Advanced Aeropress Instructions & Brew Guide

The Aeropress has gone from being an obscure coffee brewing contraption to a cultural institution in just a few years.

Today there are national and international championships, countless crowdsourced recipes, and even viral phenomena like the #milehighaeropressclub.

Sidenote: Look it up on Instagram, if you want to see how creative coffee people can be!

But there’s also a dark side to the AeroPress… one you usually don’t read about in the glossy barista magazines.

The truth is that a lot of amateurs, as well as professionals, couldn’t brew a proper Aeropress, even if their life depended on it.

I have had quite a few friends confess to me that the brewer ‘just didn’t do it for them.

And to be honest, I’ve even been there myself.

The Aeropress can be used in a multitude of ways. But that also means that you can mess it up in even more ways.

In this article, I’ll zoom in on every little detail of this fascinating brewing device — from the history to the latest trends at the World Championship as well as advanced Aeropress instructions.

HISTORY OF THE AEROPRESS

Like most awesome things in the world, the Aeropress started out as a slightly crazy idea inside the head of an unusual man.

Alan Adler, an inventor, and mechanical engineer didn’t set out to create a commercial product. Rather, he was just looking for a way to simplify coffee brewing.

Before then Adler’s main claim to fame was that he had invented the ‘Aerobie Flying ring’ – a revolutionary kind of flying disc that could be thrown much farther than a traditional frisbee. 

But in 2003 Adler began experimenting with coffee brewing. One of the first things he started to look into was the water temperature. Adler preferred coffee brewed with a temperature around 175°F/80°C and so did most of his subjects. This goes against a lot of traditional coffee wisdom, where the water is closer to a boil.

At that time, Adler was mainly brewing pour over coffee, and he realized that something might be gained if the brewing could be speeded up using air pressure.

Adler made a bunch of different prototypes for the pressurized coffee maker. He even made one powered by a bike pump. 

Eventually, he invited the general manager of Aerobie, Alex Tennant, to have a sip from what would eventually become the final version.

“Alan, we can sell millions of these,” he blurted out upon tasting the brew. It took another two years before the product hit the market in 2005. But since then, the direction has only gone one way for the Aeropress.

At age 78, Adler decided that it was time to retire. In 2017 he sold off the toy-making division of Aerobie. The coffee department was for sale for a while, but eventually, Adler and his wife, Irene, decided to retain ownership.

In late 2019 Aerobie released the first new coffee product in years; the AeroPress Go.

basic Aeropress techniques

The Aeropress was Alan Adler’s way of being able to control more of the parameters compared to using an espresso machine. But in fact, he created a brewing device with more options than any other out there.

You can literally do everything with the contraption. Let’s take a look at some of the more common techniques. Also, be sure to check out the video above, where I go through some easy wins that you can implement right away in order to make better coffee.

#1: inverted method or normal?

The first big question you have to ask yourself, is whether you want to brew like Alan Adler intended or you want to use the ‘inverted’ method aka upside-down (picture to the right).

The people in the inverted camp believe that it offers better control over the extraction since no coffee is allowed to drip out. Of course it also looks pretty darn cool, when a barista flips over the brewer.

Not everybody is convinced, though. Some people don’t like the idea of the coffee resting on the rubber gasket and think it could impart a bad flavor to the coffe

#2: low temperature

Alan Adler prescribed 175°F as his ideal temperature, but this goes against mainstream coffee brewing dogma.

For years, 200°F has been seen as the ideal – and it still is when it comes to brewing espresso or pour over.

Among aero-aficionados however, it is common to brew at rather low temperatures.

#3: blooming

This is originally a technique from pour over coffee.

Blooming ensures even extraction and makes channeling less likely to occur.

It also allows carbon dioxide to escape from beans before proper brewing begins.

Blooming is simple. Carefully pour 2-3 x coffee weight; then wait for 45 seconds. 

#4: discarding the slurry

When the water is just below the ‘1-mark’, finish the brew instead of pressing all the way through.

The idea is that by pressing the coffee puck and the last brew water you may extract a lot of unwanted molecules. By not including it in the final brew you can avoid bitterness or off-flavors.

Discarding the slurry is considered best practice today.

A lot of aero-baristas like to stop right when they hear a ‘hissing’ sound, others may use visual cues.

#5: dilution

Recipes that call for dilution are quite common with this brewer. Especially, among the world champions.

Brew an ultra strong beverage and then add hot water to create a more ‘transparent’ flavor profle. In many ways, this is similar to brewing an americano. 

lessons from the world champions

The first international championship took place in Norway in 2008. Not because Adler and his company created it, instead it happened organically. Norwegian coffee-guru Tim Wendelboe was one of the main initiators.

The first world championships just had three participants but in the following years it quickly grew into something much bigger.

