Why AeroPress is my favorite coffee maker; Interesting facts & resources

If I were to get only one coffee brewing equipment, it would be AeroPress. Among many other brewing equipment, it provides the most versatile, delicious, clean cup of coffee. We use it at home on a daily basis, usually twice a day. 

After traditional Italian moka pot and quite common french press, I was looking for some variety in coffee brewing. I had a few pour overs and AeroPress cups at cafes, and I started loving the clean cup of coffee produced by these filtered methods. I went for AeroPress because of the easier bearing technique vs. Hario V60 pour over.

The Equipment

What is AeroPress? 

• The Pitch. As per the brand, “AeroPress is a simple, easy-to-use coffee maker that consistently brews better tasting coffee and espresso drinks. It’s an espresso maker, a drip coffee maker and a French press, all rolled into one!”
• The Genesis. AeroPress was invented by Alan Adler who was unhappy with the quality of coffee out of the existing brewers and wanted something which allowed to tweak parameters to his needs. Alan Adler began studying the brewing process with a simple goal in mind: brew a superior cup of coffee. After many iterations (35 prototypes) he came up with the current form of AeroPress.
• The Equipment. AeroPress. 
• The Feats. Born in 2005, it is one of the two 21st century coffee brewing method (apart from Hario v60) that has become mainstream, sitting next to traditional techniques – espresso (1900), french press (1929), moka pot (1933), electric drip coffee (1972). AeroPress has its own World Aeropress Championship that now observes 3,000+ competitors, spans 120 regional and national events taking place in over 60 countries. 
• The Variants. After the success of AeroPress, the brand launched a more compact model called AeroPress Go, now XL and more.
• The Brew Method. Mix of immersion brewing and percolation brewing; call it a mix of french press and pour over. 
• The Output. Delicious clean cup of coffee. 

Why do I love AeroPress?

Besides the lovely coffee, there are many reasons why AeroPress is my favorite brewing equipment. Along with them I have added notes on some practices I follow.

• Easy brew. The method is super easy, unless you go to the next level trying an inverted method. With AeroPress, it’s easy to consistently brew your favorite cup every time.
• Short time. ~ 5 min. If you have your coffee grind and boiled water ready, you can make a cup of coffee in 1-3 minutes depending on whether you are following Alan Adler or James Hoffman.
• Easy cleaning. Hardly takes a minute. Super easy to clean and keep it ready for the next cup. Generally I pump out the coffee grounds directly into the bin, rinse it immediately with water and let it dry. I clean with soap after every 6-8 brews to get rid of the coffee oils.
• Durable. We have broken multiple glass utensils in our house including 3 coffee carafes. Due to its plastic body, AeroPress is quite durable.
• Portable. Due to the durability along with lightweight and compact design, it is easy to carry for travel and also to store at home. 
• Variable Volume. 1-4 cups (as per brand recommendation). Moka pot, minipresso and espresso machines have a fixed quantity that can be brewed every time. I like the flexibility in AeroPress, where I can vary based on the number of people wanting coffee at a time. I have made 1-4 cups of coffee in one brew. However, I prefer not to brew more than 3 at a go. With coffee grounds worth 4 cups, I feel there is little space left for water, the extraction reduces as the grounds do not get adequate contact with water. Instead, I prefer to do two rounds, as it is super easy to brew another one in 5 mins. 
• Variable Strength. You can make stronger brews by brewing with less water, and then choose to dilute with hot water or add milk.
• Reusable Filters. The filter paper can be reused multiple times. I typically re-use it 3-5 times when it becomes much darker. Alan apparently used one up to 80 times!
• Technique Variety. Immense variety of brews can be made, let me cover them in the next section.  

Brewing Guides

There are multiple variables that can be changed to brew differently with this equipment. Let me share a few important links that can be a good starting point. 

• The Inventor. Standard method as suggested by inventor Alan Adler’s. 
• The Expert. Coffee expert James Hoffman’s Ultimate method.
• The Champions. Brew recipes from World AeroPress Champions across the years.
• The Randomness. James Hoffman invented a set of dice to experiment given there are so many ways to brew in an AeroPress, which creates a randomized combination of parameters that can be used to brew. While the official dice have been out of stock for a long while now, there are apps (android, iOS) and websites that serve the same purpose.

What is my style? I follow my coffee guru James Hoffman’s technique. 

• The Roast. Medium to Medium-Dark Blends in this brew method.
• The Dose. 9 grams of coffee. 
• The Grind. Slightly coarser than espresso. Size 13 on Baratza Encore coffee grinder, 15 clicks on Timemore Chestnut C2 manual grinder.  
• The Ratio. 150 grams of water for 9 grams of coffee. 
• The Water. 90-95 degrees celsius for medium roast. Boil water in an electric kettle and leave the lid open for 30-60 sec.
• The Process. Add 9 grams of grounded coffee to the cylinder. Add 75 grams of water. Close with the plunger in place to create a vacuum, which holds the liquid from dripping further. Let it stay for 2 mins and give it a swirl. Let it stay for 30 sec and start plunging slowly. Once all the liquid is out, I add 75 grams of hot water to dilute it to make it an americano style black coffee. I like to have it black without without milk or sugar.
  • The Plunge. Note that you need to press the plunger gently keeping your body away from it. So, if it gets hard to plunge, give it a break, and start gentler after a few seconds. Pressing harder deteriorates the coffee taste.
• The Iced Coffee. In this hot Indian Summer, often my wife and I prefer a refreshing cup of iced coffee rather than a hot one. Instead of a cold brew that needs to happen overnight, I hack it with AeroPress by simply adding ice (75 grams as per above recipe) instead of hot water to dilute the initial extract.

With the long list of pros, especially the convenience to brew a delicious cup of coffee even on a fast paced day, is the reason why I love AeroPress the most.

A few interesting links:

• Ask Alan. You can ask the inventor questions and read up questions answered so far.
• James Hoffman’s 5 part video series on AeroPress. It’s informative and super entertaining to watch.

If you liked what I write you might want to follow my journey on Instagram @journal_of_a_coffee_enthusiast.