Aeropress

Sporky

ThePrettyDamned said:

Sporky said:

I had a Chemex (or similar) and was very disappointed - it seemed to get all the caffeine and nearly none of the flavour, for more faff than a Moka.

Chemex is good, but takes practice, as does the moka pot (which only burns coffee if used incorrectly). Used properly a moka pot can make top quality coffee with very little in the way of bitterness. 

Both are very caffeinated though... 

I probably gave up too quickly on the drip-brewer thingy. It didn't seem any less faff than a Moka so no great advantage.

If I'm out then I generally have a macchiato; at home it's a 6-cup moka with a dash of milk. I've really gone off froth.

BigMonka

Next week my new induction hob is arriving, which means no more moka pot (I think it's aluminium) :-(
Anyone have a moka pot that works with an induction hob?

Sporky

BigMonka said:

Anyone have a moka pot that works with an induction hob?

Yes - I have the 10-cup and 6-cup versions of this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0009Q1DSS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1

I like it more than the aluminium type because it's shinier and I naturally feel that steel is a better material for food & drink than aluminium is.

I don't use the 10-cup any more though as Lady BMcH doesn't like her coffee as dark as I do, so I just make it for me.

bbill335

My girlfriend and I went down the rabbit hole of grinding fresh, trying stovetops, presses, different brewing methods.

Ultimately, the equilibrium of effort/cost/results where the aim was A Nice Cup Of Black Coffee (like a black Americano) was to use preground coffee in the aeropress. She brews upside down but I'm not sure I can tell the difference.

EricTheWeary

I don't own an aeropress but the vlogger chap I follow on YouTube has just posted about using one. 

DiscoStu

I like Taylor's Italian, it's rated a 4.
Full scoop, I add the water to inverted Aeropress and give a good stir. Then I put milk in a mug and microwave for 1 minute as it's easier than using my Nespresso milk frother which also needs cleaned every time. 
Milk done, turn Aeropress back over and press coffee in to mug.

It isn't rocket science but it works for me. I don't measure my water to make sure it's 85° and I don't steep for 3 minutes, I just use off the boil water and infuse the coffee for about 2 minutes.

RaymondLin

Good fresh coffee is just as if not more important.  Crap in, Crap out.

Get a good grinder to go with the aeropress, leave pre-ground behind.

Winny_Pooh

^Taylor's Rich Italian is my favourite for Aeropress too.

ewal

I agree. The best coffee I've had from my Aeropress is when using freshly ground coffee from The Bean Shop.

WezV

EricTheWeary said:

I don't own an aeropress but the vlogger chap I follow on YouTube has just posted about using one. 

Just a few tiny points on his method

1) run the paper filter under the tap first. It takes away the papery taste you can get from the filter 

2) Always hold both parts when flipping it over, you can see the plunger has pushed out a bit in the vid. If he had started on 4 he would have made a mess.

3) pull up slightly on the plunger before taking off the cup.  It takes care of 90% of the drips he got at the end

Moss

Just come up with a great inverted method for lighter coffees:

17g coffee
40g bloom for 30s
Add 140g water
Leave for 1 minute
Invert and plunge for 30s

Makes a really juicy cup

EricTheWeary

WezV said:

EricTheWeary said:

I don't own an aeropress but the vlogger chap I follow on YouTube has just posted about using one. 

Just a few tiny points on his method

1) run the paper filter under the tap first. It takes away the papery taste you can get from the filter 

2) Always hold both parts when flipping it over, you can see the plunger has pushed out a bit in the vid. If he had started on 4 he would have made a mess.

3) pull up slightly on the plunger before taking off the cup.  It takes care of 90% of the drips he got at the end

I'll stick that on his comments, ta  

ThePrettyDamned

Moss said:

Just come up with a great inverted method for lighter coffees:

17g coffee
40g bloom for 30s
Add 140g water
Leave for 1 minute
Invert and plunge for 30s

Makes a really juicy cup

I have a similar recipe for very fruity coffees, like blackcurrant kenyans or ethiopian yirgacheffe. They're generally far lighter roasted (unless you go to a supermarket). 

More chocolatey/roasty ones do better with 13-14g infused for a bit longer (to be honest, it loses heat so fast you could leave most coffees for 10 minutes and it'd not be vastly different to 2 minutes). 

