The AeroPress is the most forgiving brewer there is: hard to get badly wrong, easy to take along, done in under three minutes. This recipe brews it upright, no flipping, with a slow press at the end.
Coffee
15 g
Water
225 g
Ratio
1:15
Water temp
92 °C
Grind
Medium-finea little finer than for a V60
Brew time
2:45+ 3 min prep
Guided BrewStep 1 of 4
0:15left in this step
Pour to 225 g0:00 → 0:15 · 225 g
0:00Pour to 225 g
0:15Stir, then seal
1:45Swirl
2:15Press slowly
2:45Done
Beeps at every step. Keep this page open while you brew.
What you need
AeroPress (Original or Clear; the Go is too small for this recipe) with a paper filter
Kettle and a scale that weighs in 1 g steps
Grinder, set a little finer than for filter coffee
15 g of fresh coffee and a sturdy mug that the AeroPress can stand on
Before you start
Heat the water to 92 °C. No thermometer? Let it stand for about a minute after it boils. Dark roasts like it cooler, about 85 °C: let it stand a few minutes longer. Put a paper filter in the cap, rinse it with hot water and screw the cap onto the chamber. Stand the AeroPress on your mug, add 15 g of coffee ground medium-fine, a little finer than for a V60, and tare the scale.
Step by step
0:00
Pour to 225 g
Start the timer and pour all 225 g of water in 10 to 15 seconds, so every bit of coffee gets wet.
0:15
Stir, then seal
Stir gently three times. Then set the plunger on top and push it in about 1 cm: the seal keeps the coffee in the chamber while it steeps.
1:45
Swirl
Pick up the AeroPress and the cup together and swirl gently, so the coffee settles into an even bed.
2:15
Press slowly
Press down steadily for about 30 seconds and stop when you hear the hiss.
2:45
Done
Taste it. Too strong? Top up with a little hot water; many competition recipes brew strong and dilute afterwards.
Want a bigger cup? Brew 16 g with 240 g of water and top up with hot water afterwards.
Taste and adjust
It tastes
Likely cause
Next time
Sour, thin
Too coarse or too short
Grind finer, or let it steep 30 s longer
Bitter, dry
Too fine, too long, or pressed too hard
Grind coarser and stop at the hiss
Hard to press
Grind too fine
Grind coarser; never force it
Weak
Too little coffee
17 g instead of 15
Too strong
Concentrated brew
Add 30 to 50 g of hot water to the cup
Which coffee works best
Almost anything works. Fruity light roasts come out clean and sweet; chocolatey medium roasts get a rounder, heavier body. For dark roasts, drop the water to about 85 °C.
FAQ
Upright or inverted?
Both work. Upright is simpler and can't tip over: with the plunger pushed in about a centimeter, hardly anything drips through while the coffee steeps. Inverted gives you the same steep with more fiddling.
What ratio for the AeroPress?
Around 1:15 for a regular cup, so 15 g of coffee to 225 g of water. Many competition recipes brew a stronger concentrate and dilute it with hot water afterwards.
Paper or metal filter?
Paper gives a cleaner, brighter cup. A metal filter lets oils and fine particles through: more body, a little more sediment. Start with paper.
Why stop pressing at the hiss?
The hiss means the water is through and you're now pushing air through wet coffee. Pressing on adds little except maybe a bitter last drop and some grit, so it's safe to stop there.