What are the characteristics of the AeroPress coffee maker? How fine should the grind be for AeroPress? What is the AeroPress operating procedure?

The Aeropress: A Revolutionary Coffee Brewing Device

The Aeropress is a coffee extraction device created because its inventor found traditional brewing methods too troublesome. Its usage is incredibly simple - just assemble the components, add coffee grounds and hot water for steeping, and finally press the coffee out.

Versatile Brewing Methods

Compared to traditional coffee extraction methods, the Aeropress offers remarkably diverse brewing possibilities. You can follow the official recommended standard pressure extraction method, or you can be unconventional and invert the chamber to brew coffee using reverse pressure. Combined with different grind sizes, water temperatures, coffee-to-water ratios, stirring times, and pressing pressures, we can create countless extraction formulas. Due to this versatility, the company also organizes annual Aeropress competitions where enthusiasts can showcase their skills!

Why Prefer Reverse Pressure?

However, it was soon discovered that although the official recommended Aeropress extraction method is "standard pressure," the vast majority of enthusiasts prefer using "reverse pressure" for coffee extraction. Why is this the case?

Let FrontStreet Coffee share why Aeropress enthusiasts prefer using reverse pressure for coffee extraction! But first, let's understand what standard pressure and reverse pressure actually are.

Understanding Standard vs. Reverse Pressure

Aeropress extraction is quite fascinating. It begins with an immersion method where hot water completely contacts the coffee grounds, followed by stirring to enhance the dissolution of flavor compounds, and finally using pressure to press out the coffee liquid! This entire process ensures we can extract a delicious and aromatic single-origin coffee with minimal operations in the shortest time possible.

So-called standard pressure refers to placing the Aeropress chamber upright on a cup for steeping extraction, with the filter facing downward. This requires first assembling the filter, then inserting the plunger to press out the coffee liquid. Reverse pressure, on the other hand, involves first assembling the plunger, then inverting it so the plunger faces downward as the base for coffee steeping. After steeping is complete, the filter is attached, the cup is secured, and then it's flipped back over for pressing extraction - as shown in the operational flow below.

The steps appear roughly similar, with reverse pressure only adding an inversion step during the extraction process compared to standard pressure. So why is reverse pressure used far more frequently than the officially recommended standard pressure? Let FrontStreet Coffee conduct an experiment to help everyone understand this intuitively! The coffee beans used in this experiment are "Gesha Village Estate · Chaka."

About Gesha Village Estate

Gesha Village Estate was established by documentary filmmaker Adam Overton and his wife Rachel Samuel, who works as a photographer. They initially became involved with coffee through filming a documentary about Ethiopian coffee, which sparked the idea of establishing an estate in Ethiopia to produce coffee. By 2009, after participating in a Gesha bean-seeking journey with the owners of Finca Deborah and Hacienda La Esmeralda, their determination to establish an estate deepened. So in 2011, the couple returned to Ethiopia, collected bean varieties from the Banchi Maji area where Gesha was discovered, and brought them back to establish Gesha Village for cultivation, fully embarking on coffee production.

Chaka is the most cost-effective coffee bean produced by Gesha Village Estate. It blends different coffee varieties from all plots within the estate, including Gesha 1931 and Gorri Gesha, which are closest to the Gesha variety, as well as Ethiopian native varieties.

Due to its excellent flavor performance and reasonable price, Chaka has been highly popular recently. Now that the introduction is complete, FrontStreet Coffee will use Chaka to test the differences between Aeropress standard pressure and reverse pressure extraction!

Comparing Standard and Reverse Pressure Extraction

This experiment uses identical parameters across the board, with only the extraction method differing. The parameters are as follows: 18g coffee dose, 1:11 coffee-to-water ratio, EK43 grind setting of 9, water temperature of 92°C. (Since there are process diagrams above, we won't display them here again.) First, we assemble the corresponding components according to different extraction methods. Standard pressure requires first attaching the filter paper and filter to the chamber, then placing it filter-side down on a press-resistant cup. Reverse pressure involves first assembling the plunger to the chamber, then inverting it with the plunger facing down.

The subsequent extraction steps are identical. We add the coffee grounds, then use twice the amount of water for a 30-second bloom. After the bloom ends, we directly add the remaining target water amount of 190ml, then use the stirrer to stir clockwise for 5 rotations. When steeping reaches 1 minute and 30 seconds, we can prepare to press out the coffee liquid!

For standard pressure extraction, simply attach the plunger and apply pressure. For reverse pressure, you need to attach the filter paper and filter, secure the cup, then flip it over before applying pressure. During pressing, remember not to rush - apply pressure slowly and evenly.

Extraction Results and Flavor Differences

Extraction complete! The total extraction time for standard pressure was 1 minute and 35 seconds, while reverse pressure took 1 minute and 42 seconds. In terms of flavor, there were indeed noticeable differences. The reverse pressure extracted Chaka displayed sweet and sour flavors of citrus and berries, delicate white floral notes, and a refreshing green tea aftertaste. The mouthfeel was slightly richer than pour-over due to the presence of some fine particles. In comparison, the standard pressure Chaka seemed somewhat thin, with inferior flavor performance that leaned toward sourness.

The main reason for this difference is that during standard pressure extraction, some hot water seeps through gaps, meaning not all hot water fully extracts the coffee grounds. This results in a thinner mouthfeel and less prominent flavors compared to reverse pressure extraction.

Conclusion

In summary, the answer is clear. Many friends prefer using reverse pressure with the Aeropress because it offers greater stability and is more beginner-friendly. However, as long as we can find suitable extraction parameters, standard pressure Aeropress coffee can also deliver outstanding performance. For example, when FrontStreet Coffee adjusted the grind to be finer, although the mouthfeel wasn't as rich as reverse pressure, the flavor became more prominent with richer layers and complexity.

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FrontStreet Coffee
10 Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

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