My AeroPress…

Currently known as one of the most versatile and practical methods to make coffee AeroPress has revolutionised self-coffee consumption around the world.

It is one of my favourite methods to prepare coffee. Ever since I got my first AeroPress I can’t travel without it. A constant lifesaver easy to carry and to use anywhere, any time.

Less than two weeks ago my family and I had the pleasure of touring Tasmania. Our AeroPress set up was our most effective insurance policy against no local espresso outlets or simply bad coffee. Always delivers a clean and bright cup while producing a certain level of, almost, spiritual comfort as it easily recreates a whole ritual of preparation.

First released in 2005 by retired Stanford engineering lecturer Alan Adler It became kind of a coffee-cult following among coffee enthusiasts. Adler was hoping to improve his daily coffee by using pressure to decrease brew time and reduce bitterness.

The AeroPress is a manual coffeemaker that consists of a cylindrical chamber, and a plunger with an airtight silicone seal, similar to a syringe. Ground coffee beans and water are steeped inside, then forced through a filter by pressing the plunger through the chamber. It is capable of brewing highly concentrated coffee, which the manufacturer describes as "espresso style", but can also be used to brew filter strength coffee, or even cold brew coