Aeropress again-again.

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Aeropress again-again.

Postby Richard » Sat Dec 03, 2011 4:35 pm

Very-slowly trying to catch-up on this forum, the Aeropress has always been my favoured tool after deciding that espresso wasn't working for me.

So, the Aeropress is favoured, if we have coffee drinking guests they get a press-pot which is fine but not as nice as the Aeropress with gold filters.

I've just seen an interesting use of the Aeropress by one of your professionals called Keith O'Sullivan here; http://vimeo.com/27379759

Keith gets a lot of coffee out of the Aeropress though I can't stop thinking it's a bit on on the weak side. Does anyone use this method ? Keeping everything warm must be a nightmare and what is the purpose of that T-Pot-type pot with the fancy-wiggle in the spout ?

One thing that does me in the head going from press-pot to Aeropress is the grind. If I set my machine to fine for the Aeropress I get a lot of sludge in the press-pot.

Dump the press-pot, buy another two Aeropress and use Keith's technique when the need arrises.

Yes ?
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RE: Aeropress again-again.

Postby Dahtac » Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:08 pm

That video seems to be getting around nicely :)

Well firstly, I am so not a professional, so feel free not to listen to me too seriously.

As for the technique, I'll bullet point it for clarity

It really depends on what you mean by weak. An extraction of 20%, which I believe the coffee in the video was, is smack in the middle of the desirable scale. If you are referring to the TDS, then the coffee to water ratio used 60g/L, is aso smack in the midrange. If you find you prefer stronger coffee, it would simply require upping the dose weight of coffee slightly.

Subjectively, it wasn't that weak at all. The long stir at the beginning results in a very fast extraction. I was using a natural coffee and th resulting cup was absolutely huge in terms of body.

There is actually very few issues with temp loss, the aeropress retains heat pretty well and the brew was actually quite hot when first finished, I had to leave it cool for a bit before drinking. It was even at a drinkable temperature for about 20-25 minutes after, kept in the decanter with the lid on.

The kettle you are referring to is a Hario Buono pouring kettle, specifically designed for brewing pourover filter coffee. Not a necessity in the likes of press pots and aeropress as you can pour straight from the kettle. I was just using it because it's a pretty neat piece of kit and also has great heat retention. I needed to boil my water off screen a minute or two before I started to pour, so it kept it at a desirable temperature.

It is mainly used in pourover brewing for its great accuracy, balance and ergonomics, makes holding over a litre of water easy and makes pouring a dream.

I certainly wouldn't dump the press pot, there are a number of ways to make the brew cleaner after brewing. Have you ever tried decanting the coffee through a paper firer before serving?

That aeropress technique in the video is certainly showy and would make a great party piece, but it can also be a bit awkward to get the hang of. I actually plan on doing a detailed breakdown video guide soon, probably with an accompanying blog post. I should be doing this about the end of the month. One more video to shoot off first.

If you serve multiple people at once, it might also be an idea to invest in a pourover brewer, they are more scalable, and the average size usually does about three cups. The Hario V60 and Kalitta Wave are two inexpensive examples, both cost under 20 quid and produce amazing coffee with a bit of practice. The chemex is also great, although priced, usually running up to about €50 or so, but is very classy and a great piece of kit.

Hope that helps
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Re: RE: Aeropress again-again.

Postby Richard » Sun Dec 04, 2011 9:38 am

Dahtac wrote:Well firstly, I am so not a professional, so feel free not to listen to me too seriously.



Take the comment as a compliment and you've been an enormous help.

Regarding my comment about the strength of the coffee, the comment wasn't meant to be a judgement, rather a question. You got a lot of coffee out of that Aeropress with that technique.

The pouring kettle function is more obvious now I watched the video again, can it be used to heat water over a gas ring and what about the jug ? That jug looks perfect for serving after Aero-pressing.

You made it all look very pro, whilst i've always recommended the Aeropress to friends i'll become an evangelist after this. Fantastic.

Just going to one side slightly, I always use the Aeropress inverted when I load it but I can't can't remember why I started doing that other than the double gold filters do let the coffee run out faster than paper filters.
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RE: Re: RE: Aeropress again-again.

