James Hoffman's Aeropress Recipe: A Step-by-Step Guide

James Hoffman is an award-winning barista and coffee expert who has developed a unique approach to brewing with the Aeropress. His recipe is simple, efficient, and produces consistently great results - making it an ideal entry point for those just getting into specialty coffee.

What is the Aeropress Brewer?

Aeropress is a single-cup brewer that has become increasingly popular among coffee lovers. It’s simple to use and produces a rich, flavorful cup of coffee. Using the Aeropress, you can brew delicious espresso-like shots or full cups of brewed coffee.

Not only is Aeropress affordable and easy to use, but it also brews coffee that is considerably better than most home brewing methods.

Gear You’ll Need

1. Aeropress
2. Aeropress Filters
3. Coffee grinder, while not strictly required, a good coffee grinder will up your coffee game significantly. Grinding your own beans will result in a fresher and more flavorful cup of coffee.
4. A scale is a great way to ensure you’re brewing with the right coffee-to-water ratio. The Aeropress comes with a measuring scoop that’s good in a pinch, but a scale will help you be much more precise.
5. Coffee beans or pre-ground coffee if you’re not using a grinder.
6. Your favorite mug

Brew Guide

1. Start boiling your water while you get the rest of the gear ready.

2. Set up your Aeropress by removing the plunger, placing a filter in the filter basket, and twisting it onto the Aeropress. Place the Aeropress chamber onto your mug or carafe.

3. Grind 11 g coffee (or one Aeropress scoop) on the finer end of medium - nearly as fine as you’d want for espresso. Load the ground coffee into the Aeropress chamber.

4. Start a timer as you pour about 200 g of water into the Aeropress chamber (or up to the 3 mark). Try to evenly saturate all the ground coffee as you pour the water.

5. Insert the Aeropress plunger into the top of the chamber, but don’t start pressing yet!

6. Wait for 2 minutes while the coffee infuses into the water.

7. Gently swirl the Aeropress to agitate the coffee, ensuring everything is extracting evenly.

8. Wait for 30 more seconds, then slowly press the plunger until all the coffee is pressed out of the Aeropress.

9. Unscrew the filter basket over the sink or garbage can, and press the ground coffee into the trash. Give the Aeropress a quick clean or rinse.

Enjoy!

Just like that, you’re ready to enjoy one of the most flavorful cups of coffee you can make at home. Aeropress is a sure-fire way to make a tasty cup of coffee, even when you’re on the go.

Pro Tip: if the coffee is a little stronger than you like, pour in a bit of boiling water to dilute it. Now you have a homemade psuedo-Americano!