Yum yum. 

EricTheWeary

EricTheWeary said:

WezV said:

EricTheWeary said:

I don't own an aeropress but the vlogger chap I follow on YouTube has just posted about using one. 

Just a few tiny points on his method

1) run the paper filter under the tap first. It takes away the papery taste you can get from the filter 

2) Always hold both parts when flipping it over, you can see the plunger has pushed out a bit in the vid. If he had started on 4 he would have made a mess.

3) pull up slightly on the plunger before taking off the cup.  It takes care of 90% of the drips he got at the end

I'll stick that on his comments, ta  

@WezV he says great tips, thank you. 

Sporky

That filth-monkey has a tub of pre-ground coffee. Might as well just throw up into the mug.

Sporky

I got an Aeropress, partly out of curiosity and partly because Lady BMcH hates the mokka.

My initial thought (first cup) was that it is a lot more faff, and you end up with a small, lukewarm cup of tasty but weak coffee.

With a bit more experimentation I can now produce a hot-enough-to-drink cup of tasty coffee that's strong enough to be worthwhile, but only just.

I do miss the chest-clenching sensation of having downed the output of a 6-cup mokka.

Any suggestions on making the output of the Aeropress more vicious and tar-like?

Roland

Yes, don't use an aeropress. They work for light coffees, but suck the tone out of heavier ones

menamestom

Sporky said:

I got an Aeropress, partly out of curiosity and partly because Lady BMcH hates the mokka.

My initial thought (first cup) was that it is a lot more faff, and you end up with a small, lukewarm cup of tasty but weak coffee.

With a bit more experimentation I can now produce a hot-enough-to-drink cup of tasty coffee that's strong enough to be worthwhile, but only just.

I do miss the chest-clenching sensation of having downed the output of a 6-cup mokka.

Any suggestions on making the output of the Aeropress more vicious and tar-like?

I found upping the brew time and increasing the water temperature helped.  They are always going to be smooth, filtered through fine paper but you can get a strong cup of coffee, with the right bean.  I usually press mine into warm slightly frothed milk and re boil the kettle and top up with a bit more hot water.

I've not tried one but the metal filters are supposed to help get a stronger brew, but ultimately the press method does filter out much of the solids you would get with some other methods.

Sporky

I do have a metal filter - not tried the paper ones yet.

I started at 85C, then 90C. I'll give 95C a go. Stirring after the post-bloom top-up definitely did help.

ThePrettyDamned

Sporky said:

I got an Aeropress, partly out of curiosity and partly because Lady BMcH hates the mokka.

My initial thought (first cup) was that it is a lot more faff, and you end up with a small, lukewarm cup of tasty but weak coffee.

With a bit more experimentation I can now produce a hot-enough-to-drink cup of tasty coffee that's strong enough to be worthwhile, but only just.

I do miss the chest-clenching sensation of having downed the output of a 6-cup mokka.

Any suggestions on making the output of the Aeropress more vicious and tar-like?

They won't do shots. 

Turn it upside down, and put the plunger in up to the '4' mark. 14g coffee, ground finer than V60 but coarser than espresso. Don't bloom, just dump 220g just off the boil water straight in (it won't burn the coffee as it'll cool down fast, as you've discovered. Leave for about 3 minutes then slowly press out. 

It's *not* a thicker, mouthfeely (I really rate mouthfeel as a descriptor...) coffee - for that, you need at least a moka pot, which really is a filter brewer of sorts, but it only really happens with espresso. Which is a complex kettle of fish, bound to tie you down to spending thousands on kit and more on beans dialling in the perfect shot...

Instead, think of it as an easy, relatively mess free cafetiere - you use finer ground coffee than cafetiere as it's not agitated and doesn't steep for as long. It's far, FAR better suited to lighter, fruitier coffees - I love light roasted yirgacheffes in mine. You also get less fines in it than you would, even with a carefully poured cafetiere that has not had the filter plunged. 

On my rhinowares, I use 2 or 3 clicks from locked up for aeropress and 5 or 6 clicks from locked up for V60. 

With all that said... I've gone right back to using the V60. I prefer the process and despite needing a gooseneck and a timer, I find the coffees a bit more consistent. The aeropress is relegated to travel duties for now.