richedie Senior Member Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 683 Location: Pennsylvania Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Nov 1, 2011, 4:49am Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
CoffeeNewbie75 Said:
So I'm a week into it and I'm really enjoying the coffee this thing makes. My only complaint is the amount of coffee needed.
Followup question: When they say the plunge should take 15-20 seconds, it seems like I'm only plunging about 1/3 to 1/2 of the actual water. The rest of it has dripped through the filter in the 15 or so seconds I'm stirring the water/grinds mixture.
Am I missing out on some flavor extraction by those that first amount of water flowing through to the cup naturally without being "pressed?"
It does a great job. I tried inverted Aero method but found not much different than standard Aero method. Actually you can get similar results from a good manual pour over so keep that in mind.
John402052000 Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 31 Location: KY Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Nov 1, 2011, 6:25am Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
Instead of the inverted method I insert the plunger at an angle and then pull it back a little bit. This creates suction in the chamber and stops the dripping. I don't usually have that much drip through during stirring. Maybe you're not grinding your beans fine enough?
CoffeeNewbie75 Senior Member Joined: 26 Oct 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Florida Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Nov 1, 2011, 9:25am Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
John402052000 Said:
Instead of the inverted method I insert the plunger at an angle and then pull it back a little bit. This creates suction in the chamber and stops the dripping. I don't usually have that much drip through during stirring. Maybe you're not grinding your beans fine enough?
That's a good idea, maybe I'll try it tomorrow morning.
Now one more question. If I'm adding hot water afterwards to make a coffee instead of "espresso," what would be the difference if I just added that amount of extra water to the chamber during the brewing process? Wouldn't that theoretically make the coffee a bit stronger than adding plain water afterwards?
Posted Tue Nov 1, 2011, 3:05pm Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
CoffeeNewbie75 Said:
...
Now one more question. If I'm adding hot water afterwards to make a coffee instead of "espresso," what would be the difference if I just added that amount of extra water to the chamber during the brewing process? Wouldn't that theoretically make the coffee a bit stronger than adding plain water afterwards?
It depends on what it does for extraction. If you have the same contact time and same grind level, then extra water won't really change the extraction, so you'll just have weaker coffee in the end, same amount of dissolved solids - and it won't be any different than diluting concentrated coffee in the end.
All you really have done is change the brew ratio (ratio of coffee : brew water) - which for most immersion brew methods only changes the strength. In this case, for a fairly large range, reducing the brew ratio produces less strength (same dissolved solids, more water).
And, you can search around, but the Aeropress doesn't make espresso, it makes a concentrated coffee. It doesn't have the heat nor the pressure during the brewing process to extract what espresso does.
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"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
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CoffeeNewbie75 Senior Member Joined: 26 Oct 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Florida Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Nov 8, 2011, 10:00am Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
For some reason, I like the coffee produced when I pour boiling water straight from the hot water kettle. Would there be any danger to doing the inverted method with such hot water, considering the plunger is rubber?
And is doing the regular method, and quickly putting the plunger in and vacuuming up to stop the drip out and letting it steep, about the same as the inverted method?
paulbel Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2008 Posts: 127 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: aeropress Grinder: conical burr (cuisinart) Drip: sometimes
Posted Tue Nov 8, 2011, 10:41am Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
I can't speak about the boiling water, as I'm one of those who uses cooler water (approx 175 degrees) as per the standard instructions. But I can answer the second question: No. One of the key aspects of the inverted method is that you are able to extract some of the coffee oils that are normally trapped in the filter paper. As long as all your coffee is being plunged through the paper, you're missing this essential (in both senses of the word) element.
jpender Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2011 Posts: 428 Location: California Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Kyocera CM-50 Vac Pot: S/S Moka Pot Drip: Aeropress
Posted Tue Nov 8, 2011, 10:45am Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
CoffeeNewbie75 Said:
For some reason, I like the coffee produced when I pour boiling water straight from the hot water kettle. Would there be any danger to doing the inverted method with such hot water, considering the plunger is rubber?
And is doing the regular method, and quickly putting the plunger in and vacuuming up to stop the drip out and letting it steep, about the same as the inverted method?
I wouldn't worry about the plunger. Lots of people are using 200°F or higher water in an inverted Aeropress without issue. The coffee grounds cool things considerably anyways. And Aerobie actually suggests boiling water by putting it in the plunger and then microwaving it.
I was initially reluctant to invert because I thought it would be more of a hassle. So I was sticking the plunger in like you describe to stop the dripping. There was still some getting through while I stirred, and on top of that I couldn't add more water as the bloom subsided. I found it harder to control so I started doing it inverted. Now the non-inverted method just seems backwards and unnecessarily awkward to me. But if it works for you go with it.
CoffeeNewbie75 Senior Member Joined: 26 Oct 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Florida Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Nov 8, 2011, 11:52pm Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
jpender Said:
I was initially reluctant to invert because I thought it would be more of a hassle. So I was sticking the plunger in like you describe to stop the dripping. There was still some getting through while I stirred, and on top of that I couldn't add more water as the bloom subsided. I found it harder to control so I started doing it inverted. Now the non-inverted method just seems backwards and unnecessarily awkward to me. But if it works for you go with it.
As far as water measurements go with the inverted method, with the plunger just slightly in, is it pretty much the opposite from regular (i.e. if I normally fill to the top of the (2), do I now fill up to the bottom of the (3)?
Posted Wed Nov 9, 2011, 9:14am Subject: Re: Aerobie Aeropress
what's wrong with some dripping ? seems perfectly normal given the design, and no less than the designer of the aeropress himself, said i twas normal, too. I handle the dripping by not worrying about it. An easy technique, too.
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