(Since the other Aeropress thread is 9 pages long, I thought this could probably go in a new one)
In the past month I have bought an Aeropress and a Vespa PX200 (still legal in NZ). This afternoon I was thinking about the Aeropress, and it occured to me that an interesting mod to it would be to put a hole in the side of it, similar to the cylinder in/out holes on a two stroke engine.
The hole would be around the size of the '1' circle in the main tube, and would be located around the bottom of the '2' oval. The process for extracting would be:
1. Measure the ground coffee into the Aeropress
2. Compact the grinds with the plunger (ie. tamp it)
3. Raise the plunger to just above the (new) inlet hole
4. Pour hot water gently into the hole
5. Push the plunger in slightly so that it goes past the hole. Air would escape through the grounds and/or out the hole.
6. Put the Aeropress onto a cup as per normal and press the plunger down to get the extraction.
The water would briefly make contact with the compressed grounds as a kind of pre-infusion, but otherwise would only pass through under pressure, so would be more of an espresso-style extraction.
Since I received the Aeropress as a Father's day present, and I can still hear my daughter singing 'happy birthday' with an adoring look on her face, I am a little reluctant to drill holes in the side of it just yet. Anyone else want to give it a try?
Rhys