Why the buzz about AeroPress?
With our curiosity piqued, we invited Dave, the bearded barista from Ours in Kalk Bay and his partner in caffeinated crime, Zane, a barista throw-down champ, to stop by for a demo. From these self-proclaimed coffee geeks, here’s the hype on AeroPress.
For the love of coffee
The respective Zane and Dave coffee journeys only truly started upon tasting that one perfect cup, the one that makes you understand why coffee has percolated the world into a permanent state of devotion, so their honest convictions on the AeroPress are no product punt. Just a love for the perfect brew and anything that helps you get there.
Dave sums up the AeroPress as ‘accessible excellence’. Why? It implements the two essential components of producing artisan coffee, without the visage of a fancy exterior so you can not only make, but also understand the art of good coffee, in just 2 minutes. Oh, and it doesn’t come with a hefty price tag.
Artisan secrets to an excellent cuppa
This really comes down to pre-infusion and pressure. In the market place of coffee machines, pre-infusion settings are only introduced in 6 figure, high-end machines. This step is the bit that allows the fresh grinds to mingle with the warm water for 3-4 seconds before pressure goes ahead with extracting the flavour.
The pressure bit is more obvious and comes into play when the plunger or air pressure forces the water through the grains as opposed to letting it drip through via gravity.
Some clever product designer at Aerobie, the frisbee guys from the 1980s, drew inspiration from the good ol’ lever driven espresso machines. Pulling the lever upwards drew in the water, allowing pre-infusion to take place, pushing it down applied the pressure for optimum coffee extraction. He then simplified this into the AeroPress Coffee Maker. Genius.
Great coffee is now a few steps away, whether you’re in your lounge, impressing some Italians or on a road trip enjoying the vistas.
Is simplicity the ultimate sophistication?
By introducing a non-specificity to the grind consistency, due to the paper like filter you can grab any ground beans – filter, plunger you name it. They’re all winners when it comes to producing a smooth, AeroPress coffee.
Oh and did we mention that you can make the coffee whichever way you like it because this hand-held coffee making tool welcomes experimentation with the water to coffee grind ratio? Be it ristretto, espresso, Americano or any of the au lait variations like cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos or mochas, the ‘Practically Perfect Coffee’ is within your grasp.
To boot, it couldn’t be easier to clean. With a final push of the plunger, the grinds pop out as a compact, little puck. One quick rinse and you’re all set for the next brew. Did someone say camping? This is your answer.
Creme de la crema
Before you start on the deprivation of your crema, we’ve been assured that while the crema is a good visual indication of optimum tamping, temperature, extraction and freshness of bean, it contains no actual flavour. In fact, it’s removed prior to tasting in competitions so the texture doesn’t cloud the taste of pure espresso. Because of the filter in the AeroPress, the crema substance is absorbed by the paper, but the end result is still top notch, crema-quality coffee.
A little economiser
One AeroPress plunge can easily churn out 3 high quality espressos or 2 equally aromatic Americanos. And for the eco-conscious among you, you’ll be pleased to know the filter can be reused up to 3 times. Just rinse, leave to dry and reinsert. Belissimo, no?
Head on this way for a bunch of extra artisan coffee trivia as well as a guided how-to on brewing your morning cuppa using the AeroPress.