How to use an AeroPress

The AeroPress was invented in 2005 by Alan Adler, a Stanford engineer who also designed the Aerobie flying ring. He wanted to make a single great cup of coffee at home, fast. The result is one of the most used brewing tools in specialty coffee, with an annual world championship dedicated to it.

What makes it work: short brew time (1 to 2 minutes), small countertop footprint, nearly indestructible, dishwasher-safe, and forgiving of grind variation in a way no other method is. The only real downside: it makes one cup at a time.

What you need

• AeroPress (about $40; the standard size is fine)
• AeroPress paper filters (350 come with it; they last a long time)
• 15g of coffee, ground medium-fine
• 220g of water at 85°C (cooler than other methods)
• A mug that the AeroPress can sit on (most mugs work)

The recipe

• Coffee: 15g
• Grind: medium-fine
• Water: 220g at 85°C
• Target time: about 1:45

Step by step (standard method)

1. Place a paper filter in the AeroPress cap. Rinse it with hot water to remove the paper taste. Screw the cap onto the chamber. Place the chamber on top of your mug.
2. Pour 15g of freshly ground coffee into the chamber. Tare your scale.
3. Pour all 220g of water onto the coffee at once. Precision of pour doesn't matter here; just get it in.
4. Give the slurry a couple of gentle stirs with the AeroPress paddle or a spoon at around 0:30. This ensures even saturation.
5. Insert the plunger about a centimeter into the chamber to create a seal. This stops the coffee from draining through. Wait until 1:15.
6. Press down slowly and steadily from 1:15 to 1:45. Should take 20 to 30 seconds. When you hear a hissing sound, stop. That means all the water is through.
7. Unscrew the cap over your compost or trash, push the plunger to pop out the spent grounds, rinse everything. Done.

The inverted method (for the curious)

Half of AeroPress recipes on video use the inverted method: flipping the AeroPress upside down to fully steep the coffee before flipping it and pressing. It produces a slightly heavier, more developed cup. It's also slightly more fiddly and risks a slow-motion mess if you're new.

Start with the standard method. Once it's second nature, try inverted on a weekend morning. Both produce good results.

What makes AeroPress so forgiving

Short brew time plus paper filter plus small volume equals a method that doesn't punish you for an imprecise grind or pour. Where a V60 brewed with the wrong grind tastes obviously wrong, an AeroPress brewed with the wrong grind tastes different but still drinkable.

This is exactly why it's a good first brew method. You taste the difference between beans without first having to master technique.

Why cooler water

Because the AeroPress is small and the brew is fast, hotter water tends to over-extract, making the cup bitter. 85°C produces a smoother, sweeter cup. If your coffee tastes harsh or sour, try slightly hotter water (87 to 88°C). If it tastes bitter, go cooler.