Coffee Appreciation

There's a video about making an extremely strong brew with very little water, and then just adding water to your like. Basically as close to an espresso as you can try to get.

I've done it, and find it can produce a differnt but no less enjoyable coffee.

@mmccarthy I'll buy a metal filter as soon as I finish the paper ones.

This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.co.uk/KOFFI-DISC-AeroPress-Reusable-Stainless/dp/B01ES9169W

I did buy it a good few years ago so there may be 'better' ones on the market. But for £6 it's a steel (boom boom!)

The Timemore C2 arrived today, really nice piece of cnc'd aluminium.
With my new gooseneck kettle with thermometer and this grinder my V60 game is on another level now!
... I'm getting way to excited for just coffee equipment

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[Aeropress] I have not been blown away by the coffee it has made. Perhaps too much hype or maybe I need to work on it.

I think this is a common feeling on here as I’ve mentioned it in the past and others have agreed. It does make quite thin coffee without a lot of mouth feel, I think because it filters a lot out compared to other methods including V60. It makes quite a weak tasting brew compared to a V60 with the same amount of coffee and I find it a bit inefficient in comparison, in terms of how much coffee I get through.

I use mine at work, not at home. In its defence, it’s much more convenient at work than a V60 because it needs less care like pouring etc, it’s quicker and the puck just dumps straight into the bin with no drips.

I haven’t managed to successfully work out any of these short drinks topped up with water. I find it soaks out too much heat if you do that. It’s best just for a basic filter coffee, brewed inverted so it doesn’t dribble out everywhere.

Oh, and I was going to try a metal filter once I finally got to the end of the paper filters, because I think it’ll probably make a brew with some of that missing mouthfeel. Only issue was my Aeropress went missing at work over lockdown 1 and they replaced it, so I ended up with another 253,000 paper filters to use first!

I've been using a 20 minute steep time with my Aeropress, as detailed by some folk on UK Coffee Forums. It works, and the resulting coffee is nearly always very nice. Inverted method, 30 secs bloom, top up with water, leave for ~20 mins (YMMV), invert onto pre-warmed cup and plunge. I use quite a fine grind and metal mesh filter. Perfect.

Also got an Aerspeed grinder for Christmas and have been using this over my Wilfa electric one because it is such a joy to use.

Excited to try that.

Which Wilfa do you have, the svart? Samesies if so, and I also use my Aergrind (not aerspeed but they're pretty similar as I understand it) because I think it actually does a more uniform grind tbh.

Yep, and yeah, the grounds are so uniform! It's such a lovely piece of kit.

Interesting. I have just gone the other way - from hand grind to Baratza Encore. Only for french press but the grind is much more uniform than my Hario and obviously 100x faster.

Anyone want to buy a Hario Mini Mill PLUS?

Interesting. I have just gone the other way - from hand grind to Baratza Encore. Only for french press but the grind is much more uniform than my Hario and obviously 100x faster.

Anyone want to buy a Hario Mini Mill PLUS?

20 minutes. T w e n t y ?!

I’m currently doing 15g in, 45g of water for bloom at 45 seconds, then up to 250g total water for 3 minutes. Then press.

I’ve done up to 5 minutes before and, to me, it didn’t feel like there was any perceivable difference in flavour (due to extraction). I’ve never heard of anyone doing 20 minutes.

also it's gonna start to cool down at that length of time no?

I lost my aeropress in the office move, will have to get a new one

The Timemore black mirror is a nice scale for the price, it is annoying that I can't get it to fit on the drop tray of the Silvia though.

Glad it's not just me. I think you're right about the mouthfeel. I expected fewer of the oils to get through but was a bit surprised with the resulting cup. The metal filter seems like a good solution, but I'm not in any rush to buy yet more coffee crap just to get the coffee to taste like the coffee I can make with my other equipment. I might relegate it to office use if/when we go back. Can't wait to have to explain this new device to the same people who had never come across a cafetiere before...god offices are awful places.

Personally, after using one for years in the office, I don't really rate the aeropress. It's a real jack of all trades master of none so I don't mind owning one, and could be convinced to press it into service in the right situation, but I would almost always rather use something else. At home an actual v60 or mokka pot, and at work a clever dripper. On the road I would either take a 1 cup plastic v60 and pulse pour a normal kettle or just take a grinder and rely on wherever I stay having a cafetiere (most places do in my experience)

I can see the case for using an aeropress in any of the above, and I think it's a supremely well engineered piece of gear (though why are the numbers on the side printed as circles instead of lines? And why numbers instead of mls?); I love the way the funnel can be used to express the drink into a container with a very wide mouth, and the way the inner plunger can be filled with water and gives quite a controlled pour. However in terms of consistency it falls flat for me. If you apply too much pressure you end up spraying fine grinds out from the side of the filter, which go into your drink then slowly over extract, if you use it inverted you have issues with grinds sticking to the plunger, if you use it "right way up" you have issue with water leaking out during your steep, it has terrible thermal properties (which is why for years all the "world champ" aeropress recipes have had wastefully high doses with very low extractions) and although it does pack quite small, it's huge compared to a collapsible v60.

In the end, they're fine, and if you want to make an "espresso style" shot in the office, probably the best tool for the job. But for almost everything else, I'd rather not.

Try it.

It's pretty much at drinking temperature when it's done, and I like my coffee hot. Try a finer grind than normal and see what you think.

Interesting reading the Areopress apathy. As I came to post/ask about it having got one for Xmas in a classic, "what coffee related present do you reckon I could get my brother" switch move. Last time I'd browsed this thread everyone was gassed so suggested it.

My coffee comes from Pact pre-ground so I'm still using a cafetiere grind in it. I'm enjoying it for making espresso/latte, and had no idea there were all these complicated recepies. I'll probably try a couple, but honestly if I want a long coffee that takes longer I'd be more inclined to use a cafetiere. TBH I'm a bit of an espresso sceptic anyway. Not sure I believe the x9 less bitter claims either.

Anyway my questions were

1. Is there a reason for the mini padle over using the handle of the measurer?
   
2. Any smart ways to store it?
   
3. Is it worth me blitzing up my course grind to make it finer?
   

I've been experimenting a bit with it since staring the conversation post-Christmas. Although I'm far from an expert or a coffee snob if I'm honest I have been a little disappointed with the results, and have enjoyed the Wilfa (the other present) more than the Aeropress.
Saying that I still think it's a decent coffee (especially shortish and with milk) and a quicker process / clean up than a cafetière, so it'll get some use.

Is there a reason for the mini padle over using the handle of the measurer?

Larger surface area stirs the grinds into the water quicker & more easily.

Any smart ways to store it?

The paddle? In a mug on a shelf with other similar bits.

Is it worth me blitzing up my course grind to make it finer?

No harm in tinkering, although re-grinding pre ground would be a new one to me.

Nowt wrong with aeropress, it's just different. 5 years from now everyone will be loving it again.

^ says the guy who uses a v60 most of the time.

I keep seeing v60 mentioned. Is that one of these:

?

Looks suspiciously like one of these without a timer function:

shortish and with milk) and a quicker process / clean up

Pretty much nailed what I am enjoying about it.

I think controlling the pour is important. Although many coffee heads use mocca masters or similar filter machines with no complaints.

V60 in its simplest form is a cheap and convenient way of making good coffee. Also more practical for a single cup. And travel friendly.