Have you had the pleasure of brewing coffee with an AeroPress before? I have, and today I am here to tell you all about the AeroPress inverted method, which will produce an even better coffee for you to enjoy.
In this article, I’ll go over every step to brewing coffee with this technique in the brewing guide down below. Don’t worry. The brewing guide will be easy to follow as I have added photos along the way.
I will also talk about getting the right grind size for the AeroPress. As well as the difference between the inverted AeroPress method in comparison to the regular AeroPress brewing method. Brew some coffee, and let’s get into it!
What is the inverted AeroPress method?
Let me start by saying that brewing with the AeroPress is one of the most fun ways to brew coffee. When using an AeroPress to brew your daily coffee, you make coffee under pressure; how fun is that!
The AeroPress vacuum chamber will produce a certain amount of pressure and push your coffee out on the other side.
This inverted AeroPress method is essentially the same as the regular brewing method. The only real difference is the way you handle the brewing part of the method.
When using the regular method, you bloom your coffee ever so slightly for 10 seconds and stirring while you do so. After that, you press the vacuum chamber down, and you are left with a wonderful cup of joe.
In the inverted way, the chambers are upside down for the first half of the brewing method. Setting up the AeroPress upside down, you create a blooming process that is quite similar to the blooming and brewing of pour-over coffee.
You first bloom your coffee for 20 to 30 seconds and then add the remaining water before tilting your AeroPress chamber upside down again onto a cup and pressing out the coffee.
Now let’s jump into the brewing guide so that you can try the inverted AeroPress method out yourself.
Brewing guide: the inverted AeroPress method
In this brewing guide for the inverted AeroPress method, I will tell you how to brew the coffee in 9 steps. Let’s start with the first step:
Step 1: The first step to brewing with the inverted method of the AeroPress is setting up the chambers in the correct way. The vacuum chamber will need to be upside down into the other chamber. Make sure to push it in far enough, so it won’t spill any coffee from the bottom.
I usually aim for about finger-width to add into the chamber. It has never gone wrong, so that must mean it’s a nice indication. When done correctly, the chambers should look like this:
Step 2: Continuing, the second step is adding your ground coffee into the chamber. You can do so by using the stirring wand that is included in the package of the AeroPress. For this brew, I use 17 grams of coffee.
Once you have added your ground coffee into the chamber, give it a little shake so the coffee bed will be nice and even. This will give you the best extraction. The coffee bed should look something like this:
Step 3: The third step is blooming the coffee beans. Add about 50 grams of water to start the blooming process. The blooming of the coffee will take about 20 to 30 seconds.
Step 4: The next step is adding the rest of your water to the AeroPress, pour slowly but steadily. By pouring too hard, the water will run straight through the filter, and you will miss out on a bunch of flavors.
Once you have added all the water, wait for an additional 1 minute and 10 seconds. You will be able to experiment with the time, but I will get a bit more into this after the brewing guide.
Step 5: Next up is adding a paper filter and placing it into the plastic filter cap. Make sure the paper filter is not folded and/or scrunched up. The paper should look nice and even:
Step 6: Now, turn the filter upside down onto the chamber. Just twist the filter cap on and make sure it’s nice and tight. This step is crucial as you will turn the AeroPress around, and an unsecured filter cap will bring you some cleanup trouble.
Step 7: Now turn around the AeroPress. The best way to do so is by holding both your cup and AeroPress sideways and slowly placing them onto each other. Just take this step easy. The coffee will not taste differently by rushing through this step.
Step 8: Once you have turned the AeroPress the right way, slowly start pressing down onto the chamber. Hold onto the cup and AeroPress at once and press down slowly. Once you hear the hissing sound, stop pressing down. Your AeroPress coffee is now ready.
Step 9: After you have finished brewing with the AeroPress, you can enjoy your coffee. I made a small batch of coffee for the photos here. The coffee came close to espresso by the amount of coffee produced and tasted delicious as well.
Don’t forget to clean up and wash your AeroPress so it’s ready to make more coffee.
