Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with aeropress

The Ultimate Coffee Showdown

Autarky — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:09:19 -0800

French Press vs. Aerobie Aeropress -- I'm torn! I've been using a Senseo coffee maker for quite a while now. I've finally decided that enough is enough. The coffee pods are overpriced and not nearly as good as I'd like. The crema looks pretty but tastes exceptionally bitter. After doing a good bit of research it's down to a Bodum french press or an Aerobie Aeropress, and I don't really know which to go for. I'm probably going to spring for a Capresso Burr grinder as well...

MetaFilter, help me choose!

An average question, just don't be mean.

doozer_ex_machina — Fri, 15 May 2009 03:23:17 -0800

How much tap-temperature water (say 15 C) would you need to add to 1 litre of water to make a mass of water 80 C? The instructions on my Aeropress say the best temperature say the best temperature for coffee is 80 C. I would imagine a simple average (1*100 + x*15 = 1 * 80 +x *80 => x~.3 litres ) of mass and temperature would not be correct considering I would get a different answer if I chose Kelvin, so what is the correct way? What is a good heuristic?

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

cheapskatebay — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:12:06 -0800

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.

How can I make a iced coffee cheaply and cleanly?

cheeken — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:01:35 -0800

What’s the cleanest way to make a large quantity of strong, iced coffee? -or- What should my next coffee maker purchase be? So, I’ve read lots of old MeFi coffee threads, read the first three pages of results of a Google search for ‘aeropress vs French press,’ and now my brain is swimming with Pros and Cons, Betters and Worses, and Advantages and Disadvantages.

I currently have a Black & Decker DCM18 [amazon], and when I was drinking one mug of hot coffee during the winter months, it was perfect. I’m the only one in the household who drinks any coffee, so it’s the perfect size. Then summer hit, and hot coffee was no longer an option. Then, I had class from 9-5 and decided I’d make a huge iced coffee in my Nalgene bottle (filling the coffee maker with as much water and coffee as it would handle, pouring it over ice, half & half, splenda, and shakeshakeshake). It was essentially perfect. But the coffee maker was REALLY Messy, and a huge pain to clean.

So, now the question, I guess, is what’s the cleanest way to make a pretty large quantity of strong, iced coffee?

The aeropress seems very easy-to-clean, but also sounds like it makes a Little Bit of coffee from a Lot of Grounds. If I’m filling my Nalgene, I don’t want to have to go through a half-pound of coffee each time.

The French Press seems kind of messy, and everything I read talked about boulders and dust and sludge and having stuff in your coffee. That’s kind of weird.

I’m absolutely NOT a coffee snob – I’m not exactly looking to make the best cup of coffee, just a good amount with as little cleanup (and fairly cheap) as possible. I don’t grind my own beans, either.

Having said that, I’d also like that whatever I do buy would still make a fantastic cup of coffee when winter comes back around.

So, French Press? Aeropress? Figure out Cold Brewing?

Thanks, MeFi.

Cheap Beans, Rich Flavor.

mccarty.tim — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:29:13 -0800

What's a good whole bean coffee I can buy in bulk online on a college student budget? I'm a college student with limited money. However, I do like good coffee and keep a coffee grinder and an aeropress in my dorm. What brands should I go for? I'm a big fan of pacific coffees and blends of them. I would say the two best varieties that I've sampled would be Dean's Beans Moka Summatra and the Summatra blend from Starbucks. Starbucks is widely available, but it is, of course, really expensive, about $11 a bag here, for a bag that isn't even a whole lb. Dean's Beans is more reasonably priced, but the shipping makes small amounts not worth paying for if I'm not also ordering something else, which I only do around other coffee-lover's birthdays.

Is there any supermarket brand or internet brand that ship affordably? I'd like to be able to pay about $4-6 a lb after shipping, in quantities that vary from 2-5 lbs. I know ordering that much at once risks the coffee going stale, but I can deal with slightly stale coffee on my budget. Fair trade, organic, and shade grown would be nice touches, but I know it's a bit much to ask on my budget.

Also, my school is near Trenton, NJ. I'm a bit scared to go into the city, but it's worth it if there's a cheap wholesaler of beans in there.

Coffee Drinks beyond the Basics

mccarty.tim — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:53:55 -0800

What are good espresso-based drinks beyond the typical lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas? I love the coffee my aeropress makes (Yes, I know it isn't really espresso, but I don't care), but I'm getting a bit bored with just my typical drinks, which are pretty much just cappuccinos and lattes in the morning, straight espresso in the afternoon. Are there any good drinks that I can make with my Aeropress, a battery powered frother, milk, and whatever I can get from my campus convenience store? I'm not much of a mocha person and usually the natural sweetness of steamed milk is about as much sweetening I need. However, if you have sweet confectionary drinks you really like, go ahead and tell me. I'm curious, and it doesn't have to be traditional Italian either. These can be drinks made in an American mug or a demitasse.

What would be nice is for the drink to not require too much cleanup and be easy enough to make in under 10 minutes. But I'm partly doing this for my entertainment, so if you have any big, crazy elaborate drink that takes all morning, I'm all ears.