The Aeropress, coffee fast and easy
If someone told you that one of the easiest, cheapest, and fastest ways to brew coffee was initially invented by an American company previously known for Frisbees and other plastic toys; you wouldn’t believe it. All the greater the, justified, skepticism among the nerds, who have become fond of natural materials such as glass, metal and paper in their coffeemakers. Add the fact that the product is from the US and not from countries with high-minded ‘coffee culture’ such as Italy, Germany or Japan and an opinion is formed in the heads of self-proclaimed enthusiasts. But why we are talking about the Aeropress and what is the occasion to do so now? Find out in the following article.
The reason we're looking at the Aeropress right now isn't because it's the all-time best method of preparation, or because we got a big briefcase full of money from the company. I am a big fan of the Aeropress myself, I use it almost daily and thus I didn’t hesitate to learn more about it when an opportunity came along. I had the great pleasure of attending an Aeropress seminar, given by Celeste Wong, as part of the fantastic Initiative Global Coffee Calibration. Everyone these days is wondering how they can support Ukraine in their fight and the coffee community did so by fundraising money and offering these courses for a donation. Winning a custom made Aeropress was also part of the project.
Celeste did a great job at patiently describing all stages of the brewing process in detail and explaining what her ideas add to it. The suggested, and frankly safer option, for beginners is the classic position with the filter under the Aeropress and coffee and water being filled in above the filter. If you are interested in how it works, you can find instructions everywhere. We want to be a step ahead though and try to find aspects of coffee culture that are more in depth. Most people these days are recommending the ‘Inverted’ method for a much better transfer of flavor from the beans. The Aeropress Competition Champions use it and most roasters will tell you to use it, if you tell them that you’ll use their beans with an Aeropress. I recommend watching a video on the exact setup and steps to make sure the hot water does not spill. If you haven’t tried the inverted method yet, pictured on the image below, go with the regular one first to get familiar with the parts. The biggest advantage of turning the Aeropress upside down is the possibility for the coffee to ‘bloom’, for the ground coffee to steep in the hot water, instead of running through the filter immediately due to gravity in the regular set-up.
A couple of important points brought up by Celeste, who also has a great webshop for Specialty Coffee products, during the seminar, that can also apply to other methods of brewing:
Freshly ground beans
Using two paper filters, or a metal filter
Water heated below boiling point at 90-96°C
Pour in a little water to the inverted space and give it a gentle stir before putting the filter on, very similar to letting the coffee bloom during a handbrew
Pressing down with equal force and the palm of the hand at constant pace to get equal extraction
Stopping when the ‘hissing’ sound appears to prevent overly bitter extraction
The general flavor profile of the Aeropress is more mellow and lighter (those are subjective descriptions that can change depending on your coffee drinking habits of course). Beans that go well for hand brewing or filter brewing serve the Aeropress well. While it is possible to make an ‘espresso’ with an Aeropress, it is more of an experiment than a valid choice, the system just lacks the pressure to work with heavier concentrations and roasts. It is nevertheless a fascinating tool, since it uses no electricity, no parts that aren’t easily replacable, it is light and portable and thus favored as the go to choice for traveling coffee enthusiasts. Unlike the Bialetti-style Moccha pot it does not need constant heating from below, and unlike any of the pourover methods it is a bit more forgiving with less precise measurements of water temperature and amount of coffee. Naturally that will limit the possibilites for this brewing method and there has never been any kind of bean that was better when prepared with an Aeropress as compared to hand brewing. It is however the best way for me to make quick and easy coffee wherever I go, with a consistent outcome that does not rely on my machine being set up perfectly. It is also ridicously affordable.
The world of specialty coffee, due to its popularity and, let’s call it, passionate community, is ready to spend a lot of money on simple items that are needed to get into this world. Espresso machines, as well as grinders and scales, even though they got cheaper over the years still cost multiple hundreds of euros and dollars. Add to that machines that are often made with plastics that won’t last long, versus those made from high quality material that break the bank. The Aeropress is available in dozens of shops in every major city with specialty coffee places, costs around 25-40 Euros (40 Dollars with free US Shipping on the website) and its parts can be replaced easily.
So if you are curious about trying an alternative to the typical Central European cup of filter coffee, if you want to make coffee everywhere or if you are the kind of coffee geek who just wants the comparison between different methods, why not try the ‘Inverted’-Aeropress? Enjoy and have a great day,
/jf
