Is Aeropress An Immersion? (Solved & Explained!)

An Aeropress offers full immersion, which produces a dense cup of coffee with a characteristic clarity that is not present in a French press or any other full immersion brewing method. 

Aeropress is a special coffee brewing device that is long-lasting and simple to use. Additionally, it offers a variety of brewing methods. Coffee is submerged in hot water and then filtered out using filter paper.

Besides Aeropress, French press and Siphon also allow full immersion, but the resultant beverage in each case has a different taste and look.

This article will cover every aspect of the Aeropress, what immersion is, how immersion brewing works, and a few tips that will help you make a better brew.

What Is An Immersion?

A method of coffee brewing involves extracting coffee over water which becomes highly concentrated as time passes. Water attains thicker consistency gradually because it sits in with the coffee grounds as the brewing process occurs.

Rather than paying attention to having a perfectly controlled pour, brewers instead keep an eye on the brew time. 

A brewing method such as cupping keeps the coffee grounds in water. It enables the drinker to detect different extraction levels from the taste. On the contrary, coffee grounds are filtered out completely with other immersion methods, such as with certain french presses.

How Does Immersion Brewing Take Place?

When water and coffee grounds come in close contact, a sudden rise occurs in the concentration of coffee solids in the sludge. 

The concentration continues to increase gradually afterward. However, it doesn’t show any sharp effect. This is the reason why the speed of extraction decreases rapidly during the immersion brewing.

How Does Diffusion Relate To The Process Of Immersion?

Speed of extraction during the immersion brewing slows down over time. This can be explained on the basis of a process of diffusion. 

Diffusion is where a solvent present in a more concentrated form in a specific chemical compound requires less time for extraction as compared to the same solvent dissolved in coffee grounds.

Adding water to the coffee grounds during the immersion brewing process leads to an increase in the concentration of solids in the slurry. It goes on increasing but at a slow rate.

That is why the color of coffee changes to much darker from a few seconds to a few minutes.

How Does Pressure Assist Immersion Brewing?

In immersion brewing devices, pressure applied is an additional factor that plays an important role. It actually forces the coffee through the filter, which in turn provides fine grind size and reduces the time required for brewing.

How Does Gravity Assist Immersion Brewing?

In some immersion brewing methods, the process of filtration starts due to gravity. For example, The BrewThru Coffee Dripper has a V-shaped funnel with a valve located near the base of the vessel. 

This valve serves to control the steep time, just as you can do in a typical immersion brew. Upon release, it also allows the user to control the flow rate. Although it looks like a pour-over device, it also borrows some features from the immersion brewing process.

What Are Some Immersion Brewing Tips?

The following tips will help you get the best brew:

• Stick to the correct brewing ratio. 
• The grounds should be rough or coarse.
• Use hot but not boiling water.
• Have the correct placement of filters.

What Are The Main Techniques For Brewing Through An Aeropress?

Here are two basic techniques for brewing through an Aeropress:

1. Standard Method.

2. Inverted Method.

How Does The Standard Brewing Method Take Place Using An Aeropress?

The standard method for brewing involves the following important steps:

1. Assemble the filter, filter cap, and main body of the brewer.
2. Set them to filter down into your mug.
3. Add finely to medium-fine ground coffee.
4. Start your timer.
5. Add hot water in the desired ratio.
6. Stir it well and attach the plunger.
7. Press the plunger down with constant pressure for about 30 seconds.

Your drink is ready to enjoy.

How Does The Inverted Brewing Method Take Place Using An Aeropress?

Here are some important steps to carry out the inverted brewing method:

• Insert the plunger into the base of the brewer. It is done to make a seal.
• Add medium ground coffee to the Aeropress.
• Start your timer and add water up to your desired ratio.
• Put the filter cap and filter on the top of Aeropress.
• Steep for 2 minutes and then invert the brewer.
• Press the plunger down with constant pressure for more than 30 seconds.

Careful handling is required so that the hot water may not leak out in case the seal is not tight. In the inverted brewer, if the distribution of mass is off, it can create slurry in coffee and boiling water over the surface. A slurry coffee is unpleasant to drink and may require you to brew a new coffee.

What Kind Of Coffee Do You Make With Immersion Brewing?

The immersion brewing process brings great results for coffee, such as a bolder flavor, better color, and more textured body hence producing a rich cup of coffee. 

The process of microfiltration through immersion makes your coffee drink super pure. In an Aeropress, the immersion brewing process takes place in about thirty seconds.

They can bypass if the coffee drinkers like and enjoy the taste but don’t want the full-bodied mouthfeel.

Bypassing is a method of diluting the coffee. Extra hot water is added to a largely concentrated brew in the bypassing process, just like how an Americano is made.

Here are some tools that you need to make a smooth cup of coffee by immersion brewing method:

1. An Aeropress.
2. A stirrer.
3. Plastic funnel.
4. Coffee scoop.
5. Microfilter along with a filter holder.

What Are Some Advantages Of Immersion Brewing Over Other Brewing Methods?

Here are some of the benefits that make immersion brewing one of the best choices for making coffee:

• It is a relatively less complicated method than drip brewing. 
• It requires less monitoring, making it a good choice for people looking for a simple brew method.