Aeropress Recipe: 10 Favorite Recipes From The Best
Aeropress recipe starts of simple but have now evolved to many variations on the Internet.
This is not surprising as many of the Aeropress is a fairly popular brewing method. Furthermore, the low entry barrier in terms of cost and technique makes it very accessible to the mass market.
As a result, almost everyone has their own interpretation of the best way to brew with an Aeropress. In fact, baristas and home brewers from all over the world put their Aeropress recipes up for judging at the World Aeropress Championship (WAC)!
Anyway, after brewing with my trusty Aeropress for the past 8 years, these are my top 10 favorites!
With either the Aeropress Original or Aeropress Go, these recipes works well for both!
Disclosure
Some of the links here are affiliate links, and I may earn if you click on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. I hope you find the information here useful! Thanks!
At a glance: Top 10 Aeropress Recipes To Try!
1. Original Aeropress Method
When it comes to Aeropress recipe, you definitely have to try the original brewing method from the inventor himself, Alan Adler.
Alan’s idea of the Aeropress stems from his frustration of getting consistently bad coffee from his local diners. With this, he goes on a mission to design a brewing gear that can make decent coffee consistently.
In the year 2005, Alan Adler reveals the very first version of the Aeropress to the world.
Knowing his story, you know this man knows his coffee! If you are interested to try his original brewing recipe, I have summarized it below for your ease of reference.
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew The Original Aeropress Method
1. Start by placing the Aeropress in a standard position with the filter cap with filter paper fitted on.
2. Scoop in 15 g of coffee grounds of your choice.
3. Level the bed of coffee with a gentle tap.
4. Start the timer and add 90 ml of water to wet the coffee grounds.
5. Gently stir the mixture for 10 seconds.
6. Attach the plunger and press it to extract coffee over 20 to 40 seconds.
Author’s Note: A gooseneck kettle is an excellent choice when brewing with an Aeropress in Standard Position. This is because the gooseneck kettle allows a gentle laminar flow and will not disrupt the coffee bed during the pour.
2. Inverted Aeropress Method
With the Aeropress gaining widespread popularity around the world, home brewers and baristas start to get crafty with the Aeropress.
As the name suggests, the Inverted Aeropress Method is an alternative brewing method that simply requires you to flip the Aeropress the other way when brewing.
You are probably thinking what is the difference between the standard Aeropress position and the Inverted Aeropress position?
With the Inverted Aeropress Method, the immersion time where the steeping time of the coffee grounds is comparatively longer. This results in a fuller and rounder-bodied cup of coffee.
Here, I will be referencing Filip Kucharczky’s recipe as he wins the 2016 WAC with this exact recipe.
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew The Inverted Aeropress Method (Filip Kucharczky’s Way)
1. Place your Aeropress in an inverted position.
2. Fill the chamber with 35 g of coffee grounds.
3. Start the timer and pour 150 ml water over 15 seconds.
4. Stir the mixture for 20 seconds.
5. Fit in a filter cap along with a pre-rinsed filter paper.
6. At 1.00 minute, flip the Aeropress over and press the plunger and aim to finish within 30 seconds.
7. Dilute the coffee with 100 ml to 120 ml of water.
Author’s Note: Be careful when flipping the Aeropress over to the standard position.
3. James Hoffman Aeropress Recipe
The name James Hoffman is not foreign anymore among the coffee brewing community. And of course, the man himself has his own personal take on the Aeropress brewing technique.
In this recent video, James Hoffman debunks many of the Aeropress brewing practices and myths. Some of these practices and myths of Aeropress brewing are:
i) Contrary to popular belief, rinsing the filter paper does not really do much to the coffee.
ii) It is okay to use boiling water for Aeropress brewing. The only exception is if you are using dark roast coffee. You may want to lower the water brewing temperature (85oC)
iii) Blooming coffee in Aeropress has little effect on the overall taste of coffee if you allow it to steep long enough.
According to him, all of the above doesn’t really affect the taste of the resulting Aeropress brew.
For your reference, I have summarised James Hoffman’s brewing recipe below for your reference.
