Best coffee for pour over, brewed at home with Harlo Coffee Roasters

AeroPress Brew Guide

If you are searching for the best coffee for AeroPress or a simple AeroPress brew guide to follow at home, this page is for you. This guide walks you through how to make AeroPress coffee step by step so you can brew a clean, smooth cup with body and sweetness.

You will learn how much coffee and water to use, the best grind size for AeroPress, how long to brew before you press, and how to adjust your AeroPress coffee recipe if it tastes too strong or too weak. This AeroPress coffee guide works for most medium or light roast coffees and is easy to tweak to your own taste.

Use this page any time you want a reliable AeroPress recipe that is simple, consistent, and fast. Whether you drink your coffee black or with milk, these steps will help your AeroPress taste more like a specialty café at home.

Choose your coffee for AeroPress, find the best coffee for AeroPress like Harlo Blend for a rich, smooth everyday cup.

Step 1: Choose the right coffee for AeroPress

  • AeroPress works well with many coffees, especially medium and light roasts.

  • Choose fresh whole bean coffee that you enjoy as black coffee, not flavored coffee and not instant coffee.

  • Medium roast coffee gives a rounded, classic cup that is easy to dial in with this AeroPress brew guide.

  • Light roast coffee can taste brighter and fruitier and works well if you like more acidity and clarity.

  • Avoid very dark and oily beans for AeroPress because they can taste ashy or bitter with this method.

  • Always try to use freshly roasted coffee and grind just before brewing for the best flavor.

Measure your coffee and water, simple AeroPress coffee ratio

Step 2: Dial in your AeroPress coffee ratio

  • A clear ratio makes your AeroPress coffee consistent and easy to adjust.

  • Start with 15 g of coffee and 230 g of water, which is about a 1 to 15 AeroPress coffee ratio.

  • This ratio gives a balanced cup that is not too strong and not too weak for most drinkers.

  • If you want a stronger, more concentrated AeroPress, you can use 16 to 17 g of coffee with the same 230 g of water.

  • If you want a lighter cup, you can lower the dose to 13 to 14 g of coffee with the same water.

  • Use a digital scale so you can repeat your favorite AeroPress recipe exactly.

Set your grind size for AeroPress, medium fine grind for clear flavor

Step 3: Grind your coffee medium fine

  • Grind size controls how quickly the water extracts flavor in your AeroPress.

  • Set your burr grinder to a medium fine grind, slightly finer than drip coffee but not as fine as espresso.
    The grind should feel like table salt, not powdery and not chunky.

  • If your AeroPress coffee tastes sour, weak, or watery, your grind is probably too coarse and you should adjust finer.

  • If your AeroPress coffee tastes bitter, harsh, or very dry, your grind is probably too fine and you should adjust coarser.

  • Small grind changes of one or two clicks on your grinder can make a big difference in taste.

Prepare the AeroPress and filter, clean and smooth AeroPress coffee

Step 4: Rinse the filter and set up your brewer

  • Good setup helps your AeroPress coffee taste clean and smooth.

  • Place a paper filter into the AeroPress filter cap and rinse it with hot water to remove paper taste and warm the brewer.

  • Attach the cap to the AeroPress and place the brewer on top of your mug or server.

  • Make sure the plunger is removed at this stage so the coffee and water can flow into the mug later.

  • Add your 15 g of ground coffee into the AeroPress chamber and gently shake to level the bed.

  • Start your timer as soon as you begin to pour water in the next step.

Add water, bloom, and stir, simple AeroPress brew guide in action

Step 5: Pour, bloom, and stir

Now you combine coffee and water and let them extract.

  • Start your timer and pour hot water quickly up to about 230 g, making sure all the grounds are saturated.

  • Use the AeroPress stirrer or a spoon to stir the slurry gently for about 5 to 10 seconds.

  • This helps break up any dry clumps and creates even extraction in the chamber.

  • Place the plunger into the top of the AeroPress just enough to create a light seal, which also keeps heat in.

  • Let the coffee steep until the timer reaches about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Steep, press, and adjust, how to make AeroPress coffee taste better

Step 6: Press and fine tune your recipe

  • At about 1 minute and 30 seconds, gently press down on the plunger with steady pressure.

  • The press should take around 20 to 30 seconds, ending when you hear a soft hiss from the AeroPress.

  • Stop pressing when you hear the hiss so you do not push extra air and fine particles through the filter.

  • Taste the coffee as it is or top it up with a little hot water if you prefer a longer cup.

  • If the coffee tastes too strong or bitter, grind a little coarser or slightly reduce the dose next time.

  • If the coffee tastes thin or sour, grind a little finer or increase the dose slightly while keeping the same water amount.