The coffee ratio that I used for this recipe was 17 grams of coffee for about 50 grams of water. By brewing an espresso-like coffee, you can enjoy it like this or make it into an Americano by adding more hot water afterward.
You can change this up by adding more ground coffee and/ or water to your AeroPress. Most people make their AeroPress coffee by using 17 grams of coffee and adding about a cup (237ml) of hot water.
This will make you a nice cup of joe. It all depends on which coffee you drink the most.
Do you like to drink a cappuccino?
Make an espresso-style AeroPress brew by using the 17 grams of coffee to 50 grams of water ratio. Now add some foamy milk on top, and you are ready to go!
By playing around with the brewing time of the AeroPress will deliverer some interesting results as well. I aim for 1 minute at least; this has worked best for my coffee brewing with the AeroPress.
The possibilities are endless with the AeroPress, now let’s move onto the grind size that is best used when brewing coffee with the AeroPress:
Which coffee grind works best for this method?
This method of coffee brewing requires a fine coffee grind. The coffee grind should feel similar to sand or fine sea salt. The coffee grind should not be ultra fine like Turkish coffee or fine like an espresso grind. Compared to these coffee grinds, the AeroPress coffee grind should be a bit more to the medium-fine side of coffee grinds.
To test out if you are using the correct coffee grind, I have made a nice overview down below for you to check out:
- Your coffee grind is too coarse when: the ground coffee is too coarse when the hot water runs straight through the AeroPress filter and into your cup. Adjust little by little until the coffee stops pouring straight down.
- Your coffee grind is too fine when: the ground coffee beans feel like powder, and the AeroPress has trouble pressing down.
If you are unsure if you’ve got the right grind size for the AeroPress, taste your coffee in between adjusting your coffee grinder. Use the tips below to find out if you have got the right grind size:
- You have under-extracted your coffee when: you have used a too coarsely ground coffee bean, and now the coffee has bitter notes.
- You have over-extracted your coffee when: the grind size was too fine and are now left with a sour-tasting cup of coffee. Note that coffee can have some sour notes to it. Just make sure it’s not overly sour.
The coffee grind that I use looks like this:
Getting the right grind size for the AeroPress was quite a challenger. It isn’t like any other brewing method out there. I think I had the right coffee grind size for the AeroPress the 8th time around. But when I finally found it, it was amazing, so don’t give up!
I’ve written an article about the correct grind size of every coffee brewer out there. If you’re interested, you can check it out by clicking here.
How does the inverted AeroPress method differ from the regular method?
The regular way to brewing AeroPress coffee is by adding ground coffee into the AeroPress chamber and pouring hot water on top of it. Then let the coffee bloom whilst stirring through the mixture to create an evenly bloomed coffee bed.
After that, you just press down on the vacuum chambers, and out comes the coffee.
While using the inverted AeroPress method, the chamber is upside down and will be this way until you have bloomed and added all the water necessary.
For me, the brewing method doesn’t make that much of a difference. Sure, the inverted AeroPress method takes a bit longer to brew your coffee fully, but the flavor is quite different from the regular method.
I noticed that the inverted method had quite a bit more subtle flavors to it. The coffee tasted like pour-over coffee, made by using a Hario V60 or Chemex. By using these methods you create a more subtle flavor profile as you remove more oils and grid from your coffee.
Comparing this flavor profile to the regular way, where you only bloom your coffee beans for 10 seconds and then pushing through already, I prefer the inverted AeroPress method over the regular one.
I recommend trying out both AeroPress brewing techniques and then choosing your preferred AeroPress method. The best way to make Your Dream Coffee is by trying out everything at home and seeing what works best for you.
Conclusion
AeroPress coffee is delicious, and I suggest you give it a try if you’ve got the chance. I have made a brewing guide to the regular AeroPress method as well, and you can check it out by clicking on the picture down below:
If you want to put your AeroPress to the test and brew some amazing coffee, consider using the brewed coffee by making some amazing coffee recipes. I’ve listed a few coffee recipes below that might interest you.
Do you prefer the regular or the inverted brewing method of the AeroPress? Let me know by leaving a comment down below. If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top!
