Recommended Brew Ratio for One (1) Person: 0.5 oz (14 g) coffee, ground fine, 8.3 oz (210 g) water
THE AEROPRESS “POUR OVER” FLAVOR
PROFILE
Pour-over coffees are often associated with remarkable cleanliness and clarity, compared to a French press. They can allow
complex coffees to shine.
But you can also brew different flavor profiles with an
AeroPress.
Do it one way, and you’ll get a greater body and richness – a
profile more like the French press. But brew it a different way, and you can
expect more clarity in your brew – something more akin to a pour-over.
HOW TO USE AN AEROPRESS
Before we get started, let’s quickly recap the AeroPress
brewing instructions.
Standard Method:
- Insert the filter in the filter cap
- Attach the filter cap to the AeroPress chamber
- Rinse the filter with hot water
- Add freshly ground coffee (weight/volume will be
determined by your recipe) to the chamber
- Add water (the amount will be determined by your
recipe)
Optional: stir (more on this step later!) - When you’re ready, insert the AeroPress plunger and
plunge
Inverted Method:
- Insert the filter in the filter cap
- Insert the plunger seal inside the top of the AeroPress
chamber, but do not plunge (the seal should sit about 1 cm below the
chamber rim)
- Invert your AeroPress so that the plunger is on the
bottom and the chamber on top
- Rinse your filter and filter cap with hot water
- Add freshly ground coffee (weight/volume will be
determined by your recipe) to the chamber
- Add water (the amount will be determined by your
recipe)
Optional: stir (more on this step later!) - Attach the filter cap to the AeroPress chamber
- When you’re ready, flip the AeroPress onto your cup or
other drinking/serving vessel and plunge
FLAVOR PROFILES 101
Firstly, all coffees are unique, which means there are many
ways to brew different flavor profiles. Furthermore, some are sweeter, others
are more fruity and acidic, and others have a lot of body. But different
roasts, brewing methods, and recipes can accentuate particular flavors.
This is all because of the science behind extraction.
Some of the first flavors to be extracted in a brew are the
fruity acids: the ones adding those nectarine notes, for example. Next comes
sweetness, balance, and increasing body. And finally, we start to get more
bitter, dry notes.
If your coffee is too acidic or too bitter, it’s not going
to taste good. But within the happy medium of good extraction, there is some
wriggle room to emphasize your preferred tastes.
Undoubtedly, you can use the AeroPress to achieve “a soft
flavor profile, which varies, of course, depending on grind size and water
temperature.” But you can also brew it for acidity, body, and more.
Aeropress
Brew Time & Grind Size
Subsequently, no matter the brewing method, grind size is
key. But it can only really be understood in terms of brew time.
The finer the grind, the quicker the flavor and aroma compounds will be
extracted from the coffee. What’s more, the water will flow more slowly and
there will be smaller gaps between the grinds.
Pour-over brews tend to benefit from a fine to medium grind.
With the French press, on the other hand, a coarser grind is the norm. And
there are reasons for this.
Since the French press is an immersion brewer, you generally
use a longer brew time, and a coarse grind will slow down the extraction. This
is good because the last compound to be extracted is the one responsible for
bitterness. With a pour-over or drip brewer, however, the water passes more
quickly through the grounds. A medium to fine profile prevents
under-extraction, both by making it easier to extract those compounds and by
preventing the water from dripping through too quickly.
Fortunately, the AeroPress is immersion so you have complete
control over brew time, and no matter what grind you opt for. If you want a clear,
fruity brew, your AeroPress coffee may benefit from a shorter immersion time or
a coarser grind.
Water Temperature
Just like grind size, the water temperature also affects
extraction. The hotter the brew, the more easily it breaks down the coffee
cells and gets to those flavor and aroma compounds. This will impact how you
brew different flavor profiles.
Now, it’s not as simple as that: water temperature interacts
with other factors, such as grind profile and roast level. However, as a
general rule, compounds will extract quicker at a higher temperature.
There’s a general consensus that coffee should be brewed
between 195 and 205°F (91–96°C). However, AeroPress coffees are often brewed at
lower temperatures, from 175 to 185°F (80–85°C). This can create mellower
coffees with less acidity and bitterness – something more similar to a cold
brew Toddy than a Chemex.
What’s more, the environment may change the temperature of
your brew. Especially if you’re brewing outdoors, as many “AeroPressers” do.
Filters
If you want clarity, filters are your friend. They’re the
key to having a light-bodied, delicate cup of coffee. But if you want a body,
think metal. And just like the French press, you can use a metal filter with
the AeroPress.
Paper absorbs the oils within coffee, but it’s these oils
that create body.
By filtering out more of the oils from the coffee, you will
get a cleaner cup profile that allows you to really taste the coffee’s unique
flavor – but, if you remove all the oils, you may also sacrifice some body.
When choosing filtering methods, their key points are
material, thickness, and quantity. Paper filters will help you to get that pour-over clarity, especially if you use more than one.
Aeropress
THE “FRENCH (AERO)PRESS” FLAVOR
PROFILE
If you favor a round body over clarity, look towards a more
French press style brew. And you can get this with the AeroPress, too.
Grind Size & Brew Time
Earlier, we looked at how to adjust grind size and brew time
for a coffee with more clarity. Now we’re looking at it from the other angle:
how do we increase body?
A finer grind will lead to more body, as will a longer
immersion time. The trick is to balance the two. This is because both allow for
more extraction to take place (scroll back up to the Pour Over section for a
recap on why/if you skipped that section).
But don’t forget that your coffee is continuing to extract while you plunge –
and that your grind size can affect your plunge time. This is because the
ground coffee is still in contact with the water in the chamber.
However, if you’re brewing for clarity, the slightly coarser
grind size should make it easy to plunge. But with finely ground coffee, you’ll
want to be ready to exert some force.
The “Hiss”
One key feature of the AeroPress is the characteristic hiss
that you’ll hear at the end of your plunge. Some people stop pressing the
instant they hear that noise, while others continue to press as far as they can
go. So what’s the difference?
TIPS For Brewing Different Flavor
Profiles
No matter whether you brew for body or for clarity, there
are some general points worth bearing in mind with the AeroPress. Take the
stir, as an example.
Stirring, or any other form of agitation, is a matter of
personal preference. Agitation is associated with more consistently extracted
coffee, and this is true whether you’re brewing immersion (like the AeroPress
and French press) or pour-over coffee.
You can create some agitation with your pour, using concentric circles to
create water movement. Additionally, you can choose to stir the brew for some
strong agitation.
Check out our coffee recommendations >
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