Aeropress - what's your preferred regimen?

Coffee preparation techniques besides espresso like pourover.
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Italyhound
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#1: Post by Italyhound »

I have been playing around with my aeropress and there seem to be an endless number of ways to use it.

As I have been experimenting - I was curious what AP users here like best for their go-to cup with respect to things like ... off the top of my head:

Steep time?

coffee dosage -- water (oz or 'tube number')?

Do you make an 'espresso' concentrate and dilute fully or weaker concentrate and dilute less after?

Upside down or right side up?

Do you press to pffffft or stop before?

Do you let the pre-plunge coffee into the final cup or toss it?

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MSH
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#2: Post by MSH »

I use the Aeropress a lot (3x-4x per day). It's my preferred method of brewing and I have tried a ton of different recipes/techniques. Both inverted and standard, course/fine grind, Able disk/paper filters, bloom/no bloom, etc.
I was using the Able Disk and inverted method for a while, but in the last month I've moved back to paper filters from the Disk (at least until my Able fine arrives from Prima in July) and away from inverted after starting to use Heart Roasters technique/recipe (it's now on their new website) after picking up some bags of coffee from them and having an email exchange with the owner (Wille). I was asking how fine they were grinding at the coffee bar in Portland on their Ditting and he indicated 4-4.5 (so approx 400-450 micron) which is just a tad more course than espresso range.

Paper Filter rinsed thoroughly & Aeropress preheated
17g to 275g H20
Grind = Fine (Ditting 4-4.5)
275g H20 right off boil here in Denver (202 degrees) quickly poured
Place plunger on top to keep coffee from dripping through.
Total Steep from initial pour = 60sec
Remove plunger stir 5secs
30sec press - Stop right as air begins to hiss

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yakster
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#3: Post by yakster »

I've been using my Aeropress a lot more since I received the Able Brewing Fine Disk, and I decided to look to the pros for a recipe. After hitting the Brew Methods website, I decided to try Brandon Weaver's winning recipe from the Northwest Regional Aeropress Championship.
Here's Brandon's winning recipe:

15 g coffee.
220 g of water at 204 degrees Fahrenheit.
Inverted.
Filter: Able Disk.

Add 100 by 0:20seconds, stir, add remaining water (120g for total of 220) by 0:40seconds.
Cap and steep until 1:10. Flip and press for 45 seconds Until1:55.
Total brew time is 1:55.
It's been working pretty well for me and it has the advantage of being pretty easy to do with or without weighing the brew water or really timing it exactly since you end up filling up the AP inverted almost to the top before putting the filter cap on-with the rubber plunger piece pulled down to the "4" mark-and it's a pretty quick process. I actually like to pour my ground coffee into hot water to aid in wetting all the grounds quicker so I'll add about 50 ml of water, dump the grounds, add another 50 ml and then stir. I think that this helps to avoid the dry grounds I sometimes see at the bottom of the AP.

Yesterday I made an Iced coffee out of some Kenya Gititu a fellow Home-Roaster from Green Coffee Buying Club sent me using my standard Iced Aeropress recipe. I think next time I'll try doubling it, it was good.

Single-Serve Iced Aeropress

14 g coffee
100 ml water
70 g ice (~3 tray, ~4 automatic maker ice cubes)

Standard Inverted method similar to the Brandon Weaver method above except the water is cut down to account for ice dilution. Dump the grounds into half the brew water then add the rest and stir. If I double the recipe then I'd do two water additions like the first recipe to avoid blooming over the sides of the AP.

As always, these recipes are a starting point, feel free to adjust to taste.
-Chris

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genecounts
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#4: Post by genecounts »

I went to the Heart Roasters website but couldn't find the info on their recipe how they use the Aeropress. Checked out their blog. Good stuff about the World Aeropress Championships.
Would appreciate if you would post a link.

Great thread, thanks for starting it!

Oops, just spotted Yakster's post just as getting ready to pull trigger. This is the detailed info that may put me over the top.
Thanks!

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MSH
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#5: Post by MSH »

genecounts wrote:....I went to the Heart Roasters website but couldn't find the info on their recipe how they use the Aeropress...Good stuff about the World Aeropress Championships...
It's under "About Heart" and then "Brew Recipes" ---> http://www.heartroasters.com/about-hear ... press.html
Heart supplied all the coffee for both the US and World Aeropress Championships this year in Portland

As Yakster stated Brewmethods is a great site for Aeropress recipes (& other brewing methods). I was using a variation on Brandon Weaver's recipe for a while with the disk and I definitely liked it as well. Can't wait to get the Able Disk Fine in another month+

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RapidCoffee
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#6: Post by RapidCoffee »

Like other coffee brewing methods, there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for the AP. It depends on your taste preferences and the characteristics of the coffee you are brewing.

With that disclaimer, I have gravitated towards using my AP with the new Able Disk Fine metal filter, inverted brewing, 1:15 ratio of coffee:water, 2 minute extraction, water just off the boil. After stirring to wet the grinds and reduce the bloom, about 225g water fits in the inverted AP, so 15g coffee is the maximum practical dose (unless you prefer to dilute after brewing). I like to agitate (stir or swirl) once, roughly midway through the extraction. A medium grind (similar to pourover) works well, but you can adjust the grind finer or coarser to alter the extraction. Use a longer extraction for a coarser grind, and a shorter extraction for a finer grind.

This is not rocket science. The AP is a robust, easy-to-use device for brewing coffee. Pretty much everything I've tried has worked. I am not a fan of the overdosed, underextracted, low brew temp recipes, but yeah, they work too.
John

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Italyhound (original poster)
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#7: Post by Italyhound (original poster) »

I've had 2 of yaksters iced brews in the last two steamy days here. Thanks. Good recipe.

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clumeng
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#8: Post by clumeng »

http://worldaeropresschampionship.wordp ... m/recipes/

Another set of recipes to peruse. Seems like many use a coarser grind. I typically use a finer grind and then keep steep times down. Vigorous mix with 10-15 sec extractions prior to pressing but I'm playing around a bit.

My office setep uses a jug water heater setup that amazingly puts out water at about 80-85C. Paired witha Baratza Maestro at work is a nice combo.
LMWDP #383

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Italyhound (original poster)
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#9: Post by Italyhound (original poster) »

Tried Tim Wendelboe's method today ..... without the Barry White. 8)


I need to coarsen my grind to get it in line with his 'paper filter' setting but it was good.

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EricBNC
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#10: Post by EricBNC »

Take away the Ditting (is a Malkhonig close enough?) along with the 2nd stir and you have the way I have been doing it since I got an Aeropress - I Googled and found his method back then - thanks TW! :D
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Author of "The Bell Curve: Instructions for Proper Herd Mentality"

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