Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 52 total)
  • Aeropress – what do we think?
  • Rik
    Free Member

    Just bought one for work as I’m not a fan of my French press compared to my espresso machine at home.

    Any tips would be great? How fine a grind do I need?

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    I like the upside down method. Grind for the paper filter, somewhere between what you’d do for a cafetiere and for an espresso machine. Welcome to quick and easy coffee so long as you don’t think you are getting an espresso

    nickc
    Full Member

    use it for nights away in hotels and the like. It makes “plasticky” flavoured coffee, but still miles and miles better than instant

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    Del
    Full Member

    i just use taylors ‘whatever’.
    wet the filter, fit the plunger to the base and stand assembly upside down, add coffee, add water to your desired level for desired amount of coffee, fit the filter holder, put cup on top, turn the lot over, wait 10-20s, push until you hear air, stop.
    press out any remaining water in to the sink, extract the filter holder, and lob the coffee grains in the bin. rinse. drink.

    birdage
    Full Member

    Use it every day. Never had the ‘plasticky’ thing. Fine grind, metal filter and inverted method would be my preference.

    nickc
    Full Member

    mine is new, to be fair

    RobHilton
    Free Member

    Wasn’t a fan, gave it away. No better than a cafetiere for me – if you’re into espresso and only like espresso (like me) nothing else works. I’d rather go without.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    What’s the point of this oft lauded “inverted” method? Stops it dribbling out before it’s sealed I suppose, anything else?

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Just easier

    al2000
    Full Member

    Think I prefer the inverted method, but I’ve only had mine a couple of weeks and still experimenting. Water temperature makes a big difference whichever method I use.

    Not noticed any plasticky taste, although a chap at work said his made plastic tasting coffee when it was new.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    No better than a cafetiere for me

    Quicker clean up and better filter than a cafetiere but it is still, as you say, much the same coffee

    Rik
    Free Member

    Don’t expect espresso, would be going for more of a lungo in ml size with a dash of milk or cream

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    Use it every day. Never had the ‘plasticky’ thing. Fine grind, metal ,paper filter and inverted method would be my preference.

    I find it less faff than a cafetière.

    benman
    Free Member

    My favourite gadget ever, been using one daily for a number of years. I think the coffee tastes quite different than from a cafetiere. Maybe I’ve just had crappy cafetieres.

    Inverted method for me too.

    ronjeremy
    Free Member

    Had mine for about two years now

    use it when in a tent/car camping

    also take it with me when i have to work away

    quick simple no faff

    i like mine and have not experinced the plasticky coffee taste,

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Wow, had never heard of the inverted method, still not sure I see the point though?

    Filter fitted, coffee on top, fill to line 2 with slightly off the boil water, plunge all the way to the bottom, remove filter and pop compressed and squeezed grounds straight into bin. Don’t see point in stopping when air starts to hiss out?

    Find it better than a cafetière due to the better filter, no grounds or muddy bits at the bottom, tastes just as good, perhaps slightly better. Doesn’t look as classy and continental as my wee mini Bodum though 🙁

    sweepy
    Free Member

    I use the inverted method with the metal filter, paper otherwise. I like it as while its not espresso it makes a small concentrated shot of coffee rather than the long watery drink you (I) get from a cafetierre.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Don’t see point in stopping when air starts to hiss out?

    I never have either, but I was reading about the moka pot stovetop jobs the other day. It recommended that when it starts making the “straw in a near-empty glass” gurgling noise you should take it off the heat as forcing steam rather than water through the grounds can make the coffee taste bitter. I wonder if it’s the same principle?

    ransos
    Free Member

    I was reading about the moka pot stovetop jobs the other day

    So very STW!

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Heh. I was actually looking up the physics of how they worked, cos it occurred to me that I didn’t actually know. (Steam pressure forcing the liquid down, if you care; fairly obvious when you think about it really.)

    traildog
    Free Member

    I love my areopress. Never had plastic tasking coffee. I find it better than a cafetiere as it’s slightly less bitter, less ‘muddy’ flavoured. Much more convenient unless you are making for a number of people. Easy to transport and use camping as well.
    Ignore the espresso label as it’s obviously not that and it’s a great (and another) way to enjoy coffee.

    supersessions9-2
    Free Member

    Slight hijack, has anyone used a minipresso? Tempted to get one for work and camping.

    PimpmasterJazz
    Free Member

    I like the upside down method.

    This.

    Use it every day. Never had the ‘plasticky’ thing. Fine grind, metal filter and inverted method would be my preference.

    And this.

    Water temperature makes a big difference whichever method I use.

    And this.

    Going to buy my second soon as my first (two-three years old, used daily) is perishing. Cooler water definitely makes the coffee taste better. 78 degrees is the temp used by the last Aeropress world champ if memory serves.

    ransos
    Free Member

    Having ribbed Cougar, I suppose I should admit that I own an aeropress. It’s great for camping trips, and I would say the coffee is better than a cafetiere, but if you’re expecting an espresso, you’ll be disappointed.

    richardkennerley
    Full Member

    Inverted method is more practical at work given I have all the gubbins in my locker then make the brew in the staff room. I just buy whatever I like the look of in whatever shop I’m in. There’s a big variety of flavour out there so I just keep trying different things. I just find that certain coffees are harder to press, I guess they’re the finer grinds

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    The minipresso looks great, doesn’t seem to need filter either unless I’m reading that wrong, just has a metal filter?

