The strength of coffee made in an AeroPress will depend entirely on what you make it with and how you brew it. If your AeroPress coffee is weaker than you want, the problem will be in your method.
This article takes a look at the issue of weak coffee and the AeroPress: what causes it, how to avoid it, and how to adjust your AeroPress brewing process to suit your personal tase.
How does the AeroPress Work?
An AeroPress coffee maker consists of a simple plastic cylinder, a plunger and a filter cap. The coffee is made by pressing the plunger down and forcing hot water through coffee beans and through a filter and into the cup below.
There are now two AeroPress methods to brew your coffee. The standard method, which involves placing the device on top of a cup, filling it with hot water and coffee grounds and using the plunger to force the water through the coffee and into the cup.
The second method, the inverted method, uses the cylinder upside down on top of the plunger before being filled with coffee and water, and is then flipped onto the cup and the coffee pressed through the filter and into the cup.
Does every coffee made with an AeroPress turn out the same way?
The AeroPress is so versatile that it has generated hundreds of recipes simply by adjusting elements of the brewing process. This means that you can make your coffee your way if you use an AeroPress
.The taste, strength, texture, and potency of AeroPress coffee can all be easily (and quickly) altered, and this is why it isn’t hard to accidently produce a brew you didn’t actually want.
For example, if your coffee tastes exceptionally weak, you may be using a very mild coffee bean, or you may not have added enough of the grounds to the cylinder. If you have a rough grind, and then don’t leave the grounds immersed for long enough, there won’t be a lot of flavour in the resulting cup.
How do you use an AeroPress to make strong coffee?
First of all you need a good strong coffee bean that is finely ground, and you need to immerse the grounds fully in the hot water for the right amount of time.
Of course, the “right” amount of time depends on the taste of the coffee drinker, so “right” means what is right for you. You can only experiment to work this out.
AeroPress coffee has a 1 to 3 minute brewing time. For a stronger cup, leaving your coffee to brew for the full three minutes, and try stirring the water through the grounds during the brewing process.
However, if your grounds are fine, don’t leave them too long. The coffee bean flavours are extracted more quickly from finely ground coffee beans. However, a coarser grind will need to be left brewing a little longer.
To make a stronger coffee, try using more scoops of your coffee or less water in the cylinder.
Why is my AeroPress coffee so bitter?
It’s not uncommon to make a strong cup of coffee in an AeroPress and have it turn out to be both strong and bitter. However, it is possible to adjust your method to get the strength without the bite.
Bitterness is caused by “over extraction”, which means you’ve extracted too much flavour from your grounds. When this happens, try using a coarser grind (which takes longer to yield the flavours and chemicals) or a shorter immersion time.
Using water at boiling point will also made a more bitter brew. If your coffee is too bitter for you, try letting the water cool for a short time.
Why has my AeroPress coffee turned out so weak?
If your coffee is dull, weak, tasteless, or very slightly salty, then your extraction time is too short, or your bean grind is too coarse.
One successful solution to a weak brew is to add a small amount of water to the grounds at the beginning of the process. The grounds will begin to rise (or to “bloom”) which means the carbon dioxide is being released. This little addition to your process will produce a better balanced and more flavourful coffee.
Experts have found that using instant or pre ground coffee in your AeroPress will not produce anything impressive. So, choose a good strong bean that suits your taste.
Coffee connoisseurs encourage the investment in a quality coffee grinder, and baristas mostly agree that the AeroPress inverted method produces a stronger coffee with a better “mouthfeel”.
What is the AeroPress inverted method?
Inverting your Aeropress means starting the process with your brewer upside down. This keeps the coffee grounds immersed for a longer time.
The difference between the inverted method and the standard method is that the standard uses “percolation”, or pushing the water through the beans, to extract the flavour and the inverted uses “immersion” to extract the flavour.
There is no right method. Indeed, the popularity of the AeroPress is precisely because it allows the coffee maker to adapt the process to suit their own taste.
Can I make a really strong iced coffee with an AeroPress?
An iced coffee is made from a proper coffee base (not a flavouring), and so the AeroPress is an ideal device to produce a good barista quality iced coffee.
First of all:
- Used quality coffee beans
- Use the number of scoops to suit your taste
- Use the inverted method for maximum taste, strength and smoothness
- Don’t use water at boiling point
- Stir the coffee after two minutes
- Plunge slowly and flip the assembly
- Pour into a cup half filled with crushed ice
- For an iced latte, add a small amount of milk
- For an iced coffee, add milk and ice cream to taste. Do not add coffee flavoured syrups: they are not necessary and will ruin the authentic taste of the coffee bean.
- Enjoy
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.
