Are you in love with your Aeropress Coffee Maker like I am? Learn how to use an Aeropress to make 4 different styles of coffee drinks: Espresso, Americano, Latte, and Cold Brew.
I love how versatile the Aerobie Aeropress coffee maker is. It’s perfect for making coffee for one and is ideal for on-the-go coffee brewing.
Do you like camping? Do you travel often for work? Or maybe you just really love a great cup of coffee that you can make at home. Everyone needs one of these!
Coffee made in the Aeropress coffee maker is perfect for either busy workday mornings, or weekends when you might have time to make fresh bread topped with homemade almond butter. This brewer can truly fit into any lifestyle, and that’s just one of the reasons I love it.
Why You’ll Love Making Aeropress Coffee
- Simple Machinery– The Aeropress is a manual coffee brewer that works with boiling water rather than electricity. You can use the Aeropress anywhere, anytime. And when you’re done brewing, toss it in a drawer – no permanent counter space required.
- Fun to Use– Aeropress is called a gravity-defying coffee brewer. It works differently than traditional drip brewers, french press, moka pot, and espresso machines to create a better tasting cup of coffee.
- Really Great Coffee – The flavor of air pressed coffee is fantastic! It’s not quite as strong as espresso, but richer than coffee made otherwise. I also think that it’s less bitter and acidic too.
- Great for one or for many– I love this machine when I’m just making coffee for myself. There’s no waste and I can make it exactly how I like. You can also use Aeropress to serve coffee when you’re entertaining. It might take longer than brewing a pot of coffee, but it’s a fun party activity!
What you Need to Make Aeropress Coffee – 4 Ways
Use your favorite coffee brand to make coffee in the Aeropress!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Aeropress Coffee Maker– you will of course need the brewer and the pieces that go with it. Shown here are the Aeropress, filter cap, funnel, scoop, and stirrer.
- Water – Put water on to boil. You’ll want to boil the water and then let it cool down a bit so that it’s around 175°F/80°C.
- Coffee – Use coffee beans that you’ve ground to medium-fine. You can use pre-ground coffee as well for ease and convenience. Espresso grind can also be used in the Aeropress. It will take a bit longer to make air pressed coffee with espresso, but the result will be extra rich and tasty.
- Filters – You will need the specific paper filters that fit the Aeropress. If your machine is new, it probably came with some. Be sure to order some more so you don’t run out!
- Milk – If you want to make a latte, you’ll need whole milk or barista blend oat milk to finish your coffee drink. You can use other types of milk too, but those are my go-to’s when making lattes at home.
How To Make Aeropress Espresso
- Heat Water: You want the water to be 175°F/80°C. I find the best way is to boil the water and then allow it to cool for a minute until it’s the right temperature.
- Add the Filter: Insert a coffee filter into the Aeropress filter basket/cap, screw it onto the bottom of the press (the hexagonal end), and set it on top of a sturdy coffee cup.
- Add Coffee: Grind three tablespoons of coffee beans to a medium-fine grind, or use the scoop to measure out the correct amount of pre-ground coffee. Insert the funnel, then add the ground coffee to the Aeropress and shake lightly just to level out the coffee grounds in the brewer.
- Add Water: Pour the hot water into the Aeropress through the funnel until it reaches the number 1 mark on the side of the press. Use a teaspoon or the stirrer provided, stir about 10 times. You can allow the coffee to steep for up to 1 minute if you enjoy stronger coffee, but it’s not required.
- Press: Insert the plunger into the Aeropress and squeeze out all of the coffee until you hear a long hiss. This process should take 20-30 seconds (slow and steady!).
- Clean and Enjoy! You now have a freshly pressed espresso in your cup! Remove the Aeropress, unscrew the filter basket, and rinse the brewer right away.
Tip!
Take your time while pressing your coffee in the Aeropress. It may seem like a lot of steps at first, but eventually you’ll be able to use the press from memory.
How to Make Americano (American Coffee) with the Aeropress
To use the Aeropress to make something that is more like a brewed coffee, you need to add more water to the cup after you’ve brewed the espresso.
If I’m making Americano, I allow the grounds to steep in the brewer for about 1 minute before pressing. Then I add ¾ cup of hot water to my mug.
How to Make a Latte in the Aeropress
Prepare your Aeropress espresso as instructed, and then top it with ¾ cup of hot, steamed milk. Whole milk or barista blend oat milk are my favorites, but any type of milk that you enjoy can make a delicious latte.
Add coffee syrups or extracts to create your own cafe-style lattes at home, for much less cash than Starbucks.
Use the Aeropress to Make Coldbrew Coffee
You’ll get the smoothest iced coffee using this method! Simply add ½ cup of iced water, and ¼ cup of ice cubes to the mug, or transfer it into a tall cup if you prefer.
Recipe Tips
- Grind Size: The size of your grind will affect the flavor of your brew. Finer ground coffee will give you bold, rich coffee flavors, while a coarser grind will give you a lighter coffee. The ideal grind size with this method is a medium to fine grind.
