How to brew AeroPress

Quick overview

This is the standard upright recipe — beginner friendly, repeatable, and works on almost any bean. Once you're comfortable, try the inverted method or experiment with grind size and steep time.

Step-by-step

1. Prep

• Boil your kettle and let it settle to 88°C.
• Place a paper filter in the cap, rinse with hot water (this removes paper taste and pre-heats the brewer).
• Discard the rinse water.

2. Dose & grind

• Weigh out 15g of coffee.
• Grind medium-fine — think table salt, slightly finer than pour-over.

3. Bloom

• Add coffee to the AeroPress sitting on top of your mug or server.
• Pour 50g of water and start your timer.
• Stir gently 3–5 times to fully wet the grounds.
• Wait until 0:30.

4. Top up

• Pour the remaining 175g of water in a steady stream until you hit 225g total.
• Insert the plunger about 1cm to create a seal — this stops drip-through.

5. Steep & press

• Let it steep until 1:30.
• Remove the plunger seal, give one gentle stir.
• Press down slowly and steadily over 30 seconds. You should hear a hiss when you're done — stop there.

6. Serve

• Swirl the cup, smell it, taste it.
• Dilute with 30–60g of hot water if you want a longer drink.

Troubleshooting

• Bitter or harsh? Coarsen the grind or drop water temp by 2°C.
• Sour or thin? Grind finer or extend steep to 2:00.
• Slow press? Grind a touch coarser next time.
• Muddy cup? Make sure the filter is seated flat in the cap.