Thursday 5 May 2011

Success with the AeroPress, and a revelation.

I've been reading/watching guides to brewing with the AeroPress and finally got the balance right. What has surprised me is that I couldn't get a good extraction following the methods used by some of the popular/credible coffee geeks, and ended up getting the best results after watching a video by a pregnant American housewife called Tammy who got one for her birthday!


I did modify the method a tiny bit based upon what I'd seen on other tutorials.
(a) Tammy keeps plunging until all the foamy gunge, which actually looks like it might be a kind of crema, is in the cup. I stopped before then, once I started hearing a hissing sound. I looked and did see the 'crema' but it went in the bin with the grinds. Next time I'll try tasting it.
(b) I also didn't use the scoop. I used 20g of fresh beans (an espresso blend), ground slightly coarser than I would for an espresso.
(c) With the 20g in, I added water up to the number '2' marker. It was great to see the grinds start blooming immediately.
..oh..(d) before brewinhg I rinsed the paper filter thoroughly with boiling water to remove any potential bleach taste.

Stirred for 10 seconds, plunged for 20 seconds and....
what a revelation! I got about 4 or 5oz of VERY good coffee. Really. There was no hint of bitterness or acridity. Pure, smooth, no need for sugar etc. I didn't add any more water to dilute, as it wasn't needed. I tried it on my wife Jan, and she agreed it was 'nutty' and much better than my previous attempts at brewed coffee. The secret did seem to be using less water. 'Nutty' indeed! I tried it, and I suppose I could understand what she meant. It did somehow have a hazelnut ring to it. Meh...

Very pleased anyway. Thanks Tammy! Watch your back, James Hoffman, she's good! ;)

Next time I'll up the dose and volume to see if I can get 2 cups working well.

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