Bigging Up The Aeropress

 
It’s time to talk coffee.   This post is coffee-centric.   More particularly, I would like to focus on one specific coffee gadget.   And even more particularly than that, I want to focus on the Aeropress.

In addition to other delicious polycarbonate accessories which brighten up my life, the Aeropress is the single most useful coffee gadget I’ve ever had.   It’s

• inexpensive
• small
• portable
• lightweight
• durable
• runs on elbow grease and hot water
• requires minimal cleaning and maintenance
• easy and cheap to use
• makes fabulous coffee

 
 
This is my method of making one mug of Aeropress coffee.   For Aeropressing for more people, have a look down the bottom.

To be honest, I really made this guide so that kvetch could make me coffee the way I like it.   He hasn’t really got the hang of all this Aeropress business yet.

I’ll let you know how he gets on.   :)
 
 

Contentosity

 

• Things You Will Need
• First Things First
• Creating Your Beverage
• Extra Bits
• Storage
• Cleaning
• Making Multiple Cups
• Bean Grindage
• Healthosity And Safetyness
• Mind The Gap And Other Aeropressing Techniquathons
• Aeropress Visual Demonstratathon

 
 

Aeropressing

 
Things You Will Need
 

• Coffee beans ground for a filter machine
• A kettle, with water in it, set to boil.
• Fresh water for rinsing
• A bin for the used coffee grounds
• The Aeropress and all of its constituent parts
• funnel  (if you are grinding your own beans)
• plunger
• base
• filter screw cap
• filters
• scoop
• T-shaped stirrer

 
 
First Things First
 

1. Put the kettle on.
2. Orient the Aeropress vertically so the black perforated filter screw cap is topmost.

 

I left it like this the last time I made coffee.   Yum.
 
 

3. Carefully and gently unscrew the black filter cap counter clockwise, watching to ensure no spillage of coffee grounds (if any are present from prior use).

 


See?   Grounds.

 
 

4. If the round paper filter is outside the filter holder and stuck to the grounds, carefully remove it and set it to one side.

The Aeropress filters are perfectly suitable for many re-uses  (until they tear or perforate).
 

And the sun came out as I was doing this.   :)
 
 

5. Take the Aeropress over to the bin and invert it so that the coffee grounds are now aimed downwards.
6. Grasp the Aeropress very firmly  (your hands and the Aeropress will both need to be dry)  -  carefully push the plunger to evacuate the grounds into the bin.

The plunger can be stiff to start and can move very suddenly when dry!   Take good care to keep fingers and skin clear of being pinched between the plunger and base.
 

7. Leaving the plunger fully plunged, rinse the end of the plunger and the end of the base.
8. Separate the plunger from the base and set both pieces to one side.
9. If there was a paper filter in the Aeropress from prior use, rinse it well, and rinse the black perforated filter cap.
10. Put the wet filter  (or a new one)  in the filter cap

 


There’s the filter, and there’s the cap.

 
 

11. Screw the filter cap firmly clockwise into the base of the Aeropress.

 

My favourite mug  -  a present from kvetch.   :)
 
 
Creating Your Beverage
 

12. Ensure your mug of choice is sitting securely on a non-slip surface.
13. Orient the Aeropress vertically with the filter cap at the bottom.
14. Place the base of the Aeropress on top of the mug.

 

This is a good visual demonstration of what will happen if you use a mug which is just the teensiest smidge too small for the base of the Aeropress.   It still works, though.   Note the benefits of using a generously sized mug.
 
 

15. Fill the scoop with coffee grounds, leaving approximately 0.5cm gap at the top.

 


Fill the scoop with thiiiiiiis much.

 
 

16. Empty the scoop into the Aeropress.
• See below for making more than one cup and grinding your own beans for use with the Aeropress.

 

17. Hot water should be no warmer than approximately 85˚ centigrade.   If the kettle has just boiled, add a goodly dollop of cold water and swish it around.
18. Add hot water to the grounds in the base of the Aeropress, up to approximately 1 cm from the top.
19. Stir the water and the grounds with the T-shaped stirrer for about 10 seconds.

 

The coffee drains even when not plunging, so that is why there is more than 1 cm of space at the top in this picture.
 
 

20. Put the plunger into the top of the Aeropress and carefully yet firmly push the plunger down.
21. Push the plunger down no further than 1 cm from the grounds.

