Continuing our series with DaySol Coffee explaining approachable home-brewing methods, Bert Davis gives us a guide to the AeroPress and discussing the importance of a grinder.
How to Brew Coffee with an AeroPress
- What equipment is involved?
Very few brew methods travel as well as the aero press. Made completely of 100% BPA free plastic, it is durable and only about the size of a soda. It can easily be packed away and go just about anywhere. This is my go-to travel coffee method.
The AeroPress brewer consists of a plunger, a tube chamber, and a filter cap. It comes standard with a scoop, funnel, and stirrer in a handy carrying bag. The chamber even has measurement lines (each representing one AeroPress scoop).
The only other thing you need is flat round disc filters that are made just for the AeroPress. And, of course, your favorite mug!
- How finely should you grind the coffee beans?
What I love about the AeroPress is you can make any style coffee from a pour over to a respectable espresso drink. Take a trip down the rabbit hole that is AeroPress brewing, and you’ll soon find that the recipes are endless.
In short, you can get a huge variety of outcomes with an AeroPress.
- What happens during the brewing process?
An AeroPress is known as a 3-in-1 brew method because it combines immersion, aeration, and pressure.
The coffee grounds are first immersed in hot water, and the wait time allows for aeration with prolonged contact where flavors and caffeine are further extracted. The water is then pressed through the filter and into the cup.
- How will this brewing technique emphasize flavor in the beans?
Recipes can be varied to get just about any flavor you want to emphasize from the beans you’re using. The recipe listed above brings out the fruity notes of a coffee. I love to use it with our Gratitude Blend, which is a Colombian/Ethiopian blend. It’s sweet, fruity, with a lot of body.
Here is my go-to AeroPress recipe:
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20g coarse ground coffee (the AeroPress scoop holds around 16g). My grind size for this is about a 7 out of 10 with 10 being the coarsest possible.
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Slowly pour hot water (203F) over grounds to the second line (Around 40g)
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Let sit 40 seconds.
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Fill remainder of chamber to the top line slowly with hot water
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Place plunger on top of chamber and wait 40 seconds.
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Plunge slowly.
Total brew time will be around 2 minutes. Don’t stir your grounds with this recipe.
The Importance of Grinders
The number one piece of equipment I tell people is a necessity for home brewing is a good grinder. There is no substitute for fresh ground coffee beans. Consistency in grind is key. If you grind your coffee and have variance in size, it will result in inconsistent flavor. If I was building a house, I would start with the foundation and make it strong before I built any walls or a roof. The grinder is the foundation of your home coffee bar.
