Aeropress brew guide: How to brew – water and grind size

Water Quality in Coffee Brewing

Water quality is paramount in coffee brewing. Using fresh, clean, and soft water enhances the overall taste of your coffee. Avoid using hard or unfiltered water; if the water doesn’t taste good on its own, it won’t make great coffee.

Freshness of Coffee Beans and Grind Size

For optimal flavor extraction, it’s essential to use freshly roasted and ground coffee. Grinding the coffee just before brewing ensures that all the flavors are fully extracted and vibrant. Grind your coffee beans to a medium-fine grind, resembling table salt consistency. Grinding finer produces more body but can also lead to potential bitterness, while grinding coarser may result in under-extraction and insufficient body. 

Water Temperature

I’ve found that a temperature of 90°C  works best for Aeropress. This temperature avoids bitterness and ensures a good extraction of flavors from the coffee grounds. To increase the body of your coffee, experiment with increasing the water temperature to 95°C.

Temperature Tip Without a Thermometer

If you don’t have a thermometer on hand, here are two simple tricks to achieve approximately 90°C water: Boil half a liter of water, then mix in 65ml of room temperature water. Or wait for 3 minutes to cool down.