How To Make Coffee With Your Aeropress

Using the inverted method

Aeropress

Maybe you just got your Aeropress, or maybe you've had it for a while now and are trying to find more ways to use it. Trying the Inverted Method is a great way to tinker with your brew and your control over different variables - which can lead to really outstanding cups of coffee!

Today we'll walk through the inverted method of brewing with the Aeropress, and all the different ways you can tweak your brew for tastier results!

Aeropress

Weigh

The widely accepted ratio of coffee to water is 1:16. In this example we are using 17g of coffee so we will use about 270g of water - but if you've found a different ratio that works for you - start there!

All sorts of ratios work in an Aeropress! The pros have used many different ratios to win the World Aeropress Championship, the trick is to make sure your ratio leaves ample space for both ground coffee and water.

Aeropress

Grind

The most important part of a delicious brew is using high-quality beans. We can't overstate the importance here - the coffee beans are what make the biggest difference in cup quality. Absolutely perfecting your Aeropress method won't make much difference if your beans are sub-par, and a lot of coffee roasters are flat out lying about this. Click here to read up about bean quality, then come back to these brewing steps once you've got your beans sorted.

Once you have really good beans, it's time to grind! For the inverted method, your coffee should be ground just a bit finer than for a drip brewer, but coarser than Turkish Coffee. In concrete terms, it should be about as fine as table salt.

Aeropress

Boil & Prep

Your water should be within the 195-205F range. If you don't have a thermometer, the best way to get within that temperature range is to bring the water to a boil and then wait about 45 seconds for it to cool. After your water is ready, wet your filter to get rid of any paper flavor. It helps to have a smaller glass to hold your filter so you don't get burned.

Aeropress

Prime

Insert the plunger into the Aeropress and set it on scale or stable surface, filter-side up. Add your coffee and pour enough water into the Aeropress to submerge the beans (about 34g). Stir so no grounds are left dry. Wait 20 seconds.

The idea here is to saturate the coffee evenly to prevent any clumps or dry pockets that could lead to uneven extraction. If your coffee beans are fresh, you may notice a bloom at this stage, but since the Inverted Aeropress is an immersion brewing method, you don't really need to worry about it.

Aeropress

Pour

Fill the Aeropress with your remaining water. Your grounds should be about a quarter inch from the top. At this point you can stir again if you think your grounds aren't fully immersed. Wait 1 minute.

While you wait, you can read up a little bit on where your coffee is from and who helped produce it, or read the tasting notes for your coffee and get ready to try and taste them. It's a good amount of time to learn more about your cup, and get excited to taste it.

Aeropress

Flip

Attach your filter to the top of your Aeropress and place your mug/vessel on top of that. After placing one hand on the vessel and one on the Aeropress, smoothly turn your Aeropress/Vessel combination upside-down.

Aeropress

Plunge

Position your body over the Aeropress and gently press straight down on your plunger for about 20 seconds. You will know when to stop when you hear a hissing sound. That's air escaping your Aeropress, which means your coffee has been filtered.

Aeropress

Dilute

Aeropress often makes a very concentrated brew that's stronger than many people prefer. You can add more hot water get your cup to a taste & consistency you prefer. We recommend adding water in small increments and tasting as you go to avoid a watery coffee.

That concentrated brew can be used for all sorts of fun at-home recipes. Bumping up the coffee-to-water ratio can produce an espresso-like coffee that's perfect for at-home iced lattes!

Aeropress

Final Notes

If you press the plunger all of the way, you will get the dregs of your coffee into the cup, along with a bitter taste. After a few brews, you'll get a feel for stopping before the hiss.

The Aeropress is a great way to experiment and find your favorite process. Try adjusting your ratio, grind, and immersion time to find what brew you like best.

And remember, you can explore an ever-changing slate of unique, high quality coffees from all around the world with our free trial!

More Aeropress Brew Guides:

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