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew James Hoffman’s Aeropress Recipe
1. Fit in the filter cap along with a filter paper and place the Aeropress in a standard position. (No need to rinse the filter paper)
2. Pour your medium-grind coffee of choice into the Aeropress.
3. Start the timer and proceed to add 200 ml of water while trying to wet all the coffee grounds.
4. Immediately seal the top of the Aeropress chamber with the plunger.
5. Steep the brew for 2 minutes.
6. Gently hold the Aeropress and swirl it.
7. Further steep the coffee for 20 seconds.
8. Firmly press the Aeropress plunger all the way over 30 seconds.
4. Tim Wimbledoe’s Aeropress Recipe
Tim Wimbledoe is another name that is well-known within the Aeropress brewing community.
Hailing all the way from Norway, Tim is a 2004 World Barista Championship winner. He, later on, founded the World Aeropress Championship which brings together the world’s best Aeropress brewers annually.
To add to that, there is even an Aeropress movie produced starring Alan Adler and Tim Wimbledoe! With these credentials, you have got to take his Aeropress brewing recipe seriously.
He currently runs a micro roastery, coffee training center and espresso bar at Tim Wimbledoe, Oslo, Norway.
If you do not have the luxury to meet Tim at his cafe in Oslo, Norway, feel free to replicate his brewing method. It is the exact recipe he uses for Aeropress brewing in his cafe!
Again, I’ve summarised it below for your ease of reference.
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew Tim Wimbledoes’s Aeropress Recipe
1. Place a filter paper into your filter cap and rinse the filter paper under tap water.
2. Fit the filter cap onto the Aeropress body and place it in a standard position.
3. Add 14 g of coffee grounds of choice into your Aeropress.
4. Start the timer and pour 200 g of water and aim to wet all the coffee grounds.
5. Stir the mixture back and forth 3 times.
6. Seal the Aeropress with the Aeropress plunger and steep the mixture for 60 seconds.
7. Remove the plunger and repeat the back-and-forth stirring action 3 times.
8. Again, seal the Aeropress with the plunger and press it down to extract your coffee.
Author’s Note: Try not to over-stir the water and coffee grounds mixture. Over-agitating the mixture will cause over-extraction.
5. Wendelien Van Bunnik Aeropress Recipe (2019 WAC Champion)
Now bringing you Netherlands, we have Wendelien Van Bunnik who is the 2019 World Aeropress Championship winner! With the thought of making great coffee consistently with ease, her recipe revolves around simplicity with zero fluff.
Helming Single Estate Coffee as the coffee education director and also a coffee roaster herself, no doubt that Wendelien knows her coffee well.
Least to say, Wendelien’s recipe is also definitely worth exploring!
If you are curious about Wendelien’s winning recipe, feel free to try it out! I’ve summarised it below for your reference.
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew Wendelien Van Bunnik 2019 WAC Recipe
1. Place your Aeropress in an inverted position.
2. Fill the Aeropress chamber with 30 grams of coffee grounds.
3. Start the timer and add wet coffee grounds with 100 g of water.
4. Vigorously stir the mixture around 20 times.
5. Cap the Aeropress chamber with the filter cap fitted with rinsed filter paper.
6. Remove the excess air from the Aeropress chamber.
7. Flip the Aeropress onto a server and proceed to press to extract your coffee.
8. Further dilute your coffee with 120 ml of water before serving.
Aerobie Aeropress
Aerobie Aeropress is an extremely beginner friendly coffee brewing gear.
This is because the brewing process is fairly forgiving and you can almost make consistently great tasting coffee everytime.
Perfect coffee gear for first timers.
6. Paulina ‘Panda’ Miczka Aeropress Recipe (2017 WAC Champion)
Next, we have Paulina Miczka who is more commonly known as Panda.
Trailing 4th place in the 2015 World Aeropress Championship, Panda finally got her breakthrough when she wins the 2017 World Aeropress Championship.
In her interview, Panda aims to make her coffee taste great by balancing the acidity, sweetness and body of the final cup. Also, her recipe drew inspiration from Filip Kucharzyk who is a 2016 WAC champion!
So, if you are interested in the recipe that Panda has perfected over her years of brewing, see below for more!
