# Aeropress First Impressions



## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

After being on here for a year and a half I've finally given the Aeropress a go.

I tried the inverted recipe a go.

17g in.

Filled the chamber approx 2/3rds full with water just off the boil.

Stirred 10 secs.

Brewed approx 45secs before plunging.

Produced a pretty good cup, added water 2/3rds of water. Definite fruit flavours through, slight hint of bitterness, not unpleasant though.

I haven't got my head round why the inverted method would produce such a different taste compared to "non-inverted".

Any suggestions on other recommended brewing recipes to try?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

urbanbumpkin said:


> I haven't got my head round why the inverted method would produce such a different taste compared to "non-inverted".


Given the wide range of techniques, it may or may not do. But it *can* be related to how much flow you get through the bed (normal way up) compared to just largely sitting & infusing (inverted).


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

I like 13 g, fill aeropress, stir, 3 minute brew, press (this is inverted by the way)

Makes the best cup in my opinion and I've tried a few different methods.

To to make a larger cup I use 25g and do the same process, then just top up the brew (usually about 180g) to about 350-400g depending on the coffee.

James


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

I shall be following this thread with interest as between me and my brother we have decided to buy my Dad an away from home coffee kit as he will be here from Aus next month for a family wedding and Aussie Fathers Day is the 1st Saturday of September and we don't often see him for that occasion so we're getting him an Aeropress and giving him my 1940s Zassenhaus handgrinder as he loves that kind of object anyway so a mix of old and new. So I thought I'd better get myself an Aeropress as well so I can offer him some advice and compare notes with him.


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## Aza (Jun 23, 2014)

The main plus point of the inverted method is saving the water dripping through straight into your cup.

The fact that there are so many 'recipes' for using the Aeropress, pretty much tells me that you can just chuck some coffee in, pour some water on the top, let it brew for a bit, and then press a nice cup of coffee.

You can get scientific, but I don;t think there is a great need.

For what it is worth, I use a heaped scoop full, 3/4 full of water, stir for 10 seconds and then let it brew for between 30 secs and 1 minute (the HasBean guide).


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

I'm currently liking 15g to 240-250g of water. Non inverted. V60 ish grind. Brew for 1.30. Break the crust at 1.25 then reinsert the plunger and plunge over the next 30s.


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## BenjaminPiper (Jul 22, 2014)

I agree with Aza's comment with regards to recipes. I've tried a few methods and the differences are small enough that they could be down to the exact temperature of the water, humidity of the room, heat in the vessel, small grind variations, etc, etc. If you look at the world aeropress championship you can see that even those that are regarded as the best aeropress baristas have a huge range of approaches.

The one thing that I've found to make a noticeable difference was to reject the last 5-10% of the brew when using the inverted method, dumping it in the sink instead. This just made the whole thing a bit cleaner tasting, reducing the bitterness a little. I am still using paper filters though so this might be solved by using a reusable metal filter instead.


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## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

I've been using the Aeropress for a couple of years and have the view that it's worth being a bit methodical and recipes can offer a really useful start.

I tend to us the same method with every coffee and just change the grind and water temp to get more or less coffee extracted. The recipe I use is on our website.

Temp is important, most of my last few brews have been at 85-92 degrees depending on the coffee.

The big advantage of being a bit more methodical is that you can tweak the brew until it's just right and then repeat the whole thing again later.

Bitterness may be over-roasted beans or too much extraction, i.e too much brew time or too fine grind etc etc.


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## Skorpa (Sep 18, 2013)

I've been using the Aeropress for a few months now. I have been surprised at how different the times and amounts vary between the various blends and beans. Also found that temperature is important.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

I've not played about with brew times massively. I've generally followed the standard inverted and non inverted recipes. I have however noticed a big difference with brew temp. I've started using a thermometer to gauge where I am after the kettle boils.


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## Wobin19 (Mar 19, 2013)

Interesting post. I have tried longer brew times but invariably get bitter brews when I go beyond the 30 second brew time and 30 second extraction. I use the Inverted method per has bean web site with some success. I must admit I have not experimented much with temperature and grind. I use about 85 to 80 degree water and 2 clicks back fro finest on the Porlex mini. If I do get a bitter brew with a particular coffee I tweak the grind. Not sure but perhaps longer brew times work better with courser grind settings. I use mine at work so short brew times suit me for convenience. Enjoy!


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