My solution was a bit of "found item" engineering. As you can see, it is (was?) a juice press. The only modification was to replace the original 7/8" x 12" rod with a 20" stainless rod. This was to accommodate the AeroPress fully extended and use the existing parts. The AeroPress rests on a 4" snap in floor drain with the center cut out that actually does snap right in. After the photo was taken, a funnel was added to control splashing. The middle funnel from a Big Lots set of 3 drops right in. There is a silicone pad in the cone to cushion the AeroPress.
With a full load of four scoops of coffee, there is plenty of travel. To do a double, the platform has to be moved up and the plunger pushed in by hand a half-inch or so. A couple more teeth would have been nice.
Since the proof is in the pressing, here is the first shot. It is a scoop and a half (21g, give or take) of Big Bend Coffee Roasters Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and 3 ounces of water. Mixed for 10 second and pressed. Thick, smooth, and tasty.
However, for the sake of completeness, I did try tamp and press.
With a double in the cylinder, the AeroPress is capable of 6.5 bars by compressing the air gap to 0.5", 8.5 bars at 0.375", and 13 bars at 0.250". I didn't measure the pressure but used P1 x V1 = P2 x V2 to calculate it. I ignored the effect of temperature in the calculation.
A Lawry's seasoned salt shaker contributed its cap and with an 1-1/2 piece of PVC pipe and a rubber band, a tamper was born.
Despite my AeroPress being older and inconsistently venting past the plunger. I was able to make a few shots. Also, the AeroPress vents grounds out the side of the filter holder at the higher pressures.
The crema was thicker but less of it and it lost a lot of the notes in the coffee.
I will stick with the mix and press method. I think it makes a more interesting cup of coffee.
