What are the Characteristics of AeroPress Coffee? How to Use AeroPress? What is the AeroPress Water-to-Coffee Ratio?

Unlike pour-over coffee, the AeroPress uses an extraction method that combines immersion with pressure. It can extract rich coffee, is easy to clean, and relatively simple to operate.

Where Did the AeroPress Come From?

In 2005, Alan Adler, who worked as an engineer, physicist, and lecturer at Stanford University, found himself lacking the patience to use complicated electric coffee makers and didn't even want to spend four minutes making pour-over coffee. So he experimented and designed this peculiar-looking device that could quickly brew delicious coffee. Because it has a filter paper layer, it can filter out excess impurities, producing coffee with clean flavors, and unlike French press, it doesn't leave sediment at the bottom of the cup or create bitter flavors. So he decided to mass-produce it, and it successfully gained popularity among coffee enthusiasts.

The Principle and Structure of the AeroPress

The AeroPress combines the immersion extraction method of French press, the paper filtration of pour-over coffee, and Italian-style pressurized extraction. After mixing coffee grounds with hot water and stirring, air is pressed through the plunger, penetrating the filter cap to extract coffee with clean flavors. If you use finer coffee grounds and reduce the water amount, you can also make decent espresso!

Its structure can be simply broken down into three main parts: the chamber, filter cap, and plunger. It needs to be used with filter paper or a metal filter. It also comes with a funnel, measuring scoop, and stirrer for convenient operation.

Six Reasons You'll Love the AeroPress

1. First, compared to other brewing methods, the AeroPress is much more approachable. Unlike French press, which works best with a burr grinder to avoid uneven grind size affecting taste; and unlike pour-over coffee, which requires practice—you don't need any special techniques, just pour water and press!

2. Its price is not expensive at all. A complete AeroPress set with a year's worth of filter papers can be obtained for around 300 yuan. There are also dedicated metal filters to replace paper filters. They have larger pores so they don't completely isolate coffee grounds, but the fine residue actually creates richer flavors, while also saving costs and being environmentally friendly.

3. It's lightweight and durable, made of plastic material that won't break if dropped, making it a great choice for travel.

4. The brewing process is very fast. You don't need to spend much time soaking or slowly pouring water. Once the water is boiled, you can brew a cup of coffee in about 60 seconds.

5. The AeroPress can brew coffee with excellent flavors that are clear and clean. If you're interested in tasting the interesting flavor differences between various single-origin coffees, the AeroPress is very capable of presenting the coffee's flavors.

6. Finally, and very importantly, its cleaning method is extremely simple. With a French press, you have to scoop out the coffee grounds before cleaning the residue. With the AeroPress, you just need to twist open the filter cap to remove the complete coffee puck like a pressed cake, then simply rinse it!

Does the AeroPress Have Disadvantages?

Yes, it can only make one to two cups of coffee at a time, so it's not very suitable for brewing for large groups. Of course, its appearance isn't attractive at all, but this plastic tube that looks like a medical device has a peculiar charm!

The fact that the AeroPress can brew pure-flavored coffee so simply and quickly is truly tempting. However, the French press also has its unique rich flavor, and some people particularly love the texture of some coffee grounds; while improving pour-over coffee technique is a common goal for many coffee enthusiasts; additionally, home espresso machines have even appeared on the market. This means that various coffee brewing devices have no superiority or inferiority—each has its own flavor presentation characteristics, and personal preferences differ. Perhaps you should try them all, choosing your exclusive coffee time according to your mood and needs.

What Parameters Are Better for Making Coffee with the AeroPress?

1. Water Temperature: When making AeroPress coffee, the water temperature can range from 88°C to 92°C. The specific temperature can depend on the roast level of the beans and the flavors you want to express!

2. Grind Size: FrontStreet Coffee believes that using a grind size similar to your usual pour-over coffee is fine. If the grind is too fine, it's easy to extract undesirable flavors, and you'll feel some fine powder in the drink; while if the grind is too coarse, it tends to have sharp acidity and may also result in under-extraction.

3. Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15. If the coffee-to-water ratio is too small (meaning more coffee), the high concentration and overly intense flavors make it difficult to appreciate the coffee's characteristics, and sharp acidity can easily occur; while if the ratio is too large (meaning more water), it will extract more flavors, making the coffee have obvious woody flavors and undesirable tastes.

Brewing Tutorial

The beans used in this tutorial are FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart coffee beans. When brewed as pour-over, the coffee offers aromas of raisins, osmanthus, preserves, and white chocolate, with high sweetness. Therefore, in addition to the AeroPress introduced today, it's also suitable for various extraction methods such as cold brew, pour-over, French press, and cold drip.

Coffee Amount: 18g
Grind Setting: 90% pass-through rate through #20 sieve (EK43s setting 7)
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:11 (approximately 200ml)
Water Temperature: 90°C
Extraction Method: Inverted pressing

1. Assemble the plunger and chamber, then push the plunger to around the 4 mark and invert it!

2. Pour in the ground coffee, then add an equal amount of hot water and start timing!

3. Use the stirrer to stir the coffee grounds in the chamber for ten seconds. (slow circular motion)

4. Attach the filter cap with properly fitted filter paper to the chamber.

5. Then place it on your prepared container.

6. When the time reaches one minute, invert it, then begin pressing downward to "press out" the coffee.

The FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Mozart brewed this way releases rich pink floral aromas and mature berry scents. The entry reveals flavors of sweet orange, cream, raisins, and preserves, accompanied by chocolate sweetness. The taste is rich and intense, leaving a very deep impression.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473