Any Aeropress users?

[wtburnette]

I've recently been dabbling with the Aeropress and was curious if anyone is using one as their daily driver for caffeine delivery.

I've tried several methods and have found it to be "okay" so far without being exceptional. Definitely better than my Keurig, but not exactly the bold, yet rich cup I was promised. This morning I watched the little demo video on their site and did my best to replicate it. I'm extremely anal about weighing and measuring both the coffee and the water after the numerous brewing methods I've tried and desire for consistency, so I didn't eyeball it the way they say to do, but I measured out how much volume it was to the number one line, the added coffee and water based on that.

Previous videos I've seen indicate the scoop size to hold roughly 13 grams of coffee. Inverting the brewer with the plunger halfway through the number 1 on the brewer gave me ~93gr volume. So when I brewed, I poured ~80gr of 80C water over the coffee, stirred for 10 seconds to wet all of the grounds, then put the plunger on and plunged the coffee out. I then added ~175gr of 80C water to the results. The resulting cup was pretty mellow and slightly sweet tasting, but wasn't very rich and had a bit of a hollowness to it. I think tomorrow I'll try the same, but use ~150gr of water added to the mixture at the end to see if that makes the cup a bit more bold and flavorful. I might also mess with the grind settings a bit. I'm using a Baratza Encore grinder, set on 12 which is their default setting for the Aeropress.

I might also need to go with a different coffee. I'm using Starbuck's Veranda right now, their "blonde" roast and maybe that's not the best to use. I watch a lot of James Hoffman videos and that was one of the store bought brands he selected as the "best". The one he picked as the best of the bunch was one I couldn't find locally. It was supposed to be at the local Target, but I couldn't find it when I got there...

Anyway, any other aficionados of the Aeropress and if so, what coffee and recipes do you use?

 

[cosermann]

In my experience, most of the methods produce acceptable coffee, but ONLY IF, one is using good, freshly roasted beans AND filtered water.

You can't make good coffee with either crappy water or crappy, stale beans.

 

[rosejm]

I've also found the grind is particularly important for any brewing method, and the roast can affect what's appropriate.
What worked for one combination is unlikely to be perfect for another.

 

[wtburnette]

I agree with you both. The problem is, what are good beans? I picked the Starbucks blend mentioned due to it being recommended. I had picked up some local roasts previously and not had luck with them, though there could be a number of reasons why that was. Might have to try doing that again to see what I can get that works better for me. The grind is also a struggle, as you have to adjust a little at a time and try to find what works best. Looks like I'll have to put in the time to work towards the perfect cup.

 

[63PGP]

My wife has one and a small manual grinder. We only use it when we are traveling.

You can't get enough out of it to fill a normal coffee mug everyday. We use a pour over and filter for that.

 

[63PGP]

Starbucks burns their beans in my opinion.

I think the key is to figure out what area of the world that you prefer your coffee from. Mine is Caribbean, Columbia, etc.

I really dislike African beans. The have an acidic and harsh taste.

 

[OneBadV8]

I agree with you both. The problem is, what are good beans? I picked the Starbucks blend mentioned due to it being recommended. I had picked up some local roasts previously and not had luck with them, though there could be a number of reasons why that was. Might have to try doing that again to see what I can get that works better for me. The grind is also a struggle, as you have to adjust a little at a time and try to find what works best. Looks like I'll have to put in the time to work towards the perfect cup.

Find a good local roaster or a small batch roaster

 

[wtburnette]

My wife has one and a small manual grinder. We only use it when we are traveling.

You can't get enough out of it to fill a normal coffee mug everyday. We use a pour over and filter for that.

Starbucks burns their beans in my opinion.

I think the key is to figure out what area of the world that you prefer your coffee from. Mine is Caribbean, Columbia, etc.

I really dislike African beans. The have an acidic and harsh taste.

Well, you can get a full cup out of the aeropress, depending on your definition of a full cup, in two ways. First is the normal method, only using coffee and water to almost the top and plunging. You can get decent results that way. Alternatively you do an "americano style" brew, which is the strong coffee through the standard method, then add whatever amount of water you want to make a full cup.

Beans are another matter. I agree about the African beans, but haven't decided otherwise what I prefer.

Find a good local roaster or a small batch roaster

Yeah. I tried from Brickhouse in Greenwood when they had their retail shop open, plus Quills downtown. Neither were to my taste, though they have more varieties to choose from. I took a class from Tinker, but didn't like the results of the brews we did, so not sure I'd like their coffees.

 

[63PGP]

Well, you can get a full cup out of the aeropress, depending on your definition of a full cup, in two ways. First is the normal method, only using coffee and water to almost the top and plunging. You can get decent results that way. Alternatively you do an "americano style" brew, which is the strong coffee through the standard method, then add whatever amount of water you want to make a full cup.

