GroundLevelCoffee

The Aeropress arrived late last week and I’ve had a chance to make a few brews with it.

First impressions are that the variables take a bit to pin down. How much water? Temperature? Quantity and grind? Do I dilute the product? If so, by how much.

After probably 8-10 cups over the weekend, I can produce something drinkable. I grind around 1 2/3 scoops of coffee at a grind perhaps half way between my usual espresso and SwissGold/plunger grind. I use enough water to come to the top of the oval ‘2′ on the Aeropress piston. I dilute around 1:1 with hot water and add my usual milk. The result is similar to a moka pot or Americano-style drink in terms of flavour and strength. I’m guessing my grind is a tad too fine because plunging the Aeropress takes a deal of effort - I wonder how easy it would be to break a cup?

It seems to require about twice as much coffee as the SwissGold, but with a relatively short extraction time (30 seconds, maybe), I guess that makes sense.

The coffee from the Aeropress is stronger but thinner than my usual brew from the SwissGold. There are no fines, and the coffee lacks a bit of the substance as a result. You can drink to the bottom of the cup without coating your tongue in mud.

Clean-up is fairly easy - about on a par with the SwissGold or a plunger.

After a bit of pondering, I’ve plonked down some readies for an Aeropress brewer.

They seem to have been in Australia from earlier this year - being available from Coffeepress.com.au. Cost is $54 including delivery, and I’ve opted for an extra couple of packs of the filters. News around the CoffeeGeek forums is that the filters are reusable and so I should be set for years to come.

I’ve also checked out Sweet Maria’s and Tom has some pictorial instructions on using the Aeropress.

Mine should arrive in a couple of days and so I’ll put it to use one the weekend. If it’s a better, cleaner cup than my SwissGold One-Cup, then I’ll probably spring for another one to use at work.