How to use your Aeropress the RIGHT way

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I try not to start out blog posts with “I got so many messages about [insert subject here]…” but I definitely got a ton of messages in the past few weeks about how I use my Aeropress. Plus my roommate made a special request for this post, so I must oblige.

I honestly thought Aeropress was super simple when I bought it. Just pour the water in and make sure to use a filter and YAY! Coffee! That’s not quite how it works.

After I stubbornly tried to brew it “right side up” over a cup, spilling scalding water all over myself and everything, spreading a fine crust of wet grounds on most surfaces in my kitchen, I finally did the research I should have done originally, called my friend Steph who owns our favorite coffeeshop, and did it the upside down way.

Long story short: don’t do it like the Aeropress site tells you.

Please note: I am not a super coffee genius. I do not use a scale to weigh out my coffee or mess with measurements. When I make coffee, it’s because I need caffeine. I do not have the brainpower to mess with grams and scales and such.

To brew with your Aeropress, you’ll need:

• An Aeropress coffee maker
• A filter for the Aeropress (this one is my favorite, this one is fancypants)
• Boiling water/tea kettle
• Coffee grounds (might I suggest my fave local roaster?)
• Stir stick (or a spoon, no need to be fancy if you don’t need to)
• Coffee mug
• Whatever accoutrements you’d like to mix into your coffee

1. Start your water boiling, if you haven’t already.
2. Remove the cap and filter, pull the plunger out of the body. Set aside the cap and filter.
3. Place the plunger just enough inside the body to start a seal, about 1/2″.
4. Stand the device plunger-side down on the counter/table. If you are using the scoop that came with your Aeropress, add 1 scoop of grounds to the device. (If you lost the scoop, just use a heaping tablespoon.)
5. Pour enough just-boiled water over the grounds so it *just* covers them. You want barely enough water to make a watery paste.
6. Stir with the fancy Aeropress stir stick…just a normal spoon is fine too. We don’t judge here.
7. Let it sit for about 30 seconds.
8. Add the rest of the water slowly, until it almost reaches the top.
9. Place the filter and the cap carefully on the top, and twist into place. (PLEASE BE CAREFUL. Don’t push down too much, because it will cause a flood of coffee grounds and really hot water to cascade across your table/counter and possibly onto you. Not recommended.)
10. Let stand for 1-5 minutes (see PRO TIPS below for explanation).
11. This is the semi-tricky part – the FLIP. I grab my mug, hold it upside down over the filter portion, and flip the Aeropress and the mug at once, to minimize the amount of liquid that will pour all over the floor everywhere.
12. Once the mug is right-side up on the table/counter and the Aeropress nested on top, hold your mug with one hand and carefully push the plunger with the other. Keep hold of the mug, so the pressure you’re putting on the Aeropress doesn’t cause the whole contraption to shoot the mug out from under it and liquid to pour all over everything. (See a theme here? Trying to keep you dry.)
13. Once you’ve plunged all the liquid out of the Aeropress, carefully lift it off the mug. It might drip a little, so you may want to move it near a sink.
14. Add all your sugar and creamer and whatever and enjoy.

AEROPRESS PRO TIPS:

• Make sure your Aeropress is totally dry. (When the seal gets wet, it can mess with the suction on the plunger.)
• If you’re using a paper filter, get it wet. It gets rid of any woody or paper taste, and prepares the filter. Not necessary for a metal filter.
• Get the right grind on your beans. The brew time in step 10 above will depend on what sort of grind you have on your beans. If you use a fine grind, let it stand for 1 minute. 3 minutes is proper for a medium grind and 4-5 minutes for a coarse grind.
• You should NOT have to push super hard to plunge the Aeropress. If you are pushing super hard and nothing is coming out, might be that your grind is too fine and it’s hard for the water to make it through.
• To make 2 cups of coffee at once, just use two scoops of beans to make a super-concentrated brew. Then, split the brew into two mugs and top each off with more hot water.

It might take a short while to get the hang of it, but once you get into the swing of things, it will take you but a few minutes to make your morning coffee, and make it taste pretty damned great.