USING AN AEROPRESS

Serves: 2 Cups Difficulty: Easy Time Taken: 4 mins Active: 4 mins

An AeroPress, with paper filters
Your favourite fresh coffee
A grinder
A kettle
A food scale
Water

We love the Aeroppress. 

The AeroPress is a very simple coffee brewing device that, for the most part, is made up of two cylinders. The AeroPress uses a paper microfilter to turn a mixture of ground coffee and hot water into a strong, tasty cup of coffee.

Interested in learning more about this awesomely simple brewing device? Check out The Invention of the AeroPress on Pricenomics.

In total, it takes about two minutes to brew a cup of coffee using an AeroPress. If you like your cup of coffee in a hurry every morning, it’s an invaluable tool. Below, we’ve explained exactly how you can make the perfect AeroPress cup of coffee.

Time Required: About 4 minutes.

Start by boiling your water. You’ll need to boil enough water to fill the AeroPress, as well as a small amount of leftover water to moisten the AeroPress cap, the filter and your coffee cup.

Using your food scale, weigh 15 approximately grams of coffee. After you weigh the coffee, grind it so that it’s just slightly finer than filter coffee. Place the microfilter in the plastic cap of the AeroPress, then put the two cylinders together. So that the wider cylinder is upside down on top of the slimmer one.

Place the AeroPress on your food scale and reset the scale to zero. Add your ground coffee beans to the top, larger cylinder of the AeroPress. Pour approximately twice as much water as coffee (in this case, 30 to 35ml) into the AeroPress.

Ideally, the water should be between 80 and 90 degrees Celsius. Aerobie suggests a temperature of 80°C, but any water temperature between 80 and 90°C will provide good results. Don’t sweat it if you’re off by one or two degrees.

Using a small spoon or knife, carefully stir the ground coffee and water. Let it sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then pour another 160ml of water into the AeroPress. Let this sit for one minute while you prepare the AeroPress cap and microfilter.

Using your remaining hot water, gently wet the AeroPress filter and cap. Pour any of the remaining water into your coffee cup to warm it up, then discard this extra water into the sink so that the brewing cup is empty.

Gently stir the coffee and water mixture in the AeroPress, then screw the AeroPress cap onto the AeroPress carefully, making sure not to touch the hot water.

Now, it’s time to invert the AeroPress. You can do this one of two ways. The quickest way is to place your mug upside down on top of the AeroPress and gently but swiftly invert it.

The second way is to slowly tilt the AeroPress until it’s upside down and flush with your coffee cup. Both methods work equally well, but the tilt method is easier for a first-time AeroPress user concerned about potentially spilling hot coffee.

Gently press down on the AeroPress, making sure not to use too much pressure. It doesn’t require much pressure to brew the coffee properly. Once you’re done, just remove the cap from the AeroPress and discard the filter and compacted grounds.

Easy, right? While it can be a little intimidating to use the AeroPress the first few times, once you’ve got the measurements and method perfected, you’ll find it easy to brew the perfect coffee in minutes using your AeroPress.

Better yet, it barely takes 30 seconds to discard of the compacted coffee grounds and microfilter, rinse the AeroPress and put it back on the shelf before you start your day.

Looking for new recipes for your AeroPress? Check out the world’s top AeroPress recipes, courtesy of the 2015 World AeroPress Championship winners.