Aerobie Aeropress Resource Sticky Trial - Discussion Thread

[Beanie]

Try pouring boiling water into a cold cup then into your Aeropress.

That's exactly what I did the first time I used the Aeropress! (and ever since ) Just seemed logical to a) cool the just-boiled water, b) pre-warm the cup c) determine the volume Also, we were in a hotel at the time and had brought a lovely Colombian COE and a Solis grinder No thermometers... just the beans, bottle of water, a kettle and cups

Unlike you, I do like espresso My flatmate has a steam toy which I use for the milk only So I tend to have a very concentrated brew to make a pseudo-capp in the morning But I want to also start enjoying it more as a longer sans-milk beverage... hence my post on this today I've tended to use a closer to espresso grind but without any of my grinders with me here , I think a cheapo burr grinder for coarser (less precise) grinding is now inescapable

Currently, I've only purchased pre-ground of roasted-that-day coffee... so I've only drank my coffees two days in a row, maybe three tops, before leaving it to my flatmate to finish

[Richard]

Eventually I was forced to use just the Aeropress on a camping trip.

A lifetime ambition to own a classy motor-home eventually came to fruition and one of the reasons I've been so quiet. That thing soaked up a lot of money and time even before our first trip.

On to my point.

Our first trip was two weeks touring Scotland, amongst 'the' most important things to put on-board was ground coffee and either a press-pot or the Aeropress. Both are unbreakable, both make good coffee but the press-pot is stainless-steel so it's something else to rattle. Also, I have been using both alternatively and found there isn't a case for one or the other. Just preference.

My Aeropress is modified with Swiss-Gold filters, I use two.

So lovely to be able to make lovely coffee first thing when camping, my memories of past camping have been of huge eating compromises and horrible tea/coffee, presumably the change of water had something to do with that so I made sure all my tea/coffee water goes through a filter.

In the confines of a mobile home the Aeropress is superb, it makes good coffee whatever the grind, it cleans quickly and easily then stores away nicely without causing any damage and it can rattle around with no consequence if it chooses.

I ran out of my own roasted/ground coffee, I'm in the far north-east of Scotland at a place called Dornoch panic, my partner came back from a local Spar shop with a packet of Taylors Rio Valleys. This is the first store-bought coffee I've had for ages and it was lovely though I'm not risking a return to store-bought coffee or recommending it.

So, the Aerorpress has finally proved itself to me to be an essential rather than an impulsively purchased gadget.

I have to tell you about this bloke, I'm camped away from everyone so the closest tent is easily 100 yards away, after two days this he wandered by and asked me about the lovely early-morning smell of coffee drifting from my van to his tent. The smell changed to curry in the evening.

G-Day folks.

[espressomattic]

We use ours mainly for camping and it is totally awesome. The camp ground water here is 9/10 ultra filtered and is some of the best water I have had. It makes for a great feeling, grinding and then brewing...I have also ventured into roasting while camping too which was lots of fun!

[Richard]

The camp ground water here is 9/10 ultra filtered and is some of the best water I have had.

In the UK we have some poor tasting water though it'll be safe, I used to live in a midlands city, the water was hard, tasted of chlorine and not good for tea/coffee. I now live on the west coast of Wales and nowhere near a city, our water comes through peat before it's treated. It's the best tasting water I ever tasted in the UK though it can have a funny colour.

There are a lot of hard-water areas in the UK, it makes for difficult cleaning around the home, appliances will get 'furred-up' if you don't treat them regularly and you use lot's more detergents/soaps.

[Gouezeri]

Hey Richard,
Great to see you back. Looking forward to seeing pics of the pimped out kite wagon! I've just bought a Bandit II from your part of the world!

I really should try to use my aerobie more, as it only tends to see proper use when I drag it up the alps, now if I could just find a lightweight grinder!

Did spot this titanium cafetiere the other day though They do a drip thingy too. I'm sure Mo would like that... any one seen Mo by the way?

