The Aeropress is the most forgiving brewer in your kitchen and the most open to experimentation. It can produce an espresso-style concentrate or a long, clean filter-style cup. It brews in under two minutes. It is near-indestructible. And it has been the subject of its own world championship since 2008 — because within a deceptively simple design lives enormous range. If you are new to manual brewing, start here. If you have been brewing for years and want to experiment, this is also where you start.
What you need
- Aeropress (standard or Go)
- Aeropress paper filters
- Digital scale
- Timer
- Kettle
- 15g freshly ground coffee (medium)
- 250g water at 88–92°C
The inverted method (our recommended starting point)
Step 1 — Set up inverted
Assemble the Aeropress in the inverted position: plunger inserted a few centimetres into the chamber, open end facing up. This prevents the brew from dripping through before you are ready, giving you full control over steep time.
Step 2 — Add coffee and water
Add 15g of medium-ground coffee to the inverted chamber. Pour 250g of water at 90°C over the grounds. Stir gently 3–4 times to ensure all grounds are saturated. Place the filter cap (with a pre-rinsed paper filter installed) on top but do not lock it yet.
Step 3 — Steep for 90 seconds
Allow the coffee to steep for 90 seconds from the start of your pour. This is the baseline — you can experiment with shorter steeps (60 seconds, stronger and more acidic) or longer ones (2 minutes, fuller and more extracted). The Aeropress is responsive to these changes in a way that rewards curiosity.
Step 4 — Lock and flip
Lock the filter cap firmly, place your cup on top of the Aeropress opening, and in one smooth motion flip the whole unit over so the cup sits on the table and the Aeropress sits on top. Keep it vertical — a tilted flip will cause spillage.
Step 5 — Press steadily
Press the plunger down with steady, even pressure over 20–30 seconds. You are aiming for a consistent resistance throughout. If the plunge feels too easy, grind finer. If it stalls completely, grind coarser. Stop pressing when you hear the first hiss of air — this is the signal that the brew is complete.
Step 6 — Taste and adjust
Drink the result as a short concentrate, or add 100–150ml of hot water for a longer cup. One of the Aeropress's strengths is that the same recipe produces a concentrate that can be adjusted to taste after brewing — making it a very practical tool for different members of a household with different preferences.
Which coffee works best?
The Aeropress handles any roast level well, but medium roasts tend to express their full range within this method's profile. Our FIFTI FIFTI blend is a reliable daily driver here. For something more adventurous, our Guatemala honey anaerobic performs brilliantly in the Aeropress — the shorter steep time preserves its natural fruit notes without muddying them.
