"Boss, your bean funnel looks pretty unique—where'd you buy it?"
"It just came with the AeroPress."
That reminded me—there's a long-forgotten AeroPress tucked away in a corner at Front Street Coffee. Its syringe-like shape makes it hard to believe it's a brewing device. There are even dedicated AeroPress competitions, which makes you wonder: how does such an odd gadget actually make a cup of coffee?
The Origins of the AeroPressThe AeroPress first appeared 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 his dissatisfaction with existing coffee gear, so he dove into studying extraction principles. As an inventor, turning ideas into reality is their forte—and in just two years, this nearly 70-year-old gentleman created the AeroPress.
The Structure of the AeroPressThe AeroPress itself is quite an interesting invention. It consists of three parts: the chamber, the plunger, and the filter cap (which requires a paper filter or mesh filter). It can extract coffee of different roasts and grind sizes; its extraction principle combines the immersion of single-origin coffee with the pressure of espresso—first mixing and soaking the coffee grounds with water, then using the plunger to press and extract, resulting in a cup full of flavor.
AeroPress Brewing Methods:AeroPress brewing methods are divided into the standard (upright) method and the inverted method. In the standard method, you first attach the filter cap to the chamber with the cap facing down, add coffee grounds and water, stir and let it steep, then insert the plunger to press and extract. However, the standard method has a problem: water seeps out through the filter cap during pouring, which led to the birth of the inverted method. In the inverted method, you assemble the plunger and chamber in advance, with the plunger placed at the bottom as the base, then add coffee grounds, stir and steep, and when done, attach the filter cap, flip it onto a cup, and press to extract. Today we'll focus on the inverted method, because Front Street believes it introduces fewer variables, making extraction more consistent, so you can quickly get the hang of it and enjoy AeroPress coffee.
Preparation Before BrewingAeroPress, coffee beans, hot water, a sturdy cup, a stirring stick, round paper filters
For this brew, we're using medium-roast Front Street Papua New Guinea · Bird of Paradise. The grind is finer than pour-over—90% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve. Use 15g of coffee beans and 240ml of water, a 1:16 ratio. The water temperature for the AeroPress doesn't need to be too high—90–93°C is fine.① Press the plunger into the chamber with the plunger side facing down
② Add the ground coffee and start the timer
③ Stir the coffee grounds to ensure they're fully saturated
④ After one minute, attach the pre-wetted filter cap with the filter paper, invert the cup over the filter cap, and holding everything tightly, flip it over
⑤ Begin pressing to extract the coffee—total time: 1 minute 30 seconds.
And just like that, a simple AeroPress coffee is ready! If you want a pot of iced coffee on a summer day, just change the ratio to 1:8~ Add 100g of ice to the brewed coffee, and it'll fully satisfy your summer cravings.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
