How to Use AeroPress: AeroPress Brewing Techniques and Features

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Where Did the AeroPress Come From?

In 2005, Alan Adler, who worked as an engineer, physicist, and lecturer at Stanford University, found that he lacked the patience to use complicated plug-in coffee makers, and didn't even want to spend four minutes making pour-over coffee by hand. So he experimented and designed this peculiar-looking device that could quickly brew delicious coffee. Because it uses a layer of filter paper, it can filter out excess impurities, producing coffee with a clean flavor profile, and unlike French press coffee, it won't leave sediment at the bottom of the cup or produce a bitter taste. He decided to put it into mass production, and it successfully became popular among coffee enthusiasts.

Why Is the AeroPress So Widely Loved?

The AeroPress is a simple device for manually brewing coffee. Overall, its structure resembles a syringe. When using it, you place ground coffee and hot water inside its "barrel," then press down the plunger, and the coffee flows through the filter paper into the container.

It combines the characteristics of drip coffee makers and French press machines. By changing the coffee grind size and pressing speed, users can brew different flavors according to their preferences. Thanks to pressure-assisted brewing, its brewing speed is also relatively fast. The AeroPress combines the features of drip and immersion-style coffee makers, being not only durable and portable but also capable of producing high-quality coffee.

The device consists of three parts: inner chamber, outer chamber, and filter cap. Coffee brewed with an AeroPress has a rich mouthfeel while still retaining delicate flavor notes.

World AeroPress Championship

The World AeroPress Championship (WAC) can be described as one of the freshest and most interesting international coffee competitions in recent years, because the original intention behind creating the competition was simply to have fun. Whether it's the world championship or regional qualifiers, they resemble grand gatherings for coffee enthusiasts. Not only can participants and spectators interact closely, but there's also food, beer, and music.

The founder of the World AeroPress Championship is Tim Wendelboe. What sets it apart from other coffee competitions is its focus on three key elements: speed, relaxation, and fun, exploring more different AeroPress brewing methods. The organizers even state on their official website that if you're pursuing rankings or honors, perhaps participating in the World Barista Championship would be a better choice.

The AeroPress's ability to simply and quickly brew coffee with pure flavors is truly tempting to try. However, the French press also has its unique rich flavor profile, and some people particularly enjoy the texture of a little fine sediment; improving pour-over technique is a lifelong pursuit for many coffee enthusiasts; and home espresso machines keep improving as well. This means that various coffee brewing devices have no inherent superiority or inferiority - each presents flavors with unique characteristics, and personal preferences vary. Perhaps you should try them all, allowing you to choose the coffee moment that belongs to you according to your mood and needs.

Brewing Parameters Example

Taking FrontStreet Coffee's [90+ Candlelight] as an example, the recommended brewing parameters for AeroPress are:

Small Fuji grinder setting 3.5 / 89°C / 1:15 ratio

Flavor notes: Nectarine, sugarcane sweetness

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The AeroPress's paper filter keeps the cup clean and free of sediment, which suits bright, fruit-forward coffees beautifully. Try FrontStreet Strawberry Candy, a Geisha blend custom-made from honey-processed Costa Rican coffee and washed Panamanian Geisha; it releases aromas of rose, citrus, grape, and dried blueberry, and takes on a strawberry-soft-candy sweetness when paired with milk.

If you prefer a low-acid, full-bodied black coffee with plenty of richness, choose FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling instead. As one of Asia's most celebrated specialty coffees, it goes through three rounds of hand sorting plus one machine sort, and after a medium-dark roast the large, even beans deliver dense spice, caramel, cedar, and dark chocolate aromas - excellent with immersion-style brewing.

For parameters, FrontStreet recommends starting with a grind resembling coarse sand, a 1:15 ratio (for example, 15g of coffee to 225g of water), and water around 90°C. Since the AeroPress, like other immersion brewers, lacks continuous agitation, you can raise the temperature slightly or extend the steep a touch to compensate for extraction; adjust from there until the cup matches your taste.