Posted Wed Dec 5, 2012, 2:24pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
roach56 Said:
That espro looks interesting. I started with a moka pot (still have it) and never could get a good cup from it,not sure if I ground too fine or what but I always got a cup that tasted burnt or had a metal taste.
Yes, you have to keep the applied heat low & the moment it starts to come out of the spout I've heard that you should then take it off of the heat to finish/carry through without burning/getting too hot that way.
I may just give the aero press a try since the brew time is short, it'll stay hotter.
Yep, it all depends of the coffee finess/coarseness that'll determine the proper extraction time (to YOUR taste).
Never tried a vacuum but have heard they are very good.
Yes & I love the vac brewed coffee too!
Pictured below is the larger size 40 oz 2 piece filter assembly on the left & the smaller size 10 oz assembly on the right.
roach56 Senior Member Joined: 17 Jun 2010 Posts: 120 Location: USA Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Wed Dec 5, 2012, 4:27pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
I've been reading feedback on the aero press and some of the negatives are the amount of grounds to water it requires. What ratio are most of you guys using and water temps.
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 6:39am Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
Hi Mike, It really boils down (pun intended! ;)) to the strength of the cup that you prefer for your own taste.
I don't brew anywhere near the recommended two 14 gram scoop (they show/say a drip grind) provided & suggested in the Aeropress instructions for a specified 10 oz mug. I don't even brew with one scoop, I like 11 or 12 grams for my happens to be 10 oz mug & I use 180 - 185°F strike/brew temp water in two additions.
jpender Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Posts: 402 Location: California Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Kyocera CM-50 Vac Pot: S/S Moka Pot Drip: Aeropress
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 12:26pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
roach56 Said:
I've been reading feedback on the aero press and some of the negatives are the amount of grounds to water it requires. What ratio are most of you guys using and water temps.
It's true in general that immersion brewing requires more coffee for a given strength than drip coffee since good coffee is trapped in the grounds. This effect is exacerbated as the strength goes up (more grounds and stronger trapped coffee). So in that sense the Aeropress, with it's small volume, isn't the most efficient brewer, especially if you brew strong with the intention to dilute afterwards to a lower strength.
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 2:33pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
jpender Said:
It's true in general that immersion brewing requires more coffee for a given strength than drip coffee since good coffee is trapped in the grounds. This effect is exacerbated as the strength goes up (more grounds and stronger trapped coffee). So in that sense the Aeropress, with it's small volume, isn't the most efficient brewer, especially if you brew strong with the intention to dilute afterwards to a lower strength.
You can also do a 2nd rinse brew - been working well for me lately. Make your coffee with the intention of diluting, but instead put some of the cooler (but still hot) brew water into the grounds, quickly stir and press again. It seems like you're re-brewing, but it really just dilutes the coffee that's "stuck in the puck" and adds it to your mug - making better use of the coffee and getting a near-full cup.
What I've done at work (after checking at home), and thinking of adding this as a modified recipe is this:
400g (approx) hot water 22.5g coffee
Make sure you can reliably retract the plunger without dislodging the filter - it helps if you have a disc filter which can be used in conjunction with a paper filter.
Place AP on a mug.
Add 125g hot water just off boil to coffee, "verted" (i.e. NOT upside down). Steep approx 45 seconds and press into mug. Retract plunger. Add another 125g of the hot brew water to the grounds. Stir and steep about 20 seconds and press. Retract plunger, add remaining water, stir and steep about 20 seconds and press.
Enjoy a cup of coffee that is highly likely to be 20% extracted, by the numbers (using yield method), and very weak coffee the only liquid "stuck in the puck."
I referred to it over a year ago as "stepped brew", I forget the member that brought up "rebrewing" AP brews. I also think of it as "staged brewing" and you can use it in stages of steep/press to act like a piecewise approximation of a percolation brew. Each successive press (with a short mix and press time) is weaker and weaker - and it dilutes the coffee in the cup, but not nearly as much as adding just brew water.
