The Aeropress Brings Me Joy

The Aeropress. A brewer that has travelled far and wide on my adventures, and kept me coffee fuelled at home too. It has become a part of me. Here's why I love this brewer so much.

The Aeropress is a handy little immersion brewer that has endless brewing possibilities. Designed in 2005 by Alan Adler, it's now become one of the most popular brewing gadgets found at home. I can see why.

I've had mine since the beginning of my home brewing journey. It was the first coffee maker I purchased, and for that reason alone it has a special place in my heart.

Lightweight, small, and easy to clean, it's clear to see why outdoor enthusiasts love it so much, and it's become a competition worthy brewer with the Aeropress championships that run yearly. I love how the Aeropress is a brewer for all abilities.

It's travelled with me on trains, buses, woodland walks and been hurled down Mountain Bike tracks with me. Yes, it looks a bit tired now, so I customised it with stickers (yaaaas!) but after all these years it still brews a delicious coffee!

"It's travelled with me on trains, buses, woodland walks and been hurled down Mountain Bike tracks with me."

So, how do you use this thing?!

This is an immersion brewer. This means, you add your coffee, add your water, and you leave it to brew for the desired time and then brew your coffee.

There's a couple of different methods you can use to brew the Aeropress. The regular way as seen in the Aeropress instructions, where you put your filter paper in the cap, clip in the filter cap into the bottom of the brewer, set that on top of your mug/carafe, add your coffee and water and brew away.

There's also the inverted method, which is my favourite. You turn the whole Aeropress upside down, move the plunger to the top, add your coffee and water, leave it for the desired amount of time, then pop your filter in the filter cap and clip that in. You will then carefully flip the Aeropress on the top of your mug and push down to brew. It comes with a warning, however, please don't burn yourself! Be confident in that flip, and you will wow the crowd at home.

When you brew the regular way, you will have some water going straight though the filter paper and into your cup. This water hasn't had much contact time with the coffee grounds so is very weak. By using the Inverted method you avoid this, although I haven't really notice it impact the flavour of my coffee.

"The beauty of this is, there's endless possibilities, it's so easy to customise your recipe based on how you enjoy your coffee, which ultimately, is the most important thing!"

The factor that I love the most about the Aeropress is the endless possibilities of recipes. I've really enjoyed experimenting with grind size, immersion times, one filter paper or two, and seeing how it affects the brew. From my experience, I've found you can use a variety of grind sizes from espresso to Chemex grind, and adjust your brew time and grams of coffee. I really don't feel there's a right or wrong way of using this brewer, unlike pour overs and espresso where everything is a lot more precise, I feel like the Aeropress is the "live free, no pressure" option, making it perfect for beginners of home brew.

Don't get me wrong, you can be precise with this brewer and it will pay off, in fact you can really geek out! But the beauty of this is, there's endless possibilities, it's so easy to customise your recipe based on how you enjoy your coffee, which ultimately, is the most important thing!

"I feel like the Aeropress is the "live free, no pressure" option, making it perfect for beginners of home brew."

I purchased mine from Coffee Hit, a UK based coffee retailer. What drew me in was their bundle offer of the Aeropress, along with the Rhino Coffee Gear hand grinder. I didn't have a grinder at the time so this was a perfect little starter kit. The grinder fits inside the Aeropress for travelling, saving a tonne of much needed space whilst out walking or biking.

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I love an enamel cup, in fact I may have to keep an eye on how many I am acquiring! Whatever cup style you love, the Aeropress seems to suit it all, which is another reason why I love this brewer. Want an outdoorsy photo filled with adventure? Enamel cup and Aeropress. A warm, homely, classic photo? Glass or ceramic cup and Aeropress. It's so versatile in its brewing, and it's scene setting.

So, should you get an Aeropress? I never fail to recommend this brewer to people as their first coffee maker. It's so simple to use, it's enjoyable, and it makes a cracking brew. Not to mention how it's ideal for travelling the adventurous folks among us. Next one to try on my list, the Aeropress go!