We have a cold brew setup and the Americano style works great with that. Pound of freshly ground beans, fill with water and let it sit 24 hours. It makes a very smooth cup of coffee.

 

[63PGP]

A local roaster to try is Bee. They are on the costly side for daily consumption but they have some really good coffee. Not all coffee on their list is available everyday. They are off Lafayette about a mile north of I-65.

Shop — Bee Coffee Roasters

www.beecoffeeroasters.com

 

[wtburnette]

We have a cold brew setup and the Americano style works great with that. Pound of freshly ground beans, fill with water and let it sit 24 hours. It makes a very smooth cup of coffee.

I like cold brew on occasion. Not as a daily brew, as I like it hot with food, but occasionally a cold brew is very nice. I like the smoothness, though feel it can sometimes have a bit of a "metallic" taste.

 

[wtburnette]

A local roaster to try is Bee. They are on the costly side for daily consumption but they have some really good coffee. Not all coffee on their list is available everyday. They are off Lafayette about a mile north of I-65.

Shop — Bee Coffee Roasters

www.beecoffeeroasters.com

I had forgotten about them. I had looked them up years ago and forgot about them. Thanks for the link. If you haven't tried them, both Tinker and Quills are pretty good. I've had cortados from both places that I enjoyed.

 

[63PGP]

I never drink coffee cold. Just the brew method. Fill mug half with coffee and remaining with boiling water. Nuke until the right temp.

 

[Mij]

I agree with you both. The problem is, what are good beans? I picked the Starbucks blend mentioned due to it being recommended. I had picked up some local roasts previously and not had luck with them, though there could be a number of reasons why that was. Might have to try doing that again to see what I can get that works better for me. The grind is also a struggle, as you have to adjust a little at a time and try to find what works best. Looks like I'll have to put in the time to work towards the perfect cup.

I think I see your problem. This is only a suggestion mind you. And I emphasize “only a suggestion” if you can/want to, try some Stewart’s Private Blend. Whole bean, dark roast. Grind it corse, You can get it on line. They stopped selling at most brick n mortars in 2010. If you don’t like it I’m lost. Good luck to you.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Previous videos I've seen indicate the scoop size to hold roughly 13 grams of coffee. Inverting the brewer with the plunger halfway through the number 1 on the brewer gave me ~93gr volume. So when I brewed, I poured ~80gr of 80C water over the coffee, stirred for 10 seconds to wet all of the grounds, then put the plunger on and plunged the coffee out. I then added ~175gr of 80C water to the results. The resulting cup was pretty mellow and slightly sweet tasting, but wasn't very rich and had a bit of a hollowness to it. I think tomorrow I'll try the same, but use ~150gr of water added to the mixture at the end to see if that makes the cup a bit more bold and flavorful. I might also mess with the grind settings a bit. I'm using a Baratza Encore grinder, set on 12 which is their default setting for the Aeropress.

I might also need to go with a different coffee. I'm using Starbuck's Veranda right now, their "blonde" roast and maybe that's not the best to use. I watch a lot of James Hoffman videos and that was one of the store bought brands he selected as the "best". The one he picked as the best of the bunch was one I couldn't find locally. It was supposed to be at the local Target, but I couldn't find it when I got there...

Anyway, any other aficionados of the Aeropress and if so, what coffee and recipes do you use?

I see your problem. This is America, son. Measure the right way!

 

[wtburnette]

I think I see your problem. This is only a suggestion mind you. And I emphasize “only a suggestion” if you can/want to, try some Stewart’s Private Blend. Whole bean, dark roast. Grind it corse, You can get it on line. They stopped selling at most brick n mortars in 2010. If you don’t like it I’m lost. Good luck to you.

I'm fine trying that out. It's showing on the site as medium roast. Is that the same thing or do they have different roast levels for each blend?

I see your problem. This is America, son. Measure the right way!

I knew someone would give me guff over that...

 

[Mij]

I see your problem. This is America, son. Measure the right way!

two funny.

 

[wtburnette]

I see your problem. This is America, son. Measure the right way!

Reminds me the gamer slogan "get good noob"...

 

[wtburnette]

Reminds me the gamer slogan "get good noob"...

Or learn to game, or whatever is current nowadays.

 

[Mij]

I'm fine trying that out. It's showing on the site as medium roast. Is that the same thing or do they have different roast levels for each blend?



I knew someone would give me guff over that...

Wife orders it, I may be mistaken. I’ll go look. The package now is vacuume sealed envelope/bag. My I pad is dieing may be a moment