Skip to content
We hope this is an excellent tool for you to achieve great results using an AeroPress. This guide ties in with our Bean Grind guide. We want you to enjoy coffee in the best way possible. We're not just saying this, we are committed to building the guides.
An AeroPress is a coffee brewing device that uses heat and pressure to extract the coffee brew. It utilises a cylindrical chamber and a plunger with an airtight silicone seal, similar to a syringe.
Retired Stanford engineering lecturer Alan Adler invented the AeroPress. In 2004, Adler began developing this coffee brewer to reduce acidity and bitterness in his daily cup of coffee.
The AeroPress has gained popularity among coffee enthusiasts for its versatility, consistency, and ability to produce a flavorful cup of coffee. In recent years, it's shown signs of widespread adoption beyond the coffee enthusiast.
When grinding your coffee to a medium fine grind, the aim is a particle size of 0.4 to 0.55mm. The coffee should have a table salt texture.
You need a teaspoon, AeroPress, a kettle, and the ingredients. Ensure the AreoPress is clean and complete, ensuring the filter is in good order. The amount of coffee per serving will depend on taste, though we would use 15g of coffee, and the maximum the AreoPress allows is 240ml of water (8oz).
If you want to go a little extra, and you already have in some ways with an AeroPress, grab yourself a quality Burr grinder. The grind size will have the most significant impact on the outcome of the brew. Getting the surface area of the grind correct will significantly aid extraction.
Like many things in coffee, this could be subjective, though we recommend leaving a short moment for the boiled water to cool, aiming to keep it at around 93°C. The lower temperature will reduce the chance of the coffee burning. The water will cool rapidly in the cafetière, so don't leave the kettle too long before pouring.
Once the water is around 93°C, pour the water slowly into the AeroPress, gently covering the coffee grounds evenly until around 240ml has been poured.
You could go further with this and use filtered water; the water quality is essential and will affect the overall taste. You could use a thermometer or a special kettle that informs you of the exact temperature of the water.
The brewing time for an AeroPress can be subjective based on the coffee roast colour; lighter roasts may need to brew longer. The brewing time in the chamber is between 4-6 minutes, though we encourage experimentation.
Ensure the coffee chamber is firmly clamped onto the microfilter to push the water through the coffee when you press down. The AeroPress should take 30 seconds or close to plunge completely. If this takes longer or you can't compress the grind size, it needs to be more coarse.
Brew time is essential, and recording more data on every coffee you brew is an excellent way to better understand the kind of coffee you enjoy; we recommend getting a timer and recording the brew time; you could then experiment with the timings and the flavours produced.
Since you've likely pressed your coffee into the final cup, you can add the milk and sugar, possibly nothing, and enjoy. Something to look for would be coffee sediment in your cup; this will indicate over-extraction or a damaged filter where your grounds have entered the mug.
You've just used an AeroPress and made yourself an excellent coffee. The Brown Bear pre-ground coffee is not fine enough to get the best experience from an AeroPress, though our coffee beans will be when you know what needs to be done. Look at our grind guide here to learn how to obtain the best coffee grind.
A little extra for you: why not grab yourself a Brown Bear Mug? Once received, get in touch; every mug purchase will give you a 25% discount on a subscription order that lasts three orders. Our mug is also strong enough to handle the compressive forces of the very most muscular AeroPresser.
