FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Won’t the AeroPress’ paper filter remove important oils that contribute to flavor that pass through the metal filters in my French press and my espresso machine?

We conducted blind-tasting tests on espresso and French press coffee lovers. They tasted paper-filtered AeroPress brew and metal-filtered brew – made with espresso filters and custom filters which were about three times finer. Every single taster preferred the paper-filtered brew.

This is not surprising, in light of the fact that the fine particles which pass through metal filters are quite bitter.

In the book Coffee - A Guide to Buying Brewing and Enjoying, renowned coffee author Kenneth Davids wrote about making drip coffee with metal filters;

“…you may not like coffee made with these filters as much as you like coffee brewed with paper filters. The mesh allows a good deal of sediment and colloids to enter the brewed coffee, which gives it a heavy, often gritty taste, closer in style to French-press coffee.”

Also, from the same book and page;

“A note on Filter Papers

Virtually all white filter papers manufactured today are whitened without use of dioxin, a carcinogen that was used in bleaching paper through the late 1980’s. For this reason, I feel confident in recommending white papers in preference to brown, which imparts a cardboardy taste to the brewed water and which may harbor some dubious chemicals of their own, including tars.”

2. Coffee made in my AeroPress is awfully smooth. I like a little “edge” in my coffee. What should I do?

You can easily increase the “edge” by using hotter water. Our instructions suggest trying this when making a latte. But you can try it with all of your coffee beverages. People also ask about increased steeping time, but we’ve found that this has less effect than hotter water. One of the advantages of the AeroPress is that you have complete control of the brewing variables and are free to experiment to your heart’s content.

3. I have a whirling blade grinder. Do I need to buy a more expensive grinder capable of a finer grind to fully enjoy coffee made in my AeroPress?

We’ve tested a number of these grinders and find that they work quite well but need to run a bit longer than their instructions suggest. Try about 30 seconds for two scoops. When the grind is fine enough for rich flavor it will tend to stick in the grinder and you’ll have to help it out with a spoon.

We think that two scoops of a nice grind require about 20 to 30 to 30 seconds press time in the AeroPress. Coarser grinds will run through faster and make a slightly weaker cup – which you may prefer, or you may wish to compensate by adding an extra scoop of coffee.

5. To make a regular American cup of coffee using an AeroPress, you basically brew an espresso and then dilute it with hot water. Why not run a whole cup of water through the press?

We tried just that. Once again, in blind-tasting tests everyone said that the coffee tasted smoother when made by our recommended method.

6. The instructions for the AeroPress recommend using 175° F water. That doesn’t seem hot enough. Why don’t you recommend a temperature closer to boiling?

In developing the AeroPress we spent more time on taste-testing various brewing temperatures than on any other tests. Our tasters ranged from casual coffee drinkers, to coffee aficionados, to professional coffee tasters and consultants. Every single taster preferred brew made at 165F to 175F. They said the hotter brews were ok, but the 165F to 175F brews tasted best.

Books often recommend a brewing temperature of 195F to 200F. This is true for conventional brewing methods that pass hot water through a bed of coffee. In this method, the water rapidly cools, so the lower part of the bed is operating at a lower temperature. However in the AeroPress all of the coffee particles contact the same water temperature during the stirring phase.

One other note of interest pertains to espresso brewing temperature. Of course the espresso process also passes water through a bed of coffee, but perhaps the 195F to 200F is above optimum. Two noted coffee writers, Richard Reynolds and Jeffrey Steingarten have said that the best espresso in Italy is served in Naples, and they use 190F water there.

7. The AeroPress instructions recommend not cleaning the AeroPress in a dishwasher. What will happen if I ignore those instructions?

The AeroPress is made from very expensive hot-water-resistant polycarbonate and will withstand the dishwasher. We just like to be extra safe with our recommendation. However, why bother to run it through? A simple rinse keeps it clean.

8. Why did you include a stirrer with the AeroPress? Almost any spoon will work.

The handle on the AeroPress paddle prevents the tip from tearing the paper filter. It also won’t scratch the AeroPress chamber.

9. Where can I buy more filters?

Each AeroPress comes with 350 filters so you have enough filters to last many months. Replacement packs of 350 filters are available from retailers including most of the online retailers listed on our web site.

Special thanks to www.aerobie.com for allowing us to use these FAQ on our site.