Postby Dahtac » Sun Dec 04, 2011 12:30 pm

Now worries, I didn't take it as a judgement, it is rather fast in terms of brew time so I decided to give some numbers to back up my claims. :) I tend to like my coffee on the light side anyway, so generally I recommend brewing to your own taste.

Brewing with the method in the video, there isn't much point in inverting, it's a waste of time really. I usually invert when I am doing single brews however, both with the paper and metal filters. Although, different techniques will require different approaches to this.

The kettle itself can be heating over gas and induction as far as I remember, no longer have the box so not entirely sure and can't check for you :)

I love the jug as well. Hario have some marvellous pieces of glassware besides their brewing apparatus. They have some amazing transparent glass cups as well, weight next to nothing and are a joy to sip from. Unfortunately I have not as of yet been able to track down a set. Probably very pricey anyway
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RE: Re: RE: Aeropress again-again.

Postby Jules » Sun Dec 04, 2011 1:51 pm

I've used the Hario kettle on both induction and gas hobs.

Great video. I'm going to have to dig out my aeropress again.
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RE: Re: RE: Aeropress again-again.

Postby CakeBoy » Sun Dec 04, 2011 9:50 pm

Yes, great video. We'll give it a go :)
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Postby Richard » Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:37 pm

You know whats happening now keith ?

The simple act of making coffee with an Aeropress has been turned into an art-form.

No more whacking the water in and pressing the plunger until it hisses.

I'm looking for something more stylish than our stove-top kettle to pour the water but i'm struggling. Over £50 for a lovely pourer with a lovely bendy spout, then £25/£35 for a nice stylish glass server is going to cause some raised eyebrow when i'm the only coffee drinker in the house. She drinks coffee with coffee drinking guests but she never encourages visitors to drink coffee after my reaction to one pair who preferred instant.
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Postby Aadje » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:09 pm

Well, they shouldn't have opted for instant . . .
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Postby Dahtac » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:11 pm

My opinion is that people can drink what they want.

Their loss and more for me :)
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Postby Aadje » Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:53 am

:)

I have to admit I sometimes drink Nescafe too . . . but only to avoid the absolutely foul coffee coming from the coffee-machines here at the university.
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Postby Dahtac » Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:35 am

If I can't get coffee, I get tea...generic blends can at least taste vaguely nice in milk, and you have more control over extraction. :)
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Postby Richard » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:06 am

Ah, just bring this to life.

I wondered why Steve was selling spare rubbers for the Aeropress. All of a sudden mine started to judder on the way down so presumably the silicone-rubber, if thats what it is, looses it's slip qualities.

Ok-Ok, I'l buy a new one, but if this happens to you take the rubber off the plunger body, turn it round and push it down backwards. It works a lot better until you get a new rubber.

Why down they make a larger size Aeropress, I would buy one, pain in the bum going back to press-pot when we have coffee drinking visitors.

With a bit of luck they'll ask for instant. :D
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Postby espressomattic » Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:37 pm

Hmmm...swould have to try this, but I really don't buy that continued extraction with so little coffee. After 8 years of using them I prefer the 'normal' method. Who else here purchased on when they first came out and still uses them? I still find it my favourite method without a doubt.
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Postby Richard » Mon Apr 22, 2013 8:52 am

I've been moving about between press-pot, Aeropress and stovetop and my latest favoured coffee is...................... ?

You're not going to believe this.........................

Rich Italian beans from M&S brewed in my press-pot, seems different coffees prefer their own extraction methods and my Aeropress goes in-and-out of favour. The one method I never use is drip.

I suppose Aeropress will always be favoured when i'm out in my motorhome for it's tidy-ness and easy-to-use. getting rid of the messy grounds is so-so easy though I suppose a stove top is also easy.
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Postby espressomattic » Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:17 pm

Well I tried this method this morning with karajoz 'Strong'. An intense blend of stronger beans. And I am willing to say tht i was surprised. I didn't make a Karaffe full, but a decent mug full and the flavour was really good, well rounded. No hint of over extraction or anything else i was expecting.

And Richard - your sins are forgiven...
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