AeroPress Recipes for Beginners

The AeroPress is one of the most forgiving coffee brewers you can own. It’s cheap, nearly unbreakable, and easy to clean. It’s also flexible enough that people hold championships for it. Here are three beginner recipes to get you started.

How the AeroPress Works

The AeroPress combines immersion and pressure. You steep coffee in water inside the chamber, then press it through a paper filter with a plunger. The result is a clean cup with more body than pour-over but less sediment than French press.

There are two ways to set it up. The standard method puts the filter cap on the bottom and the chamber over your mug. The inverted method flips it upside down so nothing drips out while it steeps.

What You Need

• An AeroPress and paper filters
• A burr grinder
• A kettle
• A coffee scale

A coffee scale isn’t strictly required, but it makes your recipes repeatable.

Recipe 1: The Simple Daily Cup

This is a good everyday recipe.

• 15 g coffee, medium-fine grind
• 230 g water at about 90°C
• Standard method

Rinse the filter in the cap. Add coffee, start a timer, and pour all the water. Stir three times. Insert the plunger slightly to create a seal and stop dripping. At 2 minutes, remove the plunger, stir again, replace it, and press gently for about 30 seconds.

Recipe 2: Inverted Rich Cup

The inverted method gives you more control over steep time.

• 17 g coffee, medium grind
• 220 g water at about 93°C
• Inverted method

Place the plunger in the chamber and stand it upside down. Add coffee and a short bloom of 40 grams of water. Stir and wait 30 seconds. Add the rest of the water. At 1:30, screw on the rinsed filter cap, flip it carefully onto your mug, and press slowly.

Recipe 3: Concentrate for Milk Drinks

The AeroPress can make a strong concentrate that works well with milk. It isn’t true espresso, but it’s close enough for a home latte.

• 18 g coffee, fine grind
• 90 g water at about 85°C
• Standard method

Stir well for 10 seconds, steep for 1 minute, then press firmly. Top with steamed milk or hot water. If you have a milk frother, this is a good way to practice milk steaming without an espresso machine.

Adjusting to Taste

Once you’ve tried a recipe, adjust it:

• Sour or weak: grind finer or steep longer
• Bitter or harsh: grind coarser, steep shorter, or lower the water temperature
• Too strong: add water after pressing
• Too light: use more coffee

Use a grind size chart as a starting point. AeroPress sits between pour-over and espresso, so medium-fine is usually right.

Pressing Technique

Press slowly and steadily. If you have to push very hard, your grind is too fine. Stop when you hear a hissing sound, since the last bit of liquid tends to be bitter.

Cleaning

Unscrew the cap, push the plunger to pop out the coffee puck, and rinse. That’s it. Store the AeroPress with the plunger pushed all the way through, or removed, so the rubber seal doesn’t compress over time.

Choosing Beans

The AeroPress works with almost any coffee. Medium roasts are a good starting point. Light single origin coffees taste bright and fruity, while darker blends make a rich, chocolatey cup. Freshness matters more than origin, so buy beans roasted within the last few weeks.