[Richard]

Hi Don,

Titanium ? Don't you think I spent enough on coffee, then the van, then the bit's and essentials. My partner doesn't find my essentials to be essential but she did appreciate the green power source whilst we were camped by the sand-dunes.

[Gouezeri]

OOh, pimpin'! Definitely needs some boards strapped to the roof just for show!
Travelling light I see

Now you're just trying to make me jealous, posting beach pics like that!

[CakeBoy]

the Aeropress is superb, it makes good coffee whatever the grind, it cleans quickly and easily then stores away nicely without causing any damage and it can rattle around with no consequence if it chooses.

So, the Aerorpress has finally proved itself to me to be an essential rather than an impulsively purchased gadget.

I thought it was just us that used it regularly. Totally agree with you. We are now on our second packet of filters here

[Richard]

Now you're just trying to make me jealous, posting beach pics like that!

I had half a ton of rubber, kites, boards, beers and other essentials in that trailer. I hate towing a trailer but it meant more room in the van. I've had enough years of struggled camping, time for a bit of luxury.

Burstner 'A' class i591. Just under 6 metres but 2.3 wide with a drop-down bed over the front seats. The main additions I made you can see but I also added re-fillable gas bottles so I can fill-up with Auto-Gas at filling stations. No more lifting bottles and sourcing suppliers.

Bye the way, I am making good esspresso in the Silvia, I just can't drink the stuff raw like that.

[Terje]

I just got myself an aeropress yesterday. Have done two cups of "americano" with it so far, yesterday from a blend of yirg and malabar and today dark roasted Kona. Followed the instructions, used the papaer filters that came with it.

I must say it produced perhaps the best damn coffee I've ever made at home. Smooth and mild but with lots of flavors. Closer to real espresso than anything I've had at home.

Guess that the blend can make a huge difference here. Darker roasts and some robusta in there and I'll be very close to the "real deal".

Easy enough to use, the washing up is the best part! Handy thing to bring with you on trips and such. It's too ugly for words though.

[Tinseljim]

Hello folks,

I know I don't post very often but as a fan of the AP I thought I'd post some thoughts. I have been using my AP for a while now and have gone through almost the entire thread on CoffeeGeek (where the inventor makes a regular appearance). Sad I know!

After experimenting I found that brewing with the correct amount of water had better results than diluting afterwards. I am definitely a convert of the 'inverted' method and even got a hold of some of Rasqual's 'poly-filters'. If anyone wants to try this filter method maybe we could have a mini aeropress meet? I'd love to compare swiss gold with poly-filters for instance.

[EMMOORE_UK]

Hi

I have produced a blend for the Aeropress and sell it online http://www.coffeecavern.co.uk/_product_ ... ss_Formula
Instead of coffee cupping, we used Aeropresses to taste the different single estate coffees. We made a selection and blended to produce a good result in the Aeropress.

As far as grind size, I tend to grind slightly coarser then espresso. A bit below No. 4 on our Ditting. This seems to retain the thicker character and flavour whilst letting you make more then one cup without the requirement of regular visits to the gym.

I love the Aeropress as it is so easy to use. Almost instant coffee!

Cheers

Eric
www.coffeecavern.co.uk

[radish]

FYI - The Aeropress methods of the three finalists at the recent World Aeropress Championships are detailed in Tim Wendelboe's blog:

http://timwendelboe.no/news/

[EMMOORE_UK]

Thank you for the link. I will have a go at each method in the next couple of days. I have to admit that I have not been that exact in my preparation, however it will be interesting how our blend stands up to these tests.

Cheers

Eric

[EMMOORE_UK]

I have tried all three methods, however due to one thing and another, I made them at different times so I will repeat the experiment with all three methods together at some point in the future.

Initial thoughts: The best result for me using our blend was Alex's method. I could taste the fruitiness of our blend in all three. Lukasz and Ben's methods produced some complexity, and interesting flavours, however Alex's method exhibited a sweetness and fruitiness that I particularly liked.

I need to try these methods out a few times and with other coffees. Anyone suggest a great coffee for the Aeropress that I can compare against the Coffee Cavern blend?

Eric