a particularly busy day or if I'm just feeling luxurious, I'll weigh out about 22 grams of beans just for that extra kick to conquer my day. Before that let's detail how the quantity of beans affects your brew. When more beans are added, you will require less extraction time. For dark roasts, I typically add the water and press immediately to avoid over-extracted flavors that are typically unwanted. Fewer beans mean less probability of bitterness and unwanted flavors. Once your beans are weighed out, proceed to grind.
Dump your weighed out beans into your grinder of choice. For this tutorial, I am using a light roast, Central American, pack of beans in the name PANAMA BAMBITO TYPICAL from my favorite coffee roastery in Tulsa. Grind your beans to your preference; finer grind equals shorter extraction time, coarser grind equals longer extraction time. Light roasts typically need more time to extract than dark roasts. This also ensures you have a higher caffeine content per cup brewed. Now that the beans are ground let's set up your Aeropress.
Invert your Aeropress so that the plunger is at the base of the cylinder facing upwards with the hollow cylinder to hold your beans and coffee. Dump your ground coffee into the press and proceed to heat up water. The Aeropress will only fit about 240ml of water so not much is needed to brew your cup. I heat up 300ml of water in a Pyrex measuring cup by means of the microwave. Water temperature is another variable to consider. The hotter the water, the quicker the extraction. If the water is too hot it can burn the beans and create an especially bitter and sour cup. I heat my water to a sweet spot of 180°F which leads to optimal extraction of lighter roasts. For darker roasts, I use the same temperature of the water but with a quicker time to pressing so that I avoid unwanted flavors. Next, we need to talk about filters.
The Aeropress comes with 200 paper filters which should be rinsed before use. These work great but the environmental impact is where I take most offense. I have a few different filters that I purchased through third parties online. One of my favorites being a fine metal filter which allows for more coffee oils to be present in your finished product. This is best suited for lighter roasts as you can taste more nuance in the cup. Lately, I have been using a reusable cloth filter made by Coffee Sock that in my experience is quicker to press and allows for the filtering of coffee oils. Whatever your filter choice, add it to the lid of your press and proceed to soak it with water. This rinses off any lingering flavors and helps your filter stick to the lid for an easier application process. Now take your hot water and lid with a filter attached and head over to the press.
Approach your inverted press with the beans already inside, pour your water halfway into the press and let your wet grounds bloom in the water. Pick up your press and swirl the beans around to fully submerge them in water and to speed up the extraction. After a few swirls, add the rest of your water, as much as will fit in the chamber, and let it sit for a few seconds. Add your Aeropress cap and screw it on. Now get a preheated mug (if you like your coffee hot) and invert your press on top of the mug in one smooth motion to avoid spillage. Proceed to rest your arm on the plunger and use the weight of your arm to press out the brewed coffee. Press out every last drop and remove the press from your mug.
This just brewed cup will be concentrated as we allowed time for the grounds to be properly extracted. Take your remaining hot water and add it to your brewed cup until you reach your desired strength of the brew. I personally add all the water that remains mostly due to a desire for more coffee after all my hard work. Add dairy and sugar to your liking or follow me for my details on the perfect iced coffee.
I take my brewed cup and add it to a 16-ounce reusable iced cup with sweeteners added beforehand. Mix together the hot coffee and sweetener so that it is properly dissolved. I then add about 10 ounces of oat milk and then ice. Shake it up quickly so that the heat disperses evenly. Now you can enjoy the perfect, single cup of iced coffee from locally sourced beans and optimal flavors. I will use this blog to detail my daily cup of coffee so that any amateur can be a coffee shop with minimum costs and free know-how.
