A Beginner's Guide To the Aeropresss Coffee Maker

There are so many different ways to make coffee! There’s coffee from the coffee maker, of course, but did you know about pour over coffee? That’s coffee made by pouring water over coffee grounds (check out our guide here). And what about Aeropress coffee?

People make Aeropress coffee using a device called an Aeropress, invented in 2005 by a guy named Alan Adler. It’s basically coffee brewed using a plunger (not that kind of plunger), a filter, water, a tube, and ground coffee beans.

But you don’t have to be a barista or connoisseur to create a hot, steamy cup of Aeropress deliciousness. In fact, making Aeropress coffee at home is fun once you get the hang of it.

Want to give it a try?

Here’s what you need to get started:

• Cup, mug, or pitcher
• Aeropress (get one here), which should include a stirrer, funnel, and scoop
• Water
• Grinder
• Kettle
• Coffee beans
• Paper filter

Instructions:

1. Fill your kettle with water. Make sure you have enough water to fill your mug, with a little extra thrown in so you can wash the paper filter.
2. Heat up the water. Some say you should heat the water between 175°F and 195°F, while others say between 165°F and 175°F is best. Don’t be afraid to play around with this to find out what works for you.
3. Take two scoops of your chosen coffee beans and place them in your grinder. Grind the beans. A medium/fine grind works best for the Aeropress.
4. Grab a paper filter and place it in the filter cap.
5. Pour some of the water from the kettle over the filter. This step is necessary to avoid drinking coffee with a papery flavor (you really don’t want your coffee to taste like paper. Trust us!).
6. Attach the filter cap to the bottom of the chamber (the fatter tube). The chamber should sit on top of your mug.
7. Using the Aeropress scoop, use two level scoops of ground coffee and place them into the chamber on top of the wet filter.
8. Add the water and stir approximately 20-30 seconds.  Let the stirred coffee rest for about 1 minute.
9. Firmly place the Aeropress plunger in the chamber and press down forcing the coffee through the filter into your mug or pot. When you hear a hissing sound, that means you can stop.
10. Important, you will likely have about 4 ounces of coffee at this point. Dilute with water to anywhere between 8 and 12 ounces depending on your taste. It takes a bit of experimenting to get your final flavor (that's what makes the Aeropress fun and unique!)
11. Enjoy your coffee!