    Not light though for camping, or at least not as light as my current highly technical method..

    stevious
    Full Member

    I prefer it to a cafetiere too. I used to use the inverted method but after blind taste testing both methods I go for non-inverted now as I couldn’t tell the difference and I find non-inverted easier. I’d say its definitely worth trying both ways to see what suits.

    dmorts
    Full Member

    I find it completely different to a cafetiere, mainly because of the different grinds I’d use for each. But if using pre-ground coffee I still think the Aeropress tastes better compared to a cafetiere. With pre-ground “suits all coffee makers” coffee, a cafetiere often gives gritty/sludgy coffee.

    My Aeropress method (non-inverted):

    – Assemble with paper filter and place on top of cup.
    – Get water to ~85*C and pour some through the filter. This seems to prevent drips when steeping and also warms the cup
    – Pour away water in cup (I sometimes forget and end up with overflow!)
    – Add coffee in
    – Cover coffee with small amount of water, so its just covered. Stir.
    – Wait 10-20 secs or so
    – Gently add water up to number 4 level, with no stirring*.
    – Plunge, stopping before the air comes out.

    The total time the coffee is in contact with the water is about 60 sec.

    *If you stir at this point the coffee grinds form into a mound and this means water can ‘bypass’ the grinds at the edges of the mound

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Not light though for camping, or at least not as light as my current highly technical method..

    I’ve got one of these (not my picture):

    Does the job and weighs about the same as a butterfly’s fart.

    http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/gsi-outdoors-ultralight-java-drip-p263348

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Bugger, I’d dismissed them because I assumed they used a paper filter also (more waste/mess/weight depending how you dispose of it). Now I see that they don’t, hmm…

    dmorts, tempted to print that out and leave it beside my Aeropress, sounds like a carefully developed method… 8)

    PimpmasterJazz
    Free Member

    I’ll have to give that a go dmorts. However I’ll probably still go inverted, just because I would expect leakage with a metal filter.

    scuttler
    Full Member

    Aerobie flies straighter

    hughjayteens
    Free Member

    Aeropress are great. I use the inverted method and let it brew for a couple of minutes usually for a little extra oomf.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Get water to ~85*C and pour some through the filter

    You’re supposed to dampen the filter before you start.

    markoc1984
    Full Member

    Love my Aeropress, have 2, one for home and one for work.

    I use the inverted method as it stops any water going through before the coffee is ready, also find it easier putting the filter cap on than putting the plunger in when on a cup.

    Water temp makes a big difference, never boiling water onto coffee grounds, brings out the bitter tastes.

    Also stopping just as it starts to hiss means that you don’t force out the oils that sit at the top of the brew and the oils give the bitter flavors.

    Bucko
    Full Member

    Am I the only person who leaves the coffee brewing for 3 minutes before plunging? What’s all this 10-20 second nonsense?

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    Got 2 here too, 1 at home and 1 at work.
    Also use the inverted method and brew for a few minutes, never use boiling water as it makes it bitter, normally use 2/3rds boiling with a third tap water mixed before putting into the aeropress

    legalalien
    Free Member

    Got one a few weeks ago mainly for use at work.

    – Inverted method for simplicity/flexibility at work. No taste difference.
    – I use the ‘splosh’ technique:

    – Get the cup I’m drinking out of.
    – Use Keurig machine to fill it to the brim with water (usually set to 90 degrees).
    – Splosh a bit onto the coffee from the cup just to wet it for 20 seconds.
    – Wet the filter while I’m waiting (don’t have a metal one yet).
    – Sploshily pour rest of water up to top of Aeropress with some going all over the place, ‘most’ of it going into the Aeropress.
    – Still some water in cup. Leave it there. Put the Aropress on top of the cup.
    – Let it brew for about 1.5 minutes before plunging. Seen a few videos that say 3, but I get too bored or I forget about it and it sits for 5.
    – Plunge till it hisses.
    – Pop the coffee out and give the Aeropress a quick rinse and wipe.

    In a back-to-back test I much preferred it to the Bodum cafetiere I was using and it’s way less of a faff to clean up.

    bentudder
    Full Member

    Re: Aerobie – they were invented by the same chap.

    I don’t have a huge amount to add, other than that I have a grinder for my espresso machine, and use a coarser grind (between espresso and filter) for the Aeropress. Really well worth having one for holidays, camping and for when the espresso machine is just to much faff / in need of a service. You can write happily use pretty much any code ground for a French press or paper drop filter, too.

    seadog101
    Full Member

    I’ve been using one for a few years, home and at work.

    Great, easy way to nice coffee, temp not an issue for me, and any old esspresso grind seems to work fine.

    I am not a coffee snob, but I do like the clean and fresh taste, no grinds left in the cup like with caffitiere coffee.

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