What You Need To Know About AeroPress

Throwback on AeroPress

AeroPress is a pretty new coffee gadget in the market. It was invented by Alan Adler, founder of AeroPress Inc. AeroPress Coffee Maker made its way to the market in November 2005 during a coffee trade show.

7 Simple Steps

1. Push the plunger out of the chamber including the seal.

2. Place the filter/sieve on the filter cap (filter is around 2.5 inch in diameter)

3. Attach the filter cap into the chamber by twisting it in.

4. Place the chamber on top of a sturdy mug 

5. Place one round scoop of fine drip grind coffee in the chamber (In an AeroPress, a heaping (rounded) scoop of coffee is about 14 grams or 3 tablespoons) then shake to level the coffee

6. Add water up to Level 1 on the chamber. 175°F (80°C) water for hot brewing or tap water for cold brew.

7. Insert plunger onto the chamber and press gently, pause when you feel resistance, press until plunger reaches grounds.

AeroPress is considered as a "full immersion" brewer, which means that the coffee ground is in a hot water to steep before it gets separated. Most of the coffee enthusiasts describe the coffee from an AeroPress as clean, flavorful, concentrated, and intense. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

       Q1: What coffee to use?

          To get an intense flavor, it is good to use espresso beans. However, for AeroPress, most people recommend a lighter roast than you normally have. If you always go for dark roast, try medium so it does not power you. The Coffee Cultivator recommends Sagada Medium Roast for Arabica fans and Kalinga Medium roast for Robusta lovers. Check out our Coffee Menu.

      Q2: What coarseness of coffee should I go for?

         AeroPress needs fine drip grind to get the most flavor from your coffee.

      Q3: Can I make an espresso out of AeroPress?

        Short answer is no, since a traditional espresso is oily, thick and has crema because of the high pressure from the espresso machine. However, since AeroPress creates a strong and intense coffee, some may find it to have a similar taste to an espresso.

     Q4: Which is better AeroPress or French Press?

        It is hard to decide which is better. Both are "full immersion" brewers, if you want a clean and flavorful coffee, go for AeroPress, if you like your coffee to be thick and heavy, go for French press. People who are always on the go may find French press to be okay because of the "set it and forget it" process for multiple cups while AeroPress needs a bit of a physical challenge for every serving. However, if you worry about your cholesterol level then you might want to go for AeroPress since French Press was tagged as an unhealthy way to brew coffee because of Cafestol, which is a substance that causes the body's LDL, “bad” cholesterol, levels to rise.

      Q5: What are numbers for on the side of AeroPress?

       It serves as a guide or ratio of the coffee and water to place in the AeroPress. Each scoop of ground coffee makes 1 cup.