AeroPress: How to Use It and Why It Travels So Well

The AeroPress is a plastic tube, a plunger and a paper filter. It was invented in 2005 by Alan Adler, an engineer who also designed the Aerobie flying ring, and it has become the brewer serious coffee drinkers travel with — because it is nearly indestructible, cleans in ten seconds, and makes a genuinely excellent cup.

Here is how it works, both methods, and how to adjust it to what you like.

What it actually does

The AeroPress is a hybrid. Coffee and water sit together like a French press (immersion), then you push the water through a paper filter with hand pressure (percolation, more or less).

That combination is why it produces a cup unlike either parent: the immersion gives you body and forgiveness, the paper filter gives you clarity and removes the sediment. The pressure is modest — roughly 0.3 to 0.75 bar, against an espresso machine's 9 — so it is not an espresso maker, whatever the packaging once implied. What it makes is a concentrate you can drink neat or dilute.

What you need

• An AeroPress, its paper filters and the scoop and stirrer it ships with.
• A burr grinder. As always, this matters more than the brewer.
• A scale, ideally. The AeroPress is forgiving, but not about ratio.
• A kettle.

The standard method

0.6 oz (17 g) of coffee, 8.5 oz (250 ml) of water, medium-fine grind, about 2 minutes.

1. Rinse the filter in the cap with hot water. Removes the papery taste and preheats the cup.
2. Assemble with the chamber on top of your mug, numbers facing up.
3. Grind medium-fine — a little finer than drip, coarser than espresso.
4. Add the coffee, then pour water to the top at 175–185 °F (80–85 °C). Cooler than most methods: the short contact time and fine grind mean hotter water over-extracts.
5. Stir for 10 seconds with the paddle.
6. Insert the plunger and wait until 1:30 total.
7. Press slowly, 20 to 30 seconds, until you hear a hiss. Stop at the hiss — pushing past it forces air through the bed and adds bitterness.

The inverted method

The AeroPress assembled upside down, so nothing drips through during the steep. It gives you full control over contact time, which is why most competition recipes use it.

1. Assemble with the plunger in the chamber, pushed up just enough to seal, and stand it plunger-down.
2. Add coffee and water, stir, and steep for your chosen time — 1:30 to 2:30.
3. Screw on the rinsed filter cap.
4. Place your mug upside down on top, flip the whole thing over in one confident movement, and press.

The flip is the only risky part. Do it over a sink the first few times.

Adjusting it to your taste

• Stronger and more concentrated — 0.7 oz (20 g) to 5 oz (150 ml), then dilute with hot water in the cup to taste. This is the closest thing to an americano the AeroPress does well.
• Lighter and more tea-like — 0.5 oz (15 g) to 8.5 oz (250 ml), coarser grind, shorter steep.
• Sweeter — grind slightly finer and steep slightly longer, but drop the water temperature.
• Too bitter — coarser grind, cooler water, shorter steep. Usually the water was too hot.
• Too sour and thin — finer grind or longer steep.
• Two filters for an even cleaner cup; a metal filter for more body and oils.

AeroPress vs the alternatives

• vs French press — the AeroPress is cleaner with no sediment; the press has more body and oils. See how to use a French press.
• vs V60 — the V60 gives more clarity and separation; the AeroPress is far more forgiving and needs no gooseneck kettle.
• vs espresso — not a substitute. Lower pressure, no real crema, but a fine base for milk drinks in a pinch.

A three-way comparison is in AeroPress vs Chemex vs French press, and the wider field in coffee filtration methods.

Why it travels

It is plastic, so it survives being dropped. It weighs almost nothing, it nests inside itself, it needs no filter holder or carafe, and cleanup is a single push of the plunger into a bin. For a hotel room, a campsite or an office kitchen, nothing else comes close.

The one thing worth packing alongside it is a hand grinder. Pre-ground coffee on day four of a trip is the weak link, not the brewer.

Which coffee suits it

The paper filter plus immersion means the AeroPress flatters almost anything, but it is especially good with sweet, fruit-forward lots.

• Honey ($16.99) — honey process, honey, peach and spices. The farm recommends the AeroPress for this lot specifically.
• Natural ($19.99) — chocolate, red berries and wild strawberry, from Castillo and Caturra.
• Tradition ($14.99) — washed and balanced, and the most forgiving while you find your recipe.

Order whole bean if you grind, or medium for V60, Chemex, AeroPress and drip. Roasted after you order and shipped within 48 hours; shipping is calculated at checkout.

Frequently asked questions

Does an AeroPress make espresso?

No. It reaches well under 1 bar of pressure against espresso's 9, so there is no true crema. It makes a concentrated cup that works in milk drinks, which is a different and still useful thing. See how to make espresso at home.

Standard or inverted — which is better?

Inverted gives you exact control of steep time, which is why competition recipes use it. Standard is safer and quicker. The difference in the cup is smaller than the internet suggests.

What water temperature should I use?

175–185 °F (80–85 °C), cooler than for filter methods. The fine grind and short contact time mean boiling water over-extracts fast.

How long do AeroPress filters last?

One brew each, though they can be rinsed and reused a few times. A metal filter lasts indefinitely and gives a heavier cup with some fines.

What grind size does an AeroPress need?

Medium-fine for the standard recipe, and you can go finer for shorter, more concentrated brews. The full range is in our grind size chart.

Beans worth the two minutes

See our six lots, all from one family farm in Antioquia at 5,900 ft (1,800 m), in 8.5 oz (240 g) bags.