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew Paulina ‘Panda’ Miczka 2017 WAC Recipe
1. Place your Aeropress in an inverted position.
2. Pour in 35 g of coffee grounds into the Aeropress chamber.
3. Start the timer and wet the coffee grounds with 150 ml of water within 15 seconds.
4. Start stirring the coffee mixture for 20 seconds.
5. Cap the Aeropress chamber with a pre-rinsed paper filter in the filter cap.
6. Flip the Aeropress over and press the Aeropress to extract the coffee over 30 seconds.
7. Dilute your coffee with 160 g to 200 g of water depending on the strength that you prefer.
General Barista Tip: Always use freshly ground coffee when brewing. This is mainly because most of the aroma and flavor will escape and diffuse into the air rapidly after grinding.
7. Kata Muhel’s Recipe (2018 Portuguese Aeropress Championship)
Next up, we have a recipe by Kata Muhel who is a 2018 Portuguese Aeropress Championship winner. Hailing from Hungary, Kata is known for the “Love Me Some Acid” recipe.
As the name suggests, her recipe aims to bring out the flavor of the natural acids present in the coffee. And so, I’d highly suggest you use specialty-grade coffee with Light or Medium roast profiles.
If you are in for some fruity flavor bomb with an Aeropress brew, refer to her recipe below!
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew Kata’s 2018 Portuguese Aeropress Championship Recipe
1. Position your Aeropress in an inverted position.
2. Fill the Aeropress chamber with 20 grams of coffee grounds and 70 grams of water.
3. Start the timer and swirl the Aeropress gently for 15 seconds.
4. Fill the chamber with 160 g of water.
5. Allow the mixture to steep for a minute.
6. Fit on the filter cap along with two pre-rinsed filter papers.
7. At time 1.20, flip the Aeropress over and press it to extract coffee for 15 seconds
8. Caffeine Dojo’s Personal Aeropress Recipe
Of course, being an Aeropress owner myself, I too have my own rendition of the Aeropress recipe.
Personally, I am a fan of the inverted Aeropress recipe and I do find it gives me consistently decent coffee. With this method, the resulting brew is balanced and I usually use a Medium Roast for my Aeropress brews.
Feel free to try out my recipe and give your feedback!
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew Caffeine Dojo’s Personal Recipe
1. Place your Aeropress in an inverted position.
2. Pour in 15 g of your coffee grounds of choice.
3. Start the timer and wet your coffee grounds with 85 ml of water.
4. Gently stir the mixture 3 times and let it steep for 15 seconds.
5. Pour the remaining 140 g of water and allow the mixture to steep for 30 seconds.
6. Cap the Aeropress with the filter cap along with the pre-rinsed filter paper.
7. Flip the Aeropress over and press the Aeropress to extract all the liquid over 30 seconds.
Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale
The Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale measures in 0.1 gram increments for the highest precision.
On top of that, there is a built in timer which is certainly a plus point for all pour over coffee brewers.
9. Tuomas Merikanto Aeropress Recipe (2021 WAC Champion)
Finally, we have a unique little Aeropress recipe from Finland by Tuomas Merikanto. His recipe stands out from the rest because he uses two filter papers instead of one!
Tuomas’s dual filter method seems to give the final cup a bright clarity and cleaner finish. This is because the filter papers absorb more of the coffee oils which contributes to a heavier mouthfeel.
If you want to know why Tuomas’s recipe got him first place in the 2021 WAC, try out his recipe below.
Author’s Note: Tuomas’s brewing recipe has a few specific points to follow. From water profile to the grind size, Tuomas have generously shared the details in his Instagram post.
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew The Tuomas Merikanto 2021 WAC Recipe
1. Position the Aeropress in an inverted position.
2. Pour in 18 g of medium-grind coffee grounds into the Aeropress chamber.
3. Start the timer and pour in 50 g of coffee over 10 seconds.
4. Gently stir back and forth 3 times.
5. Pour 150 g of water over 15 seconds and allow it to steep for 15 seconds.
6. Proceed to stir the mixture back and forth 3 more times.
7. Push the excess air out of the Aeropress chamber and cap it with the filter cap.
8. Flip the Aeropress and press on the plunger to extract coffee over 20 seconds.
10. Aeropress For Two
The Aeropress For Two is a bonus addition here for those who wants to share their Aeropress brew.
