Step by step: Aeropress

Complete Aeropress items from package

I have just bought an Aeropress, cause I got one Take-away coffee from Sigfreds coffee bar in Århus, which tasted crisp, clean and sweet, like I have never tasted it before. I bought this item yesterday along with some other products, see blog post for tomorrow for better description of these items. Nevertheless I paid 250 DKK ($43) for this brewing device, which is cheap in my opinion cause there is included 350 filters along with a great coffee maker. If you note the above picture, there is inserted different numbers, here is an explanation;

1. Stirrer, this item is used for mixing ground coffee with hot water when poured into the chamber.
2. Scoop, the scoop is used for measuring the exact amount of ground coffee, one scoop is equal to one shot of espresso. In other words one scoop of ground coffee will provide the strong taste of one espresso cup, if brewed with water to the line of one cup.
3. Collector, this item is used along in the grinding process. Use this collector beneath the grinder to capture all ground coffee into the chamber.
4. Aeropress, the brewing device. This item is containing two items, the plunger which is used to create a press inside the second item, which is the chamber. 
5. Filter container, this item keeps track of your filters.

If you haven't had the pleasure of brewing with this brewing device before, here is the included manual, but I will attempt to create a step by step below.

Aeropress instruction manual

Some people learn better by visual instructions, so below there is a instruction video by World Champion Barista 2009, Gwilym Davies of how to simply brew the Aeropress.

First off, preheating the chamber along with the filter

The chamber is preheating cause the following poured hot water then wouldn't experience a temperature drop, also the filter is soaked too create greater resistance, when pressing down the plunger.

Soaking and preheating filter and chamber

Align your setup like the above picture and pour in some hot water, cause you will be this method both preheat the chamber along with soaking the filter, but also preheat the cup.

Adding ground coffee

When you have preheated the chamber, cup and soaked the filter, then empty both cup and chamber for  additional water. Align the item like before and fill in the ground coffee. I have in the picture above used the included spoon, cause its a measuring tool, one scoop equals one cup of espresso. This coffee is brewed with two scoops of ground coffee.

Applying hot water into the chamber

When you have poured in the preferred amount of ground coffee, the next step would be to apply hot water. Fill the chamber up to the cup line, at the side of the chamber, in this cup I use the three cup water mark.

Applying the plunger and extracting the coffee

The final step is to apply the plunger and press it down to create pressure inside the chamber. There will be created an air pocket inside the chamber between the plunger and mixture of hot water and ground coffee.

Close up at the extracting process

This close up reveals the big air gap between the plunger and coffee. This will also provide a dry puck when you reach the bottom of the chamber, cause it will dry blow the ground coffee. Be aware of sour/bitter flavors which is left in the puck, as Gwilym Davies explains in the attached video.

Close up at the brewed cup

This method is providing a cup of coffee without comparison, cause the method is only allowing the ground coffee to merge with the hot water in 30 seconds, which is beside espresso coffee among the fastest brewing methods. The quickness of the method is applying a clean and crisp cup without additional sour/bitterness like you will experience in a ordinary brewed cup of coffee.

Have a great weekend guys!

// Hendrup