Easy Standard AeroPress Recipe
The conventional journey taken by many coffee fans begins with premium freeze dried coffee, progresses to French drips/ press and then ends with an espresso machine (provided you can afford one and you have the countertop space suitable).
I had neither the budget nor the countertop space for an espresso machine so I suspect that is why my journey has meandered so much after starting with my French press.
This is not a regret, or a complaint, (or an advert 🙂). On the contrary, not progressing to an espresso machine has allowed me to experiment with so many great devices/ methods over the years and have resulted in countless delicious cups of coffee. One of the most versatile of those devices is the AeroPress.
In my opinion, the Aeropress is the next logical step after the French press. It does not require additional tools, it is easy to clean, very portable yet most importantly, very versatile with different methods and recipes. Below is my base recipe for the Standard Method. Using it is guaranteed to get you a great cup of coffee that could then be easily tweaked to a personal taste preference, if so desired.
Equipment required:
AeroPress
Kettle
Scoop/ scale
Stirrer/ spoon
Timer
The method described below is often described as “The Standard Method” as opposed to the Inverted Method. Click the link for my Inverted Method recipe. It is important to have all the tools/ equipment that you require, at hand, before you begin the process.
Method:
Boil your water. I choose to use close to boiling water temperature on light roasts and slightly cooled water on darker roasts. That would be around 90 degrees Celsius, and careful not to get burnt if you decide to use a handheld thermometer to take the reading.
Grind the beans (if applicable). I prefer using a medium grind, similar to that used for a Pour over. To reduce bitterness, I grind darker roasts slightly coarser than lighter roasts. Most specialty coffee roasters these days allow you to specify your method when purchasing ground coffee.
Insert a filter in the end cap, and wet it lightly with hot water. Attach it onto the Aeropress.
Insert the funnel into the cup. Ensure that the cup is large enough to hold the coffee, so that it does not spill over when plunging.
Set up your AeroPress in the standard position on a scale (if applicable).
Add 15g of ground coffee and ensure that it is level.
Start your timer and pour 220g of hot water over the coffee. Stir for 5 seconds and quickly insert the piston into the AeroPress brewer. Don’t push too much as this will force coffee out the other end prematurely.
Wait for 2 minutes and then give it a gentle swirl, taking care to hold both the brewer and piston when doing this. Alternatively, you could remove the piston, give it a quick stir and then replace the piston.
If your brewer and cup are on a scale, ensure that you remove it from there before you begin plunging. The excess pressure could damage the scale.
After an additional 30 seconds (Total Brew Time - 2 min, 30s), plunge slowly, but steadily for 20 – 30 seconds.
After all the coffee is extracted, pull back slightly on the piston to reduce spillage etc.
Enjoy your cup of coffee!
There is some debate on whether you should plunge completely or stop when you start to hear the ‘hiss’. My preference is to plunge completely. My logic is that the amount of liquid extracted during that final push is insignificant in comparison to the total yield. Furthermore, it compresses the puck which makes it easier to dispose of when cleaning the AeroPress.
I personally prefer the inverted method using the aeropress. I find it to be less of a rush to have to pour the water and then re-insert the plunger etc, and also like that I can allow a nice bloom and a good stir to improve extraction. That, however, comes at the expense of the risk of you making a mistake and spilling wet coffee beans all over the kitchen floor when you attempt the inversion!
As with most methods, you can now make small variations to get you to ‘your’ perfect cup. You can vary extraction times, grind size, water temperature, degree of agitation (fancy word for stirring/ swirling) and brew ratio. Please share your thoughts/ experience using this method in the comments section below and also let us know whether you prefer the standard or inverted method?
Happy brewing!