The Aerobie, that cool flying ring that broke the Guinness World Record for an object thrown the farthest (twice!), which still stands at 1,333 feet, was invented by Alan Adler.
The idea of wanting to make himself a single cup of coffee,so he began building a new type of brewer in his garage. The first prototype was built in just a few weeks, and then perfected after a year of tinkering with his design: The Aerobie AeroPress.
The small, two-tubed, cylindrical invention is completely manual and was inspired by espresso machine technology. It uses human pressure to press water through immersed coffee creating a coffee puck. Because of the manual human touch used, there are many variables that can be changed: brewing time, push time, coffee to water ratio, and the all important inverting.
The AeroPress has gained popularity since it's invention in 2005. In 2008, the first 'World AeroPress Championship' was held in Oslo, Norway, and had three competitors. The following years showed an increase of people, by the thousands, from over 60 different counties competing.
This awesome brewer is great for camping, road trips, the beach, world travel, and everyday life.
While there are different brewing methods using the AeroPress, this is our preferred method at Abide Culture Coffee Roasters:
Abide Culture Coffee: whole bean [18-20g]
AeroPress (which comes with a paddle, funnel, and scoop)
filter [paper or metal]
grinder•
gram scale
kettle
hot water (off-boil, around 185-200°F)
paddle
timer
a favorite sturdy cup
•a burr grinder allows the grind to be more consistent.
Step 1
while 200g of water is heating (around 185-200°F), measure out 18-20g of coffee [dose](depending on your heaping scoop) and grind it fine/medium: about 400µm. we prefer 20-25g per press.
insert a disposable paper filter or metal filter into the detachable black cap. paper and metal filters have their pros and cons: paper is a quick clean up, whereas metal is reusable; paper holds onto some of those delicious coffee oils, whereas metal does not.
NOTE: we prefer using the metal filter.
Step 3
assemble the AeroPress: the "top" of the chamber is where the black cap will be screwed on, and the "bottom" of the chamber is where the rubber plunger will sit, inserted just enough for the seal to be tight.
Step 4
after the water is heated (off-boil), rinse out the filter. this is important for rinsing out the paper flavor and also adhering the paper filter to the cap. rinse out the AeroPress, which allow the chamber to warm up. if using a metal filter, don't skip this step; it is still important.
Step 5
on a level surface, set the assembled AeroPress so that the "top" of the chamber is up. place the funnel on top of the chamber and pour the ground coffee into the AeroPress. remove the funnel. give it a little shake and level the coffee.
Step 6
start your timer. saturate all the grounds within 10 seconds. make sure the coffee is evenly saturated. pour the desired amount of water in, spin the chamber to make sure all the grounds are saturated. use your paddle and give a stir. do not overfill the chamber.
NOTE: the numbers 1-4 on the side of the chamber allow you to make either an espresso shot or an americano. this is where you get to experiment with how much water you want to use. you can use the plunger to adjust to what desired number you want prior to adding water.
Step 7
attach the cap and filter on top of the chamber and screw it on, locking it correctly in the grooves. at the 1:30 mark, flip the AeroPress over and onto a sturdy cup and surface. begin "pressing" the plunger down with steady pressure. once you hear a hissing sound, stop.
Step 8
flip back over, remove the cap, place the top of the chamber downwards and press the final amount of the plunger into the chamber, allowing the puck to pop out.
TIP: instead of throwing away used coffee grounds, we like to add them into our compost mixture.
Step 9
using the rest of the water, rinse the entire assembly and make sure it is dry before using again.
DO NOT use the dishwasher to clean the AeroPress.
Step 10
swirl. sip. enjoy.
AeroPress Espresso
obviously, this isn't true espresso. there are attributes missing like the crema.
[from start to finish, once coffee is brewing, this method takes 30 seconds]
water: 60g of water heated to ~195°F
coffee: 20g of coffee ground fine [~300µm]
place assembled AeroPress—inverted—on scale.
add ground coffee.
tare scale.
start timer and begin pouring heated water into inverted AeroPress.
once scale hits 60g, pick up AeroPress and "swirl" the coffee and water.
at 25 seconds, flip AeroPress over and place on your favorite sturdy cup and begin "pressing" downward.
finish at 30 seconds.
sip. enjoy.