You will know when you are nearly there because the water will have emptied out and the plunger will produce a schhhhh - type sound.
 


mmmmmmmmmmschhhhhhhhh…

 
 

22. Add milk, sugar, stir, or do whatever other finishing touches you may require.

 


I like sugar in my coffee.   :)

 
 

23. Et voilá!   Slurp and enjoy!

 
 

Extra Bits

 
Storage  -  Usually, when I’ve finished making coffee, I turn the Aeropress upside down and leave it until the next time.   Because the filter and perforated filter cap both allow air to circulate, the grounds and the filter will both dry out instead of going mouldy, so the Aeropress can safely be stored like this for some time.
 

Easy storage  =  Energy saver  =  Environmentally friendly  =  Me less cranky
 
 
Cleaning  -  The rubbery foot of the plunger creates an airtight seal within the cylindrical base, resulting in syringe-like, wipe-clean properties when plunging.   Because of this, rinsing the bottom of the plunger and base after evacuating the coffee grounds, and rinsing the filter and black perforated filter cap is the sum total of cleaning required for the Aeropress.

Easy peasy.   :)

(My energy is a valuable commodity, y’know.   It’s worth saving.   You wouldn’t like it when I’m cranky.   The environment could get damaged.)
 
 
Sharing The Goodness
 
The above instructions are for making one mug of Aeropress coffee.   For more cups, simply

• Add one scoop of coffee as shown for each person
• Plunge into one receptacle
• Divide the result equally between the required number of cups
• Dilute each with hot water

 
It is possible to plunge directly into the appropriate number of cups and dilute each with hot water.   However, I find this difficult to measure out evenly, because the water continues to drain even when the plunger is not in place, or is in place without being actively depressed.   So I prefer to plunge into one receptacle when I’m Aeropressing for multiple people, and then divide everything out afterwards.
 
 
Bean Grindage
 
If you are grinding your own coffee beans, fill the scoop with beans to approximately an 0.5cm gap at the top for each person  (as with grounds),  before adding them to the coffee grinder.
 

Just pretend there’s beans in there instead of grounds, k?
 
 
Use the funnel provided with the Aeropress to empty the freshly ground coffee from the grinder into the Aeropress.
 
 
Healthosity And Safeness
 

• Take good care to keep fingers and skin clear of being pinched between the plunger and base when plunging, especially when the Aeropress is dry.   Aeropressy pinching can be very sore.   Trust me.
• A non-slip surface for your mug during Aeropressing will help drastically reduce the chances of a scalding accident.
• Ensure that you depress the plunger with both hands with your head positioned directly over the mug.   This will help dramatically reduce the chances of upsetting the mug and its scalding contents.
• Take care to keep the Aeropress on top of the mug during the pressing.   The base of the Aeropress can slip around on mugs with larger circumferences.

 
A Note To The Aeropress People  -  I think that a grippy rubber surface  (similar to that of the plunger foot)  on the underside of the flange of the base might help to improve Aeropress safety in use with larger mugs.

 
 
Mind The Gap And Other Aeropressing Techniquathons
 

• Note the gap between the end of the plunger  (the thin black ring pressing against the inside of the cylinder)  and the coffee grounds at the base of the Aeropress  (now oriented upwards).   You will know when you are nearly there because the water will have emptied out and the plunger will produce a schhhhh - type sound.

  That 1cm gap must be maintained for the best tasting coffee.   My experience is that if the grounds get squashed, the coffee will taste bitter.

 

See?   This is how I left it the last time, gap and all.
 
 

• Always unscrew the filter cap before removing the plunger from the base.   Removing the plunger is easier without the filter blocking the airflow, and anyhow such removal can damage the filter, especially when it’s wet.   The filter must be replaced if that happens.   Otherwise you will get grounds in your coffee.
• Hot water should be no warmer than approximately 85˚ centigrade.   If the kettle has just boiled, add a goodly dollop of cold water and swish it around.   My experience is that f the water is too hot, the coffee will taste bitter.
• Depress the plunger at about the same speed as with a cafetière.   Unlike a cafetière, there is no need to wait after stirring.

 

This is what it’s all about!   Slurpworthy coffee  -  just what’s needed on those days when one is feeling especially slug-like.   Mmmmmm, a delicious extra boost.
 
 

Aeropress Visual Demonstratathon

 
And now, for a quick visual bit of helpfulness.   :)
 

 
 

Time For Kvetch To Make Coffee

 
Ok kvetch, now that you know how to make my coffee the way I like it, I’d like you to go make me some!   I sure could use a pick-me-up after schlepping through this guide.

And cake.   Mmmmmm, caaaaake…

Thank you dahlink.   *mwah*   :D
 
 

Tune In For Another Thrilling Episode!

 
Next week, kvetch learns that popcorn must be shaken, not stirred.

(with a bonus extra featurette on how to salvage pans with burnt-on stuff in the bottom)