# Please help me improve my aeropress



## Benjijames28 (Mar 29, 2017)

So I've given up on home espresso for now, but still want great coffee at home. I plan or planned on picking up a sage precision brewer when it comes out in April, but I also want to make use of what I have, which is an aeropress and a feldgrind grinder.

I am doing a home brewing course at a local coffee shop soon but thought I would see what tips I can pick up on here in the meantime.

The aim is to get to stage I can get some tasting notes from my coffee, right now I'm getting none, but the brews have got better.

For months I was boiling water, letting kettle sit for 2 minutes, then using 15g of coffee ground at 1:6 on feldgrind, 30g bloom stirred for 20 seconds then fill to top, stir and steep for about 90 seconds before flipping and pressing, usually into a mug with some milk preheated in the microwave. Drinkable but if I tried this without milk it would not be very nice. Never bitter, but I get a horrible aftertaste from black coffee, I think it's acidity? Not sure.

Past week I've been doing same as above but instead of leaving kettle for 2 minutes I will just wait until the water stops rumbling, so much higher brew temp. I've also lowered the time it steeps before i flip, total BREw time now about 70 seconds. This is producing coffee I can drink black, much less of that aftertaste I mentioned, but still no notes.

Currently planning on taking a brew course, buying a bonavita kettle that controls water temp, and maybe trying to use filtered or bottled water.

Any other suggestions on what I can try with what I've currently got?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Long steeps?

Plus you don't need a temp kettle for the aeropress. It's over kill. I know there are all those fancy brew at this temp recipes but you should be able to make a decent aeropress just off the boil.

If you plan on getting into pour over sure its a good investment but just for aeropress nah.

You are brewing short times so it you want more sweetness then linger steeps.

Are you letting the coffee really cool before drinking it . Hot filter coffee lacks complexity

and calling @MWJB


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

1+6 on a Feldgrind sounds a bit fine, you'll get silt in the cup.

Don't leave the kettle, straight in with all the brew water as soon as the kettle flicks off boil.

Either go a little coarser like 1+8 to 1+12 and brew at ~55g/L for 20min. Dose in the brewer, in with the water, plunger in to stop flow, switch to another cup, discard drips. At ~20min, remove the plunger, let drain for a bit, then plunge slowly, stopping before you see the dry bed in the brewer.

Or, go 2+6 to 2+8, & try this recipe https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18d9L9J_4YeHHiz8257JZ-2-W-CJaaAqYRCP-YOs4650/edit?usp=sharing (5 min brew time).


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## Benjijames28 (Mar 29, 2017)

Mrboots2u said:


> Long steeps?
> 
> Plus you don't need a temp kettle for the aeropress. It's over kill. I know there are all those fancy brew at this temp recipes but you should be able to make a decent aeropress just off the boil.
> 
> ...


I will probably experiment with pour overs in future.

I've noticed when the coffee cools I get more of that taste I do not like. Im used to drinking milky coffee, but I really want to like black coffee too. My taste buds are adjusting.

I never knew aeropress could be so complex. So it sounds like I might need to adjust my grind setting and brew for longer? I've just been going by the settings the grinder leaflet said to use.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Are there any decent cafe's you can visit that do respectable , filter, pour over or batch brew? Perhaps this is a way of understanding if you like black coffee. I enjoy acidity as part of a balanced cup with sweetness etc.

Perhaps have a watch of this .


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