Hey DripBeans community and cold brew lovers, today I’m writing about a new brewer I bought last week – an AeroPress. AeroPress is a coffee brewing device that lets you brew low acidity coffee fast and easy, and it is specialized in espresso-style coffee.
However, it can also be used for cold brew coffee, and there is even a guide for how to make cold brew in the AeroPress box. I heard about this from one of the members in the DripBeans Facebook-group, Eric, and after some chatting, I decided that I had to try it.
So, this Monday, instead of a new recipe, you will get a review and really a guide for a new cold brewing method – cold brew using an AeroPress. I hope you like it!
First Thought of the AeroPress
The first thought when I got it and unpacked the AeroPress was that it looked well designed, and even the packaging looked well thought through. There are 6 main parts in the standard AeroPress kit+ 350 paper filters and a filter holder.
- Chamber – the main part holding everything together.
- Plunger – used to press through the water through the coffee.
- Filter cap – which sits on the bottom of the chamber and holds the filter.
- Scoop – makes scooping and measuring quite easy.
- Stir paddle – for stirring, which gives a better extraction.
- Funnel – makes loading the AeroPress with coffee less messy.
These parts are all either essential or very helpful, and they felt much more robust than I thought they would do from just looking at pictures online.
AeroPress for Cold Brew – Good?
After unpacking my AeroPress, I was eager to try it out. I’ve read a lot of reviews, but I really wanted to try it out myself. I almost ran to the kitchen with it and started the brewing process right away.
Since I’d thought about buying an AeroPress for a long time, I’d already had planned that I would want to try this new device with both ground coffee and freshly grinded beans. I was curious to see how big the difference would be.
I also wanted to try a double filtration sort of method, which would be where I made the cold brew as instructed and the loaded the AeroPress with the cold brew again and filtered it through the same coffee ground twice. Why would I do that? Well, the AeroPress cold brewing is extremely short in comparison with many other brewing methods. Cold brewing often takes about 12-24hrs. With an AeroPress it only takes about 1-2min (!?). So, I was not sure that the extraction would be high enough.
Try 1 – AeroPress Cold Brew with Whole Beans
The first thing I wanted to try was to brew some cold brew using freshly grinded high quality beans. I used DripBeans Everyday Hero beans and I did grind them to a very fine grind. I figured that a finer grind size probably would fit the AeroPress better than the coarse grind I usually use for other cold brewing methods.
I followed the instructions for the water and coffee ratio. 1 scoop coffee, and enough water to reach the “2” written on the chamber. I then stirred the coffee using the stir paddle for about 1-1.5min, just as instructed. By stirring, you are increasing the extraction level, which is well needed for such a short brewing time.
After stirring, I inserted the plunger and pressed gently until the plunger reached the bottom. That’s it. The cold brew is ready, easy, right? In just 2min you have drink ready cold brew coffee!
The result? AeroPress instructions are that you should add 8oz of cold water before serving, so I did, and the result was a very nice tasting cold brew. But, the extraction level isn’t as high as for the “regular” cold brew methods. The cold brew was smooth and very nice tasting, but not as strong as for normal cold brew.
Overall a pleasing result though!
Try 2 & 3 – AeroPress Cold Brew with Ground Coffee
After trying whole beans, I wanted to make cold brew using ground coffee. However, there is a big difference between ground coffee and ground coffee. You can buy ground coffee directly from a local roastery, or freshly roasted and grinded online through eCommerces like DripBeans. But You can also buy ground coffee in your local grocery store. A lot of store bought coffee has been on the shelf for a while, and the coffee isn’t really fresh at all. So, I did try both fresh ground coffee and a bag that I picked up from the store.
I used the exact same method as for the whole beans, and the result was actually quite interesting.
For the ground coffee, I did get from DripBeans, roasted and grinded close up to brewing, the result was actually really good, and I couldn’t really tell any difference between this and using whole beans.
For the store-bought coffee, the result was something totally different. It was a disaster. The coffee was blend, and I could barely taste the coffee. When cold brewing using the regular methods (which you can learn more about here) the there is a distinct difference, but not near as big as for when using the AeroPress. So, if you want to use the AeroPress for cold brewing, use whole beans or freshly bought ground coffee.
Try 4 – AeroPress Double Filtering/Brewing Cold Brew
As I wrote before, since the brewing method is fast, I wanted to try and filter the cold brew through the coffee twice. I used freshly grinded whole beans for this, and I followed the same instructions as before. But after pressing out the cold brew, I poured it in again and repeated the process once more.
The result. Stronger cold brew. Probably not so surprising, but I ended up with a glass of stronger cold brew. However, the difference wasn’t huge, and the cold brew was still not as strong as if I would have used the Immersion Method or the Hot Bloom Method. But, it was way faster.
AeroPress for Cold Brew – Review
Overall, I’m happily surprised with the result. I honestly did not expect much since I heard some not as positive reviews, and since it just sounds too good to be true that you would be able to make a glass of cold brew in just a couple of minutes.
AeroPress has really done something beautiful here, and I’m happy that I tried it. I will most definitely use my AeroPress many times in the future. However, I would still say that I prefer the regular cold brewing methods, but it’s always nice to change the brewing method and flavors every now and then. And, since I’m one of those people who often forget to prepare my cold brew the day before, the AeroPress will come handy.
However, I will add this. If you like to add cold foams, milk, or cream to your cold brew, I wouldn’t recommend AeroPress. The cold brew you get from the AeroPress is just too smooth and not strong enough for adding a lot of dairies. However, it tastes great as it is or with a sweetener of your choice.
Where Do You Buy an AeroPress?
You can find AeroPress in many different stores, both at your favorite retailer and online. I bought mine from Amazon since the price was good and they offered fast shipping.
Thank you for reading! If you think your friends would be interested in this article, I would be super thankful if you wanted to share this post. It would help me and DripBeans a lot. You can use the buttons to the left (or bottom if you are on your mobile device). Thanks!
How do you make cold brew with and AeroPress?
Add 1 scoop of coffee to the AeroPress and pour in water until it reaches the 2. Then, using the stirring paddle, stir for about 1min. After 1min, use the plunge and press gently until it reaches the coffee ground. Lastly, add 8oz ice water to the cold brew. There you go, drink ready cold brew in 2min!
Is AeroPress good for cold brew?
Yes it is! The cold brew you get from using the AeroPress is super smooth and has a natural sweetness. However, it isn't so strong as if you had used one of the more regular brewing methods.
Can you make cold brew using an AeroPress?
Yes you can. It only takes about 2min and is super simple.