MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 4,655 Location: Vancouver Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Frankenstein'ed LM Linea Grinder: Anfim Super Caimano Vac Pot: 1922 Silex Drip: Krups Moka Brew Roaster: Hottop
Posted Mon Oct 30, 2006, 1:19pm Subject: Another person sold on the Aeropress (used like that famous device)...
I totally forgot to mention this - Bronwen Serna and I had a really nice visit and catching up last Thursday. It was fun to just go completely geek-out on coffee and espresso for an entire evening.
She had never seen an Aeropress in action before, but she's had plenty of face time with the Clover and lots of other coffee brewing products, so when she was scoping out some of the temporary residents of my kitchen, I pulled the aeropress out and explained to her various ideas about this "hackable" brewer. Showed the ultra-precious steel photo etched filter, and explained to her that I thought it capable of producing a brew that was roughly on par, or better than some Clover coffees I've had. She was a bit skeptical.
So I set it up and basically brewed much like a Clover (which means I do not follow the shipping instructions at all - and don't use the Aeropress mega-scoop either). Here's the method
- Boil fresh water. - Wait until the kettle starts rolling (but not yet shut off) - Invert the Aeropress, without the filter (black) part attached. extend the tube almost all the way. - Add roughly 15g of coffee for the approximately 8-9oz I'm brewing. Coffee is ground to slightly coarser than moka (ie, between drip and moka grinds) - pour off-the boil water into the device, slowly, completely saturating the beans. - bloom is an issue - you have to pour, let it puff up, stir quickly, then pour again to "top off". - Assemble filter holder to the aeropress. (btw, all this is done fairly fluid - so I'm up to about a 30 second steeping time here) - carefully flip the entire device so it's sitting on a coffee mug. - wait another 15 seconds (roughly a 50 second steep time now) - plunge, nice and steady - probably about 20-25lbs of pressure (not as hard as my normal tamping pressure.
My favourite part? When her eyes "popped" after sampling the coffee. I think we were having the La Perla de Oaxaca from Intelly (their Organic Mexican) and the first thing she said was "wow, all that body and sweetness!"
I was like "yeah... now for the life of me, I can't figure out why I almost never seem to get that same level of body development when I drink Clover brewed coffees"
As a side thought, today I was wondering if the more steep-temperature fall down has anything to do with this... the homebrew Aeropress Clover clone method doesn't match the Clover in one regard - the water temperature falls a lot quicker in the brewer. There's not much else different that I can see, except one is an automatic machine, and one is manual, hands on - at least when the steel precision filter is used.
Anyway, she was really impressed with the method. So just for kicks, I brewed another sample again, using the Aeropress' instructions, to a T (even put a therm on the water to see if it was 175F). used the prescribed dose and grind fineness. Brewed it and placed the cup right next to the Clover-clone cup. Bronwen was quite offended by the taste of it. In fact, I remarked "wow, after having the (175F brew), the one done like the Clover is almost like a tonic or remedy to get that skank sour taste out of your mouth." and Bronwen readily agreed.
Woo hoo. Another convert. Now if only this guy I've been in contact with in Toronto gets serious and starts making these photo etched filters.
Any other modelers out there who have access to a photo etching cutter?
Yirga Senior Member Joined: 3 Feb 2006 Posts: 659 Location: Big Bend Expertise: Just starting
Posted Mon Oct 30, 2006, 3:32pm Subject: Re: Another person sold on the Aeropress (used like that famous device)...
MarkPrince Said:
. . . Woo hoo. Another convert. Now if only this guy I've been in contact with in Toronto gets serious and starts making these photo etched filters. . . . Mark
And, when's that Cal guy, whut come-up with that thang, gunna get offa his buns and get etched metal filters offered AND, when's he gunna put out a, BIG DADDY, hairpress that even the ladies can plunge? Huh? Huh?
Posted Sat Apr 19, 2008, 3:59pm Subject: Re: Another person sold on the Aeropress (used like that famous device)...
The flavoring of the paper filter is what bugs me the most about the Aeropress. I haven' t figured out how to minimize it. Otherwise, it's a fabulous brewing system.
Posted Sat Apr 19, 2008, 6:19pm Subject: Re: Paper Filter
I'll try to set that up in the near future.
I just brewed some dark roasted Golocha, with a presoaked (4 min in boiler water) filter. Nothing in the cup made me think of the filter. I think that's trick for me, at least until I do the blind test... ;-) (Golocha is very fragrant, pungent, blueberry-ish)
I would trade my machine for one of these filters... Maybe not, but I really want one. I chopped a circle out of a permanent drip filter to fit the AP, and while it works ok I still want a custom filter.
Posted Mon Apr 21, 2008, 9:57am Subject: Re: Another person sold on the Aeropress (used like that famous device)...
MarkPrince Said:
- bloom is an issue - you have to pour, let it puff up, stir quickly, then pour again to "top off". - Assemble filter holder to the aeropress. (btw, all this is done fairly fluid - so I'm up to about a 30 second steeping time here) - carefully flip the entire device so it's sitting on a coffee mug. - wait another 15 seconds (roughly a 50 second steep time now) - plunge, nice and steady - probably about 20-25lbs of pressure (not as hard as my normal tamping pressure.
Question for you Mark - why flip and wait another 15 seconds? Why not keep steeping in inverted mode to 45-50 seconds, then flip and start plunging immediately?
I haven't tested your method, but seems to me the reason for the doing the inverted method was to keep those first drips from falling into the cup before the plunge/extraction started.
Maybe it doesn't make a difference in the cup, but wondering how/why you settled on this particular method.
bobvilax2000 Senior Member Joined: 15 Apr 2005 Posts: 126 Location: Cincinnati, OH Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rotary Brewtus Grinder: Macap MXK, Rocky Drip: Swiss Gold One Cup Roaster: Behm
Posted Mon Apr 21, 2008, 12:18pm Subject: Re: Another person sold on the Aeropress (used like that famous device)...
I can's speak for Mark, so I'll weigh in on what I do.
I start inverted, pour a few ounces of water and stir, then pour to the top and cap it. At the 1:30 mark I flip it over the cup At the 3:00 mark I plunge steadily lasting maybe ten seconds.
Only a little bit of water drips when you flip it over and that's only because of the motion. It doesn't drip at all when settled. Think of a straw with your finger over one end.
Flipping, for me, remixes the grounds midway through the brew and gives a richer cup. I've only recently started doing this and it is a very marked improvement rather than flipping and plunging immediately. More body than drip and more balanced sweetness than french press.
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