AeroPress recipe: 16.4 g of fine to medium ground coffee to 230 g of water (1:14), about 16 g if your scale reads whole grams. Steep about 2 minutes in total, then press for 20 to 30 seconds.
What you need
This makes one mug. The calculator shows 16.4 g of coffee for 230 g of water at 1:14. Most kitchen scales read whole grams, so 16 g is close enough.
- 16 g fine to medium ground coffee
- 230 g water at about 195°F, plus extra for rinsing the filter
Equipment: an AeroPress with its paddle or a spoon, a paper filter, a kettle, a scale, a timer, and a sturdy mug with an opening narrower than the AeroPress base. Thin glass mugs and wide bowls are not a good base, because you press down with real force.
Grind fine to medium, somewhere between table salt and fine sand. The AeroPress is flexible here. Finer coffee brews faster but is harder to press. Coarser coffee presses easily but needs a longer steep. If your cup is too bitter or too thin, the grind is usually the first thing to adjust.
The standard method, step by step
The standard method is the way the AeroPress is designed to be used, sitting upright on the mug. A little coffee drips through before you press, which is normal.
- Heat the water to about 195°F, or let a boiled kettle rest for about a minute.
- Put a paper filter in the cap, rinse it with hot water, twist the cap onto the chamber, and stand it on a sturdy mug.
- Add 16 g of fine to medium ground coffee and shake it level.
- Start a timer, pour in 230 g of water, and stir gently for about 10 seconds.
- Set the plunger into the top of the chamber to slow the dripping, and wait until the timer reads about 1:30.
- Press down slowly and steadily for 20 to 30 seconds, and stop when you hear a hiss.
Setting the plunger in early creates a light seal that holds most of the water in the chamber while it steeps. Stopping at the hiss leaves the last wet layer of grounds behind, which is where harsher flavors tend to collect. Once it is done, twist off the cap and push the puck of grounds straight into the bin. Rinse the seal and it is ready for tomorrow.
The inverted method
The inverted method turns the AeroPress upside down so nothing drips through early. Every drop steeps for the full time, much like a small French press, and the cup often tastes a little fuller. The recipe stays the same: 16 g of coffee, 230 g of water, about 2 minutes.
- Push the plunger into the chamber about 1 cm and stand it upside down on the counter, plunger at the bottom.
- Add the coffee, pour in the water, and stir for about 10 seconds.
- Rinse a filter in the cap and twist it on firmly.
- At about 1:30, place a mug upside down on top, then flip the whole thing over in one confident motion.
- Press for 20 to 30 seconds, stopping at the hiss.
Flip with care. The inverted method holds hot water above your hands. Make sure the plunger is pushed in far enough to grip, leave room under the cap, and keep the counter dry. If the flip makes you nervous, the standard method makes a very good cup too.
| Standard | Inverted | |
|---|---|---|
| Position while steeping | Upright on the mug | Upside down on the counter |
| Early dripping | A little | None |
| Cup | Clean and bright | Slightly fuller |
| Best for | Ease and everyday brewing | Longer steeps and coarser grinds |
A concentrate for milk drinks
The AeroPress can also make a small, strong shot of coffee to stretch with milk. It is not espresso, which needs far more pressure, and it will not have the same crema. Our guide to what espresso is explains the difference. But it is rich enough to carry a mug of milk, and it is a good way to make a latte style drink without an espresso machine.
- Coffee: 16 g, ground a little finer than for the recipe above.
- Water: about 80 g at around 195°F, a 1:5 ratio.
- Method: stir for 20 seconds, steep for about 1 minute, then press slowly.
- To finish: top with 150 to 200 g of steamed milk for a hot drink, or pour over ice and cold milk for an iced one.
You can also dilute the same concentrate with hot water for a quick, Americano style cup. Taste it before adding everything, since a concentrate this strong goes a long way.
Fixing your AeroPress cup
Change one thing at a time, and brew the same way twice before deciding.
| What you taste or feel | Try this |
|---|---|
| Sour or thin | Grind finer, steep longer, or use hotter water |
| Bitter or dry | Grind coarser, shorten the steep, or drop the water to about 185°F |
| Weak but balanced | Add a gram or two of coffee, toward 1:12 |
| Strong but balanced | Use a little less coffee, toward 1:16, or add hot water after pressing |
| Very hard to press | Grind coarser and press more gently, never force it |
| Plunger drops with almost no resistance | Grind finer |
The filter changes the cup too. Paper filters catch most of the oils and fine particles, so the coffee tastes clean and light. A reusable metal filter lets more of both through, which gives a heavier, rounder cup with a little sediment at the bottom. If you switch to metal, grind slightly coarser so fewer fines end up in your mug.
Darker roasts usually taste best on the cooler end, around 185°F to 195°F, while lighter roasts often want hotter water. Because the AeroPress makes one mug at a time, it is one of the easiest brewers to experiment with. Small changes show up fast.
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