Another AeroPress Coffee Question

9 years ago

I follow and contribute to coffee threads. I have used most types of coffee makers and had a couple of occasions to use an AeroPress at other houses. I was not comparing methods in either of those occasions. I followed the recent thread involving AeroPress and just stumbled upon a complete new 4 cup model at a second hand store. It jumped into my basket.

Well: I can't say I am very impressed, heh heh. We grind our commercial (usually dark roast) beans with a burr grinder and have settled on the Melitta approach which is essentially like the Kemix (or even a Mr. Coffee, but without hand control of the pour). My normal Melitta approach for reasonably strong regular coffee, is two 30ml/one eighth cup scoops of beans for 10 or 11 oz of coffee. I see that AeroPress instructions are essentially 3 30ml scoops for that diluted volume of American coffee (a double espresso worth).

I initially tried our bean dose, pressing one aeropress volume and then diluting up to a 11 oz cup, and found the coffee to be bland and perhaps one half strength. I have tried a few more approaches and realize that I may be pressing a little fast, but since I initially waited longer than the recomended 10 seconds. I decreased final volume under 8 oz and sometimes increased the initial volume, but all approaches indicate the basic approach leaves half the flavor behind. I understand that part of the concept is to create a less acidic, and perhaps bitter brew, but this seems beyond reasonable.

Thoughts?

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Comments (3)

l pinkmountain
9 years ago
Chas your question really goes to the heart of my original question. I bought my Aeropress to replace a china pour-over system that I had been using because it got broken. I've also used a french press, so those are the two systems I'm comparing it to. I don't understand why aeropress supposedly makes "less acid" coffee, nor why they recommend making the coffee "americano" style, which is lots of ground beans, little water, and then diluting it after it is brewed. What's the reasoning? To my simple way of thinking, the aeropress is basically a variation/hybrid of a french press and pour-over. Coffee prep with an aeropress seems like pour over for a while, then french press.
chas045
Original Author
9 years ago
I can presume the reasoning. Coffee brewing is aqueous (water) extraction from a high surface area solid. Similar to tea, a longer leaching (extracting) period should extract more products. The most easily dissolved chemicals will be removed sooner and in a neutral aqueous solution, more neutral chemicals should come out a little sooner than either basic or acidic ones, although actually water is good for dissolving the acids quite easily too. The shorter time may help, but of course also just extracts less of everything. Obviously, if you wait, add more hotter water, you will eventually extract everything that can be extracted. To the extent that the acids truly extract a little slower, the shorter, cooler and less water is better (presuming acids are bad rather than flavorful). Then adding pure water will bring the extract back up to normal coffee. BUT if one leaves behind a lot of the extract, the coffee returns diminish.
By taste, I lost Far more than expected or hoped.
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I like having all the coffee devices so that I can compare and also reevaluate on occasion. I have an aeropress. It doesn't take up huge storage space but in multiple testing, I can't say that I was really impressed. It makes very good coffee, but so does my Melitta pour over filter method. I disagree with colleenoz on speed/convenience: Yes, the packed puck is neat, but it takes extra care to load (there is a filter) and time and stir. A regular filter is easier to load and the coffee is easier to add and the filter can be thrown away faster than unscrewing the press bottom. I suspect the superior flavor that an aeropress could produce is from a minimal extraction. The same may be generated by not diluting other coffee methods in a similar manner. This can be controlled with pour over. Actually, a drip maker with minimal water would likely work too. And yes, I broke a french press too. They make nice coffee but are a pain to clean.
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l pinkmountain
9 years ago
I tried cold brewing coffee and wasn't impressed with the taste. I'm also not sure about this whole "low acid" idea with coffee anyway. I am supposed to be on a low acid diet for a health problem, and yet knowing what I know about digestion, "low acid" doesn't seem to make that much sense. I have my suspicions that it isn't the acidity, but the type of acid that bothers you, in which case the pH value might not be the culprit, rather the compounds of the acid itself. I don't seem to do too well with tannic acid--both wine and tea do me in, but coffee doesn't seem to bother me. Of course it is the same with coffee flavor, certain "acids" give coffee good flavor, others an unpleasant flavor. And then there is the individual taste factor. A lot of people don't like the pour-over method for the reasons you state, they believe that the water and coffee grounds don't interact long enough for optimum flavor extraction. This is why supposedly a french press is better. But I broke mine, and it was, for me, a pain to clean trying to get the grounds out of the bottom of it, I don't like pouring grounds down the sink. In fact, that is how I broke my french press, banging it to try and get the grounds to pop out!

Another AeroPress Coffee Question

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l pinkmountain

chas045
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Another AeroPress Coffee Question

Comments (3)

l pinkmountain

chas045Original Author

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l pinkmountain

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chas045
Original Author