Today, there are national competitions all across the world. The national champion will earn the right to compete at the World Championship.

(If you’re curious you can read my interview with a previous winner of the Danish nationals here.)

finding the best aeropress method

While the W.A.C. is more down-to-earth compared to the World Barista Championship, it’s still fiercely competitive. 

This means that we can learn quite a lot by studying the champions and their best recipes. In fact, quite a few new techniques have been introduced on the world stage at these competitions.

So what does it take to make an aero-brew like the champions? Read on to find out..

The ideal aeropress ratio

One of the most important things when brewing any kind of coffee is the so-called brew ratio.

The brew ratio is the relationship between the amount of coffee and water used. So a 1:18 brew ratio, for example, would mean that for every unit of coffee, you’d have 18 units of water. This particular ratio is what the SCA calls the ‘Golden Cup Ratio’ (source).

Personally, I find this to be a bit thin so instead, I’d usually opt for around 1: 15 as my ideal Aeropress ratio.

Most brew methods usually excel at a ratio between 1:15 and 1:18. However, Aeropress coffee is rather unique in this regard. When you look closely at the winning recipes, you’ll see that they are all rather concentrated compared to traditional coffee brewing methods. (source) 

The winner of the 2018 W.A.C, Carolina Garay from Colombia, used a whopping 1:5,7 ratio. That’s closer to espresso than regular black filter coffee! 

On average the winning ratio is 1:11,5. This has often been combined with a very coarse grind size; especially in recent years.

While I’m sure that this tastes great, personally, I would quickly get ruined, if I were to use brew ratios like that on a daily basis. So it might be worth remembering that a competition scenario is something completely different from everyday coffee drinking. 

You can compare it to the difference between being a bicyclist and a Tour de France competitor. You don’t necessarily need blood doping and a $15K bike to get a good result as a hobbyist.

👉 Go Deeper: 5 Essential AeroPress Recipes

how to use an aeropress

Another pattern that jumps out immediately when studying all the past champions is that the water temperature is rather low.

On average, the winning temperature is 177 °F/80 °C. For years the official recommendation from the SCA has been 200 °F/93°C (source).

There are different theories as to why a lower temperature might be better. 

One states that certain compounds extract at around 177 °F, while more bitter and less desirable ones extract closer to a boil 

A very simple and down to earth explanation; however, is that using a low temperature makes it possible to enjoy the cup sooner rather than later.

On the other hand, the respected coffee innovator and former World Brewers Cup winner Matt Perger has long been an advocate of using boiling water. He argues that this ensures the best possible extraction. It’s also straightforward and consistent doing every time, compared to using a thermometer.

But overall, we will have to say that the jury is still out on the perfect water temperature. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence pointing to everything from 175- 205 °F. In the end, it’s probably more down to personal taste than anything else.

 One caveat that I should add, is that the low temperature at the W.A.C. should also be seen in relation the the unusually high brew ratios. It’s likely that these two parameters should go hand in hand.

THE PAPER FILTER IS A TROOPER

One of the interesting things about the plastic pump is that it lets users to change and tweak many small things compared to more conventional brewing devices.

For instance, there are quite a few companies that produce special filters made out of different metals.

Some people also like to experiment with using two paper filters for extra cup clarity. But in fact, every single winner of the W.A.C. have opted for a single, traditional paper filter.

When it comes to the position of the brewer, it’s hard to make any firm conclusions.

The first two winners used the inverted method, then followed four consecutive upright champions, and now the last four have been inverted.

ADVANCED AEROPRESS INSTRUCTIONS & Directions

So is that all there is to having fun with the Aeropress? Of course not…

What makes this device so cool is that it’s one of the best coffee makers available today, but at the same time it’s almost a toy.

In this section, I’ll introduce you to a few cool ways to get more out of your device. 

These might not be championship-winning Aeropress recipes like the ones in the previous chapter, but if you follow the instructions, you’ll get both tasty coffee and reactions on Instagram.

the most common Aeropress mistakes

So far we have been talking a lot about the upsides of this remarkable brewer. Now, let me focus on some of the cons. As mentioned in the introduction a lot of home baristas (as well as pros) actually have a hard time getting delicious coffee out of the device.

I have often had friends confess to me that they rarely use the brewer and that pour over coffee consistently tastes btter.

With that in mind, here are some typical mistakes the burgeoning Aero-barista might commit and how to fix them.

#1: PLUNGE GENTLY

As mentioned above, the Aeropress and the espresso have always had some kind of mythical connection in peoples mind. Maybe because of the names, or maybe because they both utilize pressure in some way.

Somehow a lot of home baristas think that pressure  is the key to a proper brew. For that reason they will lean on the plunger with all their weight and pump like madmen. 

