The purpose of this topic is to try nail down some fundamentals about the Aeropress.

* If I had Hario i would have to play with grind sizes until the water goes through the coffee something between 2><3 mns. Is there a general consensus of the time the water needs to go through coffee after you finish brewing with the Aeropress.

* If i had a Hario i would know that i have to bloom the coffee for 30 seconds. With Aeropress, only 1/3 of the recipies include blooming. Does it mean that the gas of coffee stays in the final brew with the rest of the recipes. Whats the actual effect on the coffee if you don't bloom with your Aeropress.

*It seems to me that inverted is the only way to brew since the other way around coffee starts leaking before you finish brewing.


Since there are so many recipies out there i am trying to understand how coffee will behave in different situations or if it will actually matter that much if you bloom, stir or play with 20 seconds up and down with the whole brewing time. It seems that people play so much with these parameters and i happen to wonder if brewing with Aeropress is generally a forgivable method.

The Aeropress uses a steep brewing method, where blooming doesn't do anything. All of the coffee blooms after you've stirred the water in. The Aeropress is a forgiving method. What you're asking leads me to say it's a matter of adjusting your dose, grind, temperature and steep time to the coffee you're using. I have tried inverting and have tried brewing upright. I don't think there's one "right" way to do it. You adjust the parameters and pick your method and learn to brew consistently.

I've brewed Aeropress with its inventor, Alan Adler, showing me how he does it. He puts the coffee in, stirs the hot water in, has it upright over the cup and lets it sit for about 30 seconds before leaning both hands on the plunger and letting the weight of his arms alone extract the coffee, which takes about 20 seconds. It's been awhile, so I don't know if he puts the plunger in vertically during the brief steep time.

I find that Aeropress brewing is sufficiently forgiving that I prefer brewing vertically for convenience, inserting the plunger after stirring the grounds, and letting it steep until I push the plunger through. I have my grinder set somewhat coarsely so that I will let it steep for about 3 minutes, using a food timer. I am careful about brew temperature, using a Bonavita PID kettle for precise temperature settings. I'm also using high quality grinders, either LIDO 1 or 2 or a Bunn LPG with Ditting burrs.

Hey drgary,

Those were some great info. For example my coffee extracts in about 45seconds. It doesn't mean its wrong but at least i know i am in the fine end of the grind. I use the Hario Skerton and have it 1-2 stops above espresso which is 6-7 stops. I use thermometer aswell and start brewing at 92 Celsius.

I think inverter or normal way doesn't effect coffee so much but i think that stirring the coffee every 5-10 seconds for example that different recipes suggest does effect it. What is your opinion on that?

No need to stir that often. Let it steep. Otherwise if it tastes the way you want it you're doing it well.

The Aeropress would be my desert-island brewer of choice, too.

If you're worried about coffee dripping through the paper filter in the regular (upright) brewing position, just insert the plunger at a slight angle into the chamber (after you have stirred the coffee once), then straighten the plunger to make sure it is vertical and forms a seal, then pull up ever so slightly. This will form a vacuum in the chamber and coffee won't drip through the paper filter while it's steeping. However, this doesn't work if you are using a metal filter.

If you're not quite sure what I mean, watch a couple videos on YouTube. Some of them demonstrate what I mean.

I'd be content with coffee mashed by a rock and boiled in a tin can if I were fortunate enough to be stranded on a desert island with a steady coffee supply.

That said, an having Aeropress would be an added bonus because then I'd actually have the time to learn it properly, something I regret not having done yet.

Hey SlowRain,

Yes i think i tried couple of times that method but i failed. I might give it a go again. As i explained i just try to understand the different parameters while using the Aeropress and if there is a universal consensus on a few points.

Aeropress is my go to travel method for it simplicity seize and clarity of taste. Travel with the precidio or hand grinder.

The bloom and stir phase allow for an even extraction as it uniformly wet your coffee ground. https://worldaeropresschampionship.com/recipes/
This can be a good starting point for you in term of recipes. For me inverted brew is the way to go but my advice for you is to explore (change 1 parameter at the time) Enjoy