The AeroPress looks like an oversized syringe, and it's hard to associate it with coffee brewing at first glance, yet it even has its own world-class competition. This article starts with the story of the AeroPress's invention, outlines the structure of its three main parts—the chamber, the plunger, and the filter cap—and explains how it combines immersion extraction with pressure extraction. It then focuses on breaking down the more stable inverted brewing process, from Front Street Papua New Guinea·Bird of Paradise bean selection, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and water temperature, to the timing of each step—adding grounds, stirring, flipping, and pressing—reconstructing step by step the process of making a full-bodied cup of coffee in 1 minute 30 seconds, and finally includes adjustment ideas for 1:8 iced coffee.
"Just a freebie that comes with the AeroPress"
Only then did I remember that in a corner of Front Street there was a long-dusty AeroPress, whose syringe-like appearance makes it hard to associate with a brewing device. There is even a dedicated AeroPress brewing competition, which makes one very curious: how does such an unusual device make a cup of coffee?
The Origin of the AeroPress The AeroPress made its debut in 2005, and its inventor, Alan Adler, was a mechanical engineering lecturer at Stanford University. According to him, the idea for the AeroPress came entirely from being unsatisfied with existing coffee equipment, so he threw himself into studying extraction principles. As inventors, turning ideals into reality is their strength. In two years, this man, nearly 70 years old, created the AeroPress.
The Structure of the AeroPress The AeroPress itself is quite an interesting invention. Its whole body consists of three parts: the chamber, the plunger, and the filter cap (which requires a paper filter or metal filter to use). It can extract coffees of different roasts and grinds; its extraction principle combines the immersion of single-origin coffee and the pressure of espresso. In the early stage, water is mixed with the coffee grounds and left to steep; in the later stage, the plunger is used to press and extract, resulting in a cup of full-flavored coffee.
AeroPress Brewing Methods: AeroPress brewing methods are divided into standard and inverted. In the standard method, the filter cap is first attached to the chamber with the filter cap facing downward; after the coffee grounds are added and stirred to steep with water, the plunger is inserted to press and extract. However, with the standard method, water can seep out from the filter cap during pouring, which led to the birth of inverted brewing. In the inverted method, the plunger and chamber are assembled in advance, with the plunger placed at the bottom to serve as the base; then the coffee grounds are added and stirred to steep. After that, the filter cap is put on, a cup is locked on, and the whole thing is turned upright for pressing and extraction. This time we focus on the inverted method, because Front Street believes that the inverted method brings far fewer uncertainties, extraction can be more stable, and friends can quickly get the hang of it and drink AeroPress coffee.
Preparation Before Brewing AeroPress, coffee beans, hot water, a sturdy cup, a stirring stick, a round paper filter
The coffee bean used this time is the medium-roast Front Street Papua New Guinea·Bird of Paradise. The grind is finer than pour-over coffee, with a 90% pass rate through a No. 20 standard sieve. Use 15g of coffee beans and 240ml of water, for a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:16. The water temperature for the AeroPress does not need to be too high; the range of 90–93°C is fine. Inverted brewing: ① Press the plunger into the chamber and place the plunger cylinder facing down
② Pour in the ground coffee and start timing the brew
③ Stir the coffee grounds so they are thoroughly immersed
④ After one minute, put on the filter cap with the moistened paper filter fitted inside, invert the cup over the filter cap, hold the whole thing tightly and flip it over
⑤ Begin pressing to extract the coffee liquid, for a total time of 1 minute 30 seconds.
A simple AeroPress coffee is ready! If you want a pot of iced coffee on a summer day, simply lower the ratio to 1:8~ Add 100g of ice cubes to the extracted coffee, and it will fully satisfy your summer enjoyment.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
