Aeropress method specifics

[dinhduong6064]

Hi folks,

Recently opened a bag of Rave's colombian suarez and having trouble getting a decent brew out of the aeropress.

I've followed Rave's method and Foundry's but don't think either suit the Suarez that well? I've read it's meant to be a great bean if done correctly. Could anyone point me in the right direction of a method they've had luck with?

I don't have a temperature controlled kettle (I just wait while I'm grinding before pouring), and am using the porlex grinder (5 clicks from 0 currently, can change if people suggest altering).

Last night (inverted) I used:

15g coffee, 30ml water stir for 15s, further 170ml water, lid on, wait 1.5mins, press and dilute 1/2 and 1/2 with water. Was ok, but seemed to be lacking - again, I'm not exactly sure what it was lacking but it didnt quite hit the spot!

Thanks in advance,
Joe.

 

[PinkRose]

If you boil the water in the kettle and then let it sit while you're grinding the coffee, you're letting it sit for too long.

Grind the coffee while you're boiling the kettle. Once the kettle boils, turn off the heat. By the time you pick up the kettle and walk it over to your aeropress setup, it will have cooled down to the proper temperature.

You are going to need to experiment with your coffee, water, and timing ratios to get your coffee to come out the way you like it. Each coffee is different. Take notes and make adjustments. You'll eventually get it where you like it. Then repeat, repeat, repeat.

Rose

 

[CoffeeJunky]

As i was writing, i realize i was repeating what Rose have written above.
You have invested money on Aeropress, expensive coffee and time. Why not get a thermometer so you would remember what worked and what did with different variables.
This happens very often.

 

[Gary_Ramsey]

You might try 23 grams and only fill it up to the 3 level.

 

[flphotog]

I'm not familiar with the porlex grinder settings but you might want to use a finer grind with the Aeropress. I use a setting of 16 on my Encore and move it up to about 22 for pour over. I know I mistakenly used 22 by mistake in the Aeropress one morning and I got pretty much dishwater for coffee and had to re make it.

 

[warrickroy]

Actually I'll make a follow up on this question. I just bought an Aeropress too and it seems hard to make coffee without a temperature control. The Aeropress recommends a temperature of about 175 deg Fahrenheit for dark beans and 185 degrees Fahrenheit for medium roasted beans.

I also don't have a thermometer but also found that at medium roast, I let the kettle sit for a minute and a half after boiling to extract good coffee. Using a 500 mL water inside an electric kettle, does anyone know how much time I should let it sit so it will go down to 175 or 185 degrees?

 

[PinkRose]

I am always surprised when people say they don't own a kitchen thermometer. They're very inexpensive. I use mine all of the time when heating food to get it to the proper temperature. Before I got the thermometer, I would think that the reheated food was hot enough (165 degrees for food safety), when it really wasn't. I would think that a Perdue roasted chicken was done when the little button popped out, but it really wasn't. Now, I can't be without my kitchen thermometer.

The boiled water will cool down pretty fast. If you take the boiling kettle off of the stove and walk it over to your Aeropress setup, by the time you pour it, it's at the temperature where it should be for practically every roast style of beans. (185 degrees). So in that short amount of time, it went from 214 degrees to 185.

You just need to experiment to get the feel of the right temperature....or go to WalMart or Amazon and buy a kitchen thermometer.

 

[peterjschmidt]

Even though they recommend a certain temp range for the AP, it works well with hotter water too, so don't sweat it.

 

[dahoss2002]

since I have quit using my drip coffeemaker I use it to make my aeropress water. It is a cheap cone filter hamilton beach but it spits out 192-195 F water.

 

[DianaScott]

If you boil the water in the kettle and then let it sit while you're grinding the coffee, you're letting it sit for too long.

Grind the coffee while you're boiling the kettle. Once the kettle boils, turn off the heat. By the time you pick up the kettle and walk it over to your aeropress setup, it will have cooled down to the proper temperature.

You are going to need to experiment with your coffee, water, and timing ratios to get your coffee to come out the way you like it. Each coffee is different. Take notes and make adjustments. You'll eventually get it where you like it. Then repeat, repeat, repeat.

Rose

I agree with Rose, you have to experiment to get the coffee you like. I have experienced that and have experimented a lot of times using different kinds of coffee. Make sure you take down notes

 

[Jeffocy]

Invest in a Bonavita Variable Temperature Electric kettle. (I'd link it but the forum settings won't let me) You can have it hold a temp for you, and I've tested it with a kitchen thermometer and it's spot on.

 

[expat]

If you've got 170ml water and then add more I think you've got too much water. Maybe need a different grind or water temp but quantity of water would be the biggest 'effecter' of taste.

 

[kaffegubbe]

I usually start with 13g coffee and 200g water. Then I usually do the inverted way, all of the water, stir, wait 60 seconds, stir again and start pressing. Total time 1:30 min. After this just start experimenting, longer brew time, longer bloom time, maybe not all water at once and so on...