What's the caffeine content of coffee made in an Aeropress?

February 13, 2009 9:12 AM

What's the caffeine content of coffee made in an Aeropress?

Based on many glowing MeFite testimonials, I requested and received an Aeropress for Christmas. It makes terrific coffee and I'm grateful for getting the idea here. Perhaps some of you Aeropress junkies can help me with a caffeine-related question.

I only drink decaf. A houseguest I'll be hosting this weekend drinks regular. I'd like to make her coffee using the Aeropress. For decaf, I use 2 scoops of beans are used to make one mug of coffee. Can anyone enlighten me as to the caffeine content if I were to use that formula to make her a mug of regular coffee? I don't want to buzz her into the stratosphere, nor give her too little caffeine to kick off her morning. She's used to drinking 2 cups each morning, and if there's a heightened caffeine content I'll just mix some decaf into the regular to reach the appropriate level.

I saw this thread in a coffee forum, and if I'm reading the comment at the very bottom of the page correctly, it looks like most methods of making coffee, including the Aeropress, give you a similar amount of caffeine, although that particular example focused on a single scoop Americano.

I've made this too complicated! I suppose what I'm looking for is the real-world formula: a person used to 2 cups of regular should get... 2 "shots? made with 4 Aeropress scoops?... of Aeropress coffee.

Many thanks in advance.

posted by cheapskatebay to food & drink (4 comments total)

I use the Aeropress every day to make coffee (the kind with caffeine) and your method is my method. I haven't noticed any ridiculous buzz.
posted by ob at 9:52 AM on February 13

Based on that thread, it looks like the Aeropress gives you about 10% more caffeine than drip coffee.

Although you use more coffee when using the Aeropress, you also don't have as much extraction and brewing going on, so even though it seems like you're going to jolt her out of her seat with twice as much coffee grounds as you would normally use (or whatever), really it comes out just about the same as regular old coffee because you only stir it around for 20 seconds or so before you press.
posted by Addlepated at 9:54 AM on February 13

I use 2 scoops of beans per mug of coffee (topped up with water to make one full mug), and it seems the same to me as ordinary drip coffee, except it tastes better.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:57 PM on February 13

I used the tried-and-true 2 scoops-per-mug method, and she loved it. Thank you all for your replies.
posted by cheapskatebay at 11:39 AM on February 15