AeroPress Coffee
AeroPress Say AIR-oh-press
A short-steeped, hand-pressed coffee made in a compact plastic brewer. Clean like filter coffee thanks to a paper filter, but quick, portable and endlessly adjustable – from espresso-strength concentrate to a full mug.
- ServedHot & Iced
- In EnglishAeroPress coffee
- TastesBalanced, Bright, Smooth
About AeroPress Coffee
The AeroPress is a small brewer made of two cylinders: a chamber that holds the coffee and water, and a plunger with a rubber seal that fits inside it. Coffee and hot water are stirred together in the chamber, and after a short steep the plunger is pushed down, forcing the brew through a paper microfilter in the cap and straight into a mug.
Combining immersion with gentle pressure gives a cup that is clean and low in sediment, with good body and relatively little bitterness. It takes only a minute or two, is almost unbreakable, and is light enough to travel – which is why it is popular with campers and travellers as well as coffee enthusiasts.
Its biggest draw is flexibility. Change the grind, dose, water temperature, steep time or even turn the brewer upside down (the “inverted” method), and the result changes. The official recipe makes a strong, concentrated coffee to top up with water, but baristas have created thousands of alternatives.
In the cup
- Light foam 5%
- Hot water (to dilute) 50%
- Pressed coffee 45%
Ingredients
- Ground coffee (fine to medium-fine)≈ 15–17 g
- Hot water (≈ 80–85 °C)≈ 80–90 ml for a concentrate, plus water to top up
- Paper microfilter1
How to make it
You needAeroPress (chamber, plunger, cap), paper filter, stirrer, kettle, sturdy mug
RatioOfficial recipe: one scoop (≈ 15–17 g) to ≈ 80–90 ml water as a concentrate, then diluted; many baristas use ≈ 15 g to 200–250 ml (≈ 1:14–1:16)
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Put a paper filter in the cap, rinse it with hot water and screw the cap onto the chamber.
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Stand the chamber on a sturdy mug and add the ground coffee.
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Pour in hot water to the required level and stir for about 10 seconds.
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Insert the plunger and press down slowly and steadily.
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Top up with hot water to taste (or with milk, or pour over ice).
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Twist off the cap and push out the puck of grounds into the bin.
Origin & history
The AeroPress was invented by Alan Adler, a retired Stanford engineering lecturer best known for the Aerobie flying ring. He began prototyping it in his garage in 2004, wanting a quicker cup of coffee with less bitterness and acidity, and his company, Aerobie Inc., unveiled it in November 2005 at the CoffeeFest trade show in Seattle.
Many coffee professionals were sceptical at first, seeing it as a gadget from a toy company. That changed with the World AeroPress Championship, organised by Tim Wendelboe and Tim Varney, which began in Oslo in 2008 with just three competitors. By 2018 it drew 3,157 competitors from 61 countries.
In 2017 the AeroPress business was separated from the Aerobie toy and the company was renamed AeroPress, Inc.; in 2021 the Canadian holding company Tiny Capital bought a controlling stake. New models – the travel-sized Go, the double-sized XL, a clear Tritan version and premium glass and steel editions – have followed.
Variations
- Inverted AeroPressbrewed upside down on the plunger for a longer steep, then flipped and pressed
- AeroPress concentratea short, strong coffee used like a shot in milk drinks
- Iced AeroPressa concentrate pressed straight onto ice
- AeroPress Goa smaller travel model that packs inside its own mug (2019)
- AeroPress XLa double-capacity version with a carafe
Good to know
Rinse the paper filter with hot water first to remove any papery taste.
Stir for about 10 seconds so all the grounds are wet, then press gently – it should take around 20–30 seconds.
Stop pressing when you hear a hiss; squeezing the last air out adds little.
Try the inverted method for a longer steep without drips, but take care when flipping it over.
For iced coffee, press a strong concentrate straight onto a glass of ice.
