The Aeropress: The Chuck Norris of coffee brewers

The Aeropress Original Coffee Maker is our all time favorite coffee brewing method. It delivers a bold cup with smooth delivery of all the delicious and nuanced flavors in our coffee.

Why we like it: It’s durable and transportable, which makes in an excellent travel buddy with our 4oz coffee packs. Aeropress also sells a reusable metal filter, making it even easier to travel with, and even better for the environment. The Aeropress is also our favorite brewing method at home because it’s an easy and low cost way to brew a single cup of coffee, which fits our lazy personalities (if you have read our other brewing methods, you’ll see a trend here). It also is a great way to control the strength of your cup while minimizing over or under extraction (sour, bitter, dull or papery coffee).

Why you might like it: You like a device that is easy to use and even easier to clean. You don’t have space for a lot of coffee contraptions, but you do value a great cup.

So how do you use this bad boi?

First, let’s look at what’s inside:

Aeropress Parts

Pro tip: We do recommend weighing and grinding your beans. Prior to becoming coffee roasters, it took us a long time to jump on board the whole bean train, but now we won’t get off unless we’re pushed. Weighing your coffee beans allows you to get the proper bean to water ratio to optimize your cup of coffee. Purchasing and storing your beans whole keeps them fresh longer, resulting in better tasting coffee. It also allows you to grind at different sizes for various brewing methods. For example, the grind size we use for the Aeropress is medium fine. Most pre-ground coffee comes medium ground. This will affect the taste of your coffee.

Ok, we’re putting the soapbox away.

We’re going to walk you through 2 ways to brew the Aeropress the way we like it - Coffee Gangsta style or Coffee OG:

Coffee Gangsta: You want to maximize your flavor, and you grind and weigh your beans.

Equipment required: The Original Aeropress + filter, a scale, a grinder, kettle or stovetop pan, sturdy coffee mug

Coffee OG: You have been drinking coffee since before you were born, and like to kick it old school. You don’t have the time or patience to grind and weigh your coffee. You probably received this new fangled contraption as a gift.

Equipment required: The Original Aeropress + filter, kettle or stovetop pan, sturdy coffee mug

Coffee Gangsta Method:

Coffee weight (weight of whole beans): 20g**

Grind size: we use a medium fine grind, about midway between espresso and drip setting. However, this setting will vary depending on your grinder, and you may need to trial and error to get the flavor you want. If your coffee tastes a bit sour and/or dull, the coffee may be ground too coarse and therefore underextraced. If it tastes bitter and/or you find grounds in your coffee, the coffee beans may be ground to fine and therefore over extracted.

Water weight: 225g or 225mL**

Water temp: 205 degrees farenheight. If you don’t have a kettle in which you can set a temp, you can bring water to a boil, remove from heat and wait 1 minute off boil - that’ll get you to about 205.

Brew time: 4 minutes, 30 seconds

Step-by-step process:

Step 1: Start heating your water to 205 degrees (or to boil if you don’t have temperature setting)

Step 2: Weigh and grind your beans. Place your filter in the filter cap and secure to the chamber.

Step 3 (optional): Prime your filter, chamber and mug by pouring some hot water over it. Priming these items prevents any unintentional premature cool down during the brewing process (or right after in the case of the mug), which can affect the flavor. Discard the water you used to prime.

Step 4: Place your mug on the scale and the chamber on the mug. Pour your coffee grounds into the chamber. Tare so the weight reading is 0.

Step 5: Once water is at 205 degrees farenheight (or 1 minute off boil), start pouring water into the chamber until the grounds are fully submerged. Start the timer.

Step 6: At :30, gently stir the water and the grounds with the stirrer, then pour the remaining water into the chamberuntil the scale reads 225g. Place the plunger about a half inch into the chamber enough to stay but do not press down any further.

Step 7: When your timer reaches 4:30, slowly, gently and consistently push the plunger down. Some resistance is normal, too much resistance may mean your grind is too fine. When you hear a hiss, stop pushing.

Step 8: Hold the chamber over your trash can or compost bin, remove the filter cap, and push the plunger through the chamber until you hear a pop and the coffee grounds and filter pop out (the paper filter is compostable. if you have the metal filter, don’t forget to remove it first)

Step 9: Get ready for your mind to be blown, and take the first sip.

**We recommend starting out with this ratio, and if you like your coffee a bit bolder (and a larger cup), give this one a try: 33g of coffee to 280g water. Pour the water more slowly on Step 5, and you may need to wait a moment for the water to go down a bit until you place the plunger. SO GOOD!

Coffee OG Method

Coffee: 1.5 scoops

Step-by-step process:

Step 1: Start heating your water to a boil.

Step 2: Place your filter in the filter cap and secure to the chamber. Prime your filter, chamber and mug by pouring some hot water over it. Priming these items prevents any unintentional premature cool down during the brewing process (or right after in the case of the mug), which can affect the flavor. Discard the water you used to prime.

Step 3: Place the chamber on your mug. Pour your coffee grounds into the chamber.

Step 4: Once water has reached boil, remove from heat and wait about 1 minute. After 1 minute, start pouring water into the chamber until the grounds are fully submerged. Start the timer.

Step 5: At :30, gently stir the water and the grounds with the stirrer, then pour the remaining water into the champer up to the top of the 3 marker on your Aeropress. Place the plunger about a half inch into the chamber enough to stay but do not press down any further.

Step 6: When your timer reaches 4:30, slowly, gently and consistently push the plunger down. Some resistance is normal, too much resistance may mean your grind is too fine. When you hear a hiss, stop pushing.

Step 7: Hold the chamber over your trash can or compost bin, remove the filter cap, and push the plunger through until you hear a pop and the coffee grounds and filter pop out (the paper filter is compostable! if you have the metal filter, don’t forget to remove it first ;)

Step 8: Get ready for your mind to be blown, and take the first sip.