- Don’t Press Too Hard: Try to be patient, and press down slowly and evenly on the plunger while you’re brewing with the Aeropress coffee maker. Pressing too hard can compact the coffee grounds too much and make everything more difficult.
- Water Temperature Matters: You want your water to be hot, but not too hot. Aim for water at a temperature of 175°F (80°C).
Making Aeropress Coffee for Guests
Wondering how you can use the Aeropress to make coffee for a crowd? It’s actually pretty simple, and you can make delicious fresh coffee to order at brunch or after dinner.
Option 1: Brew in advance. You can brew a handful of Aeropress shots and allow them to sit at room temperature while you’re enjoying dinner or greeting your guests. When they’re ready for a coffee, add hot water to the shots and serve.
Option 2: Make it extra strong and dilute. You can play with the amount of coffee to add to the brewer, and create an extra-strong Aeropress coffee that can be diluted to make up to 4 cups of coffee.
Note that I prefer to only brew one cup at a time. I haven’t yet found the sweet spot of making more than one. There are many people who will actually add water 2 or more times to the same coffee beans.
You can experiment with your Aeropress coffee maker to find the best methods and the best cup of coffee for you.
Treats to Enjoy with your Aeropress Coffee
Where there is coffee, there should also be baked goods, right? Try these desserts and breakfast treats that pair perfectly with a great cup of joe:
- New York Style Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter Bread
- Banana Muffins
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Strawberry Scones
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
If you’re looking for a more hearty breakfast option, check out my recipes for breakfast burritos!
FAQs
While the brewer is dishwasher safe (top shelf please!) it rarely requires dishwashing since the plunger wipes the chamber clean. You can just give the Aeropress a quick rinse, and a good cleaning with soap and water every once in a while.
The machine makes up to three shots of espresso style coffee concentrate at a time, although I am showing you how to do just one because I think the flavor is better. You can use that espresso to create cold brew, iced coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, or American-style coffee.
If you’re steeping the coffee for any length of time, reduce that time to reduce any bitterness you may have. It also could be because the coffee beans you’re using are a bit bitter.
I’m not going into this in detail here, as it’s a more complicated process. Once you get a hang of the normal Aeropress brewing method, you can look into inverted brewing, which has you flip the chamber upside down to steep the coffee, and then carefully flip it back to extract.
Do you have an Aeropress Yet? What are you waiting for! I hope these instructions have made it super simple for you. Be sure to Pin the recipe so everyone can see how great this coffee maker is.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
How to Use an Aeropress
Ingredients
- water heated to 175°F/80°C.
- 3 tablespoons coffee beans or medium-fine ground coffee
To Make Americano
- ¾ cup hot water
To make a Latte
- ¾ cup milk
To make Cold Brew
- ½ cup cold water
- ¼ cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Heat water to 175°F/80°C. I find it easiest to boil the water and then allow it to cool for a minute.
- Insert a coffee filter in the aeropress filter basket/cap, screw it on and place the aeropress on a mug.
- Grind coffee beans to medium fine ground, or use one Aeropress scoop of ground coffee.
- Add the ground coffee to the Aeropress and shake lightly to level out the grounds.
- Pour water into the Aeropress just until it reaches the number 1 mark. on the tube.
- Using a tea spoon or the stirrer provided, stir briefly about 10 times. For stronger coffee or for Americano steep for up to 1 minute.
- Then insert the plunger in the aeropress, and squeeze out all of the coffee until you hear a long hiss (the process takes about 20-30 seconds). This sound means that all of the coffee has been squeezed out. If it seems very hard to press, just pause for a few seconds and start again.
- Remove the aeropress from the mug, unscrew the basket to discard the coffee grounds and filter, and rinse the Aeropress. Enjoy your espresso-style coffee, or follow the instructions below to make a different type of coffee drink.
Aeropress Americano (American Style Coffee)
- Brew as above, then add ¾ cup of hot water to the mug and stir. I recommend letting the coffee steep in the Aeropress for 1 minute if you plan to add water to it.
Aeropress Latte
- Brew as above, then add ¾ cup of hot milk to the mug and stir.
Aeropress Cold Brew
- Brew as above, then add ½ cup iced water, and ¼ cup of ice cubes.
Notes:
- Grind Size: The size of your grind will affect the flavor of your brew. Finer ground coffee will give you bold, rich coffee flavors, while a coarser grind will give you a lighter coffee. The ideal grind size with this method is a medium to fine grind.
- Don’t Press Too Hard: Try to be patient, and press down slowly and evenly on the plunger while you’re brewing. Pressing too hard can compact the coffee grounds too much and make everything more difficult.
- Water Temperature Matters: You want your water to be hot, but not too hot. Aim for water at a temperature of 175°F (80°C).
- Experiment: This how-to shows you exactly how I like to make my coffee in the Aeropress, but there are other methods and different ways to use this awesome machine too. Once you’ve mastered this, keep experimenting to create your perfect brew.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Ross says
OOOOOps. Sorry for forgetting to add the stars
Ross says
I have had my AeroPress coffee maker for several months now and your are the first instructions I can finally follow with success!!!! thank you for sharing this info for us coffee lovers.. I can now print out the instructions for future reference.