However, the truth is that the air pressure isn’t an important part of the brew; it’s just a handy way to separate liquid and the puck. 

By exerting full full force when brewing, you actually ruin your coffee. Coffee brewed this way often has a weird, almost one-dimensional flavor.

What you should do instead, is to put gentle pressure on the plunger.

For the cleanest flavor, it should take close to a minute to press the plunger all the way to the bottom. This sentiment is also shared by many other connoisseurs. Even Alan Adler brews this way.

#2: MIX, AERATE & COOL DOWN

This tip might sound simple, but it’s a crucial step in making a delicious cup every single time.

If you’re pressing the Aero directly into a preheated mug, a lot of things can and will go wrong.

• Black coffee should be brewed around 200 °F (93 °C), but it should be served and consumed around 140 °F (55 °C).
• Furthermore, it should be mixed and aerated slightly to let all the aroma compounds blend nicely.
• All the above things will happen automatically if you brew into a carafe or range server and swirl it around a couple of times.

On the other hand, if you brew into a pre-heated mug, like a lot of wanna-be baristas tend to do, then your brew will be subpar.

It will be way too hot to drink right away. And most of the aroma compounds will float around in the bottom of the cup.

It’s a little bit controversial, but some of the most knowledgeable people in the coffee business also claim that coffee should be aerated to live up to its full potential. Almost like wine. 

In my opinion, aeration is a crucial step of manual brewing.

#3: USE THE RIGHT WATER

A lot can be said about water and coffee. There are even books and scientific papers dedicated to this topic.

Water is what often separates a good cup of home-brewed coffee from a world-class cup in a third-wave coffee shop.

This is one of the most challenging parts to get right, though. On the surface, all water pretty much looks the same. So you need knowledge or perhaps even special equipment to get it right.

But for now let me give you some brief advice: Avoid tap water. Most people on this planet, don’t have tap water suitable for coffee brewing. (This is true even if the water tastes good).

Instead, use relatively soft water like Volvic or use reverse osmosis water in conjunction with added minerals from the company Third Wave Water.

Ideally, you want to use water that has a TDS between 70 and 140 with equal amounts of calcium and magnesium.

If you want to invest time and effort, try my recipe for perfect brew water.

#4: USE TWO FILTERS

Brewing with a single AeroPress filter isn’t really an error per se – after all, it’s what all the world champions do. 

Still, I have to say that I often get better results using two filters instead of a single one.

If you’re into pour over like Hario V60 and Kalita Wave, then you should definitely try this little hack. It tends to make the cup more balanced and clean, while also promoting sparkling acidity. 

Just put both filters into the cap, rinse, and brew like you’d normally do. If you want, you can wash the filters off after use and recycle up to 3 times. Just treat them as one entity, when washing and let them dry inside the filter cap to retain shape.

#5: CLEANING

This is another common error that is caused by old-school Aero-propaganda.

“This device doesn’t need cleaning – just press the plunger, and shoot the puck into a bin,” the instruction claims.

Yeah, right – The Coffee Chronicler doesn’t quite agree.

Let me tell you this frankly. If this is the only kind of cleaning you do, your coffee is going to taste awful within a month or two.

Once in a while, give your device a nice bath in hot water and baking soda. Make sure to take off the rubber gasket too.

It is removable, but many people have no clue. A lot of nasty oils will gather in the crevices if left to themselves and that will impact the flavor.

Don’t trust the sneaky coffee salesman on this one. It’s a cool brewer, but like all other items in your kitchen, it needs cleaning once in a while.

Let me repeat: Remember to take the gasket off every two weeks for a thorough cleaning! 

#6 Too much faith in the AeroPress Scoop Size

When it comes to making the perfect cup of coffee, there are a lot of variables to consider.

One often overlooked factor is scoop size.

The Aeropress comes with a scoop that holds approximately 11.5 grams of coffee. A heaping scoop holds around 14 grams.

This may seem like a lot, but depending on the amount of water you use, it can actually create a pretty weak cup.

Let’s say you use 200 grams of coffee to either of these two scoop volumes. That will either put you at a 1:14 or 1:17,4 ratio. If you know anything about coffee, you know that this will create two extremely different brews.

So if you’re looking to get the most out of your Aeropress, be sure to use a digital scale instead of the included scoop. It’s just not a reliable way to produce tasty coffee.

OVER TO YOU

If you have read all the way to the end, you already know a lot about this fantastic brewing device. I encourage you to experiment and test every little piece of advice. Keep what you like and discard the rest.

In the end, you can brew Aeropress in any way you like – the most important thing is that you enjoy it.

The inventor of this brewer made toys before he got into coffee, with that in mind I think we should always focus on the playful aspect of the brewer.

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