This recipe basically creates a coffee concentrate with the initial brew. All you need to do is dilute the final cup before serving your guest.
Furthermore, this recipe is especially useful if you are working in a high-traffic cafe. Brewing with this method yields more coffee with no compromise in quality. Definitely worth a shot!
Recipe Requirements
How To Brew Aeropress For Two
1. Place a filter paper into the filter cap and rinse it with hot water.
2. Fit the filter cap onto the Aeropress body and place it in a standard position.
3. Pour in 30 g of medium-fine grind coffee grounds into the brewing chamber.
4. Start the timer and fill the Aeropress chamber with 250 ml of water.
5. Gently stir the mixture for 15 seconds.
6. Seal the Aeropress with a plunger and allow it to steep until the timer reaches the 2.00 minute mark.
7. Press the Aeropress plunger and aim to finish the extraction within 30 to 40 seconds.
8. Further dilute the coffee with 150 ml of water.
Bonavita Gooseneck Electric Kettle
On top of the elegant gooseneck spout which allows precision pouring, the Bonavita Gooseneck Electric Kettle has a built in temperature variable setting.
This way you can get the precise brewing temperature for your pour-overs!
Why Is The Aeropress So Popular?
The Aeropress is popular due to its ease of use. It is extremely beginner-friendly and can make consistently good coffee.
Unlike most brewing methods such as espressos and pour-overs, the Aeropress brewing method is very forgiving. Even if you mess up a little on the coffee grind size, the steep duration or the brew ratio you still can get pretty decent-tasting coffee.
Furthermore, the Aeropress brewing gear works well with coffee beans of all roast levels. And to add to that, Aeropress coffee is extremely versatile, in the sense that you can have it hot or even cold by making an Iced Aeropress Coffee!
What Coffee Is Best For Aeropress?
Beans that have been Light Roasted for filter coffee are one of the best choices for Aeropress. To further enhance your Aeropress coffee brewing experience, you should go for Arabica specialty-grade coffee.
This is because specialty-grade coffee has usually unique flavors due to the presence of certain natural acids in the coffee bean. You will be surprised to know that coffee has fruity-tasting profiles like blueberry, melon, and even bright citrusy flavors.
However, these flavors will be lost as the roast level progress toward the darker roast profiles.
With an Aeropress, you can definitely bring these flavors out with the right brewing method.
FAQ On Aeropress Recipes
What Is The Ratio For AeroPress?
The optimum ratio for Aeropress is a 1:10 coffee to water ratio. If you think the resulting cup is too bold and rich, I would suggest changing it to a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio. After all, it all comes down to your personal preference. Feel free to tweak these parameters to suit your palate best!
Is Aeropress As Strong As Espresso?
The Aeropress coffee is strong but not as concentrated or intense as true espresso. This is because true espresso uses high pressure (8 to 9 bars) to extract aromatic compounds and coffee oils from the coffee grounds. On the other hand, the Aeropress plunger can only generate a pressure of 0.5 bars.
Why Are There 4 Numbers On AeroPress?
The 4 numbers on the Aeropress match up to the number of scoops of coffee and water you will use. Therefore, if you use two scoops of coffee, the original recipe requires you to add water until the level indicating number 2. That said, the more popular method of Aeropress brewing is using a brew ratio.
Why Is Aeropress So Hard To Push?
The main reason why your Aeropress is so hard to push is due to the coffee grind size. Using a coffee grind size that is too fine, it will cause higher resistance during the push resulting in pressure build-up. If the pressure inside the Aeropress becomes too great, pushing water through the coffee grounds will be much more difficult.
Closing Notes
This summarises my favourite recipes when brewing with an Aeropress.
In all honesty, the best recipes for Aeropress depends on our own preference. Some of us prefer a thicker brew while some of us enjoy lighter coffee.
There is no single recipe that can please everyone. Therefore, I’d highly recommend you try each of these recipes yourself. With experience, you can then develop your own Aeropress recipe!
If you find this piece of article informational and have taught you a thing or two about Aeropress brewing techniques, please share it with your fellow friends. baristas and home brewers!
Happy brewing!
