Ah, Push It - A Guide To The Aeropress

Being able to whip together barista-worthy coffee at home is no longer just for the experts.

One of our favourite ways to get the best out of our beans at home is with an Aeropress. These nifty gadgets have fast become one of the easiest tools to make great coffee at home or even on the go - their sleek design means that they practically clean themselves, so they’re great for travelling too. 

It might look a bit daunting to start with, but it’s just as simple to use as a cafetiere. Here’s some tips for how you can get the most out of your Aeropress.

This is a great method for making Americano-style coffee, but you can use less water to create more of an espresso style - this means that you can add foamed milk to it for a silky smooth latte or cappuccino-esque treat.

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First up…

We recommend starting with freshly ground coffee; use a grinder at home to get the most flavour out of your coffee beans each morning. A medium grind is best for this method. 

Pop a paper filter into the Aeropress’ cap and run some hot water over it. This helps to remove any flavours that could potentially tamper with the flavour of your brew, as well as fixing the paper in place. You can run the hot water into your cup as well so that you pre-warm your cup at the same time. 

We like to use the “inverted method” of brewing; this means, you assemble your Aeropress and use it in a way that is considered to be “upside-down” - put the rubber seal in so that it’s in line with the number “4” mark.

Place your Aeropress on the scales and put in 12-15g of coffee - use your kitchen scales if you can for accuracy.

Next…

Pour about double the amount of water into the Aeropress (so if you used 15g of coffee, use about 30g of water) and let it sit for about 30 seconds.

Add the remainder of the water and give it a stir with the Aeropress paddle. Let it brew for a minimum of a further minute. 

Screw on the cap and carefully turn the Aeropress over onto your cup. Slowly press down on the plunger - you’ll hear a hissing sound when your coffee is fully extracted. 

Finally…

When your coffee is fully extracted, you can remove the cap and pop out your coffee grounds and filter paper together like a little hockey puck and put it straight into your food waste bin/composting. You can give the rubber seal a bit of a rinse and hey presto, your Aeropress is clean and your coffee is ready. Add milk or extra water to taste preference.