The cheap engineer in me just had to find a way to get at the good coffee still stuck in the puck. LOL!
I used 45g of hot water in 10-12g increments of about 30second steeps, on 8g of coffee to produce 30g of ~5% strength coffee that didn't have crema but was the closest to espresso I've ever come in an Aeropress.
You can also do this with cold brewing and longer steeps for the stages to get a clear 20% "extraction" by the numbers. It's a real lesson on what the taste differences are between cold-brewed and hot-brewed coffee.
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 3:00pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
roach56 Said:
I drink one to two small 5-6 oz. cups in the morning. Been doing pour overs for last couple years. Once in a while I'll make americanos with my lever. I like my coffee hot as I use half&half in it. I have a cheap bonjour FP but my coffee is not hot enough after 4 minute extraction. I was looking at the aero press but since it's non insulated, think I may have the same problem. Any suggestions?
Quite simply, you do not do 4 minute wait times till extraction with the aeropress. You simply put in the just off boil water and stir briskly for 30 seconds then extract. That is how I do it, and I believe that my 30 seconds are longer than the manufacturers suggested stir time.
Len
"Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 3:23pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
CoffeeRoastersClub Said:
Quite simply, you do not do 4 minute wait times till extraction with the aeropress. You simply put in the just off boil water and stir briskly for 30 seconds then extract. That is how I do it, and I believe that my 30 seconds are longer than the manufacturers suggested stir time.
You CAN. Most people who use it normally don't. I certainly have (gone as long as 12 minutes, capped and insulated).
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 3:38pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
Here's the Aerobie Aeropress brewing instructions:
1 Put two AeroPress scoops of fine-drip grind coffee into the chamber.
2 Pour hot water slowly into the chamber up to the number 2. Use 175°F (80°C) water for the very best taste.
3 Mix the water and coffee with the stirrer for about 10 seconds.
4 Wet the rubber seal and insert the plunger into the chamber. Gently press down about a quarter of an inch and maintain that pressure for about 20 to 30 seconds until the plunger bottoms on the coffee. Gentle pressure is the key to easy AeroPressing.
Here's the brewing instructions for the Able Brewing Equipment Inc Regular disk:Here's the brewing instructions for the Able Brewing Equipment Inc Fine disk:
1 Put in 18g of fresh coffee (medium grind). 1 In inverted position, put in 22g of fresh coffee (medium-fine grind).
2 Pour in 220ml of 200°F water slowly for 30 seconds. 2 Pour in 100ml of 200°F water. Stir 3-4 times.
3 Wait 50 seconds. 3 Pour 100ml of water. Steep for 1.00 minute.
4 Stir gently for 10 seconds. 4 Lock filter cap w/disk fine on press.
5 Plunge slowly for 40 seconds & enjoy your coffee. 5 Flip the press onto mug.Press for 15 seconds. Stopping when you hear the "hiss".
6 Add 3-4 oz of water post brew into your mug. (Adjust to taste).
Here's the brewing instructions for the Kaffeologie S disk:
1 Insert S filter mesh side up.
2 Add coffee Drip Grind 2 Tbsp (12g).
3 Add hot water. 200°F/94°C. Fill Aeropress (200g).
4 Brew & enjoy. Stir twice. Press at 3.00 minutes.
jpender Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Posts: 402 Location: California Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Kyocera CM-50 Vac Pot: S/S Moka Pot Drip: Aeropress
Posted Thu Dec 6, 2012, 3:53pm Subject: Re: French Press vs Aero Press
I haven't brewed with a French press but maybe somebody here can answer this: Do the solids that you typically get with a French press make the coffee seem stronger than a cup of coffee of the same strength that is filtered through paper? I certainly notice a difference when switching between Aeropress (paper filters) and moka coffee (noticable solids). The Aeropress coffee is both cleaner and yet somehow less satisfying. I think it's one (of several) reasons why I use more coffee in an Aeropress than in a moka pot.
I wonder if French press is similar in this regard. And if so, would someone who is accustomed to that be inclined to updose in an Aeropress?
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