Trying Square mile’s Thirika Kenyan coffee this week in the Aeropress. First time and it’s a really unique flavour! Would love to hear thoughts on these beans or Kenyan coffee in general!
this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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I generally keep my aeropress right side up. Is there really that much of a difference, besides the few drops that fall into the cup before the plunger is added?
yes. It's a night and day difference.
I've been using an Aeropress for years, but had never heard of the inverted method until this thread (obvs, I don't hang out in coffee communities much...)
So I tried it, and while I will say it was night-and-day different, I prefer the standard method. The inverted method just loses the two attributes that I value most from the Aeropress: it was grittier and more bitter than the standard method.
Now, granted my preferences are not everyone's, and I'll be the first to admit that I might just have a plebe's palette when it comes to coffee, but I like the clean, sweeter taste that I get with the standard Aeropress including the paper filter.
I will say that one of the sources suggesting rinsing the paper filter is a good tip, and one that I never considered, even though I'm a chemist on my day job (though I don't think it makes too much difference, given the screw-on feature means the paper isn't going to move, wet or dry)
To each their own.
I have a few differences in how I make mine that would probably make it more enjoyable inverted for you:
- the inverted method will get fairly close to a latte. So, that's perhaps why you're expecting the other method's more tea-like extraction rather than the super-concentrated shots I use.
- It sounds like you're using the paper filters. I suggest the SUPER fine metal screens.
Here's my aerolatte protocol (that has evolved over the past 10 years):
grind 30g of beans fairly fine (like table salt).
pull the plunger out until it is between the 3 and 4 and place inverted with funnel
pour in the ground coffee
pour in water 209 F water enough to saturate all the coffee (by the time it hits the grounds, it is probably around 204 F which is ideal)
stir gently to get all grounds saturated (don't agitate the microfines too much)
add more hot water almost to the top
set the screen into the black plastic screen and pre-wet/heat it into a mug with the hot water
lock the lid and screen on top of the aeropress (the water will cause the screen to stick to the black plastic when you turn it upside down)
plunge down (still upside down) until all the air is purged from the chamber and coffee starts pooling on top of the filter (but not spilling)
let it sit for 165 seconds
flip it onto a properly-fitting mug and apply even pressure aiming to extract over 30 seconds. (if it's too fast, you ground too course; if it's too slow, you ground too fine)
add steamed milk (140 mL at 160 F is what I use)
I appreciate the detailed procedure, and I'll definitely hang into it to try another time. Other than using more grounds with less steeping time (and the paper filter), it's pretty close to my procedure. However, I usually make mine into an Americano rather than a latte (with about 4-8oz of hot water or ice depending on the day), which partially explains the difference in preference.
I prefer the paper filters over SS because I don't like the oily layer you get on top with SS, but if I was adding something fatty like steamed milk, the oily part gets absorbed into the lipids in the milk, and the fat also makes the grittiness and astringency less noticable. Plus, with the sugar from the milk, you want your coffee a little more bitter to balance everything out, so less grounds at longer steeping time makes more sense, too (since it gives you more bitter, complex flavors that way).
All in all, it's still a nice alternative procedure to keep in my back pocket for when I do make something with some milk in it. In particular, I think pressing the plunger while still inverted to remove the air before steeping is a nice touch.
Thanks for taking the time, friend
No problem. Glad to share. I derived my method from one given to me by a barista named Jay Presto in Boston, MA 12 years ago.
He, from what I recall, liked to cut cloth to size and found that to be the best method if the cloth is pre-soaked. That might compliment your Americano method well.