How to Use an AeroPress: RECENT Brewing Guide

The AeroPress is a simple way to make great coffee at home, or out in the wild. It's quick to brew, straightforward to clean and small enough to take with you wherever you go. If you're looking to dip your toe into specialty coffee, or you want a consistent way of making great, portable coffee, this is a great place to start.

In this guide we'll show you how to use an AeroPress, including how much coffee and water to use, the recommended water temperature, brewing time, grind size and how to press your coffee. The recipe below is a starting point, rather than a set of rules; the beauty of brewing coffee yourself is the freedom to fine-tune each process. Once you're comfortable with the process, you can experiment with the variables above that affect your coffee.

Small changes can make a noticeable difference to the cup, so don't be afraid to find what works best for you.

The most important thing is to enjoy the coffee!

What is an AeroPress?

At its core, the AeroPress is a conventional manual, piston-style coffee maker that combines immersion brewing with pressure. What makes it different is the way it brews.

The AeroPress immerses coffee grounds in water before using gentle air pressure to push the brew through a micro-filter. By immersing the coffee rather than relying on water to pass through a static bed of grounds, the AeroPress promotes a more uniform extraction, helping to bring out a full, balanced flavour from the coffee.

The result is a smooth, rich cup without the grit or sediment associated with other immersion methods. It can also produce a concentrated, espresso-style coffee, or be diluted with water for a longer drink.

It's this combination of uniform extraction, clean filtration and pressure brewing that makes the AeroPress so different from a cafetière, filter brewer or other manual coffee makers. It's compact, quick and remarkably versatile, without requiring a complicated brewing setup. 

What you'll need

Your AeroPress comes with almost everything you need to brew, including paper filters, a scoop, funnel and stirrer. When you buy yours from RECENT, it also includes a 250g bag of our House Blend, Nose to the Grindstone, pre-ground for AeroPress.

1. AeroPress

Your AeroPress comes with almost everything you need to brew, including paper filters, a scoop, funnel and stirrer. If it doesn't, or you've inherited someone else's, you'll need these as well.

2. Coffee 

12g of medium-fine ground, roughly the equivalent of one heaping AeroPress scoop. Remember, when you buy your AeroPress from RECENT, it also includes a 250g bag of our House Blend, Nose to the Grindstone, pre-ground.

For maximum freshness, you can grind the beans yourself, right before you brew.

For a better look at what a Medium-fine grind is, please see our article on Coffee Grind size: Why it matters

3. Hot Water

Just off the boil, keep it around 80-90°C for the perfect extraction. Aim for 230ml.

4. A Gooseneck Kettle

Not strictly necessary, but we want you to have the best coffee possible. This gives you greater control over the flow of water, making it easier to pour evenly over the coffee.

5. A Scale

Again, you don't need it, but we always recommend using a scale for repeatable results, where practical. If you're making your coffee halfway up a mountain, we'd probably skip the scale as well.

The Brewing Process

There might seem like a lot of information here so far, but the AeroPress itself is remarkably simple to use. Once you've made a few coffees, the process will become second nature. 

Follow the steps below and you'll have a great cup in just a few minutes.

Step 1: Heat the water

Heat your water to around 80-90°C. If you're using a kettle without temperature control, bring the water to the boil and allow it to cool for a short while before brewing.

We recommend using filtered or good-quality drinking water where possible, as the water you use can have a noticeable effect on the flavour of your coffee.

Step 2: Prepare the filter

Place your paper filter in the AeroPress's plastic filter cap. Wet the paper filter with some warm water, being gentle with your fingers. This serves the dual purpose of rinsing the filter and warming up the AeroPress.

Step 3: Assemble the AeroPress

Attach the filter cap to the bottom half of the AeroPress, then position it over your trusty coffee mug. If you're using a scale, place it beneath the mug to ensure precise measurements.

Step 4: Add the coffee

Measure 12g of coffee, ground medium-fine, and add it into the AeroPress (on top of the filter).

Step 5: Add the water

Add 230ml of water to the AeroPress, pouring steadily to ensure all the coffee grounds are saturated. If you're using a gooseneck kettle, this is where its greater control over the water flow becomes useful.

Give the coffee a gentle stir.

Step 6: Steep the Coffee

Attach the AeroPress plunger and allow the coffee to brew for 2 minutes. 

Step 7: Press

Slowly press down on the AeroPress plunger. Use steady, gentle pressure rather than forcing the plunger. When you hear the characteristic hiss of air passing through the filter, it's time to stop.

Step 8: Enjoy

Remove the AeroPress from your mug and enjoy your coffee.

You can drink it as brewed, or add a little hot water or milk to suit your preference.

Step 9: Cleaning

One of the AeroPress's advantages is how quick and easy it is to clean.

Once you've finished brewing, remove the filter cap and push the plunger a little further to eject the used coffee 'puck' and filter. Give the filter cap and plunger a rinse with warm water and leave them to dry.

There's no collection of fiddly parts to clean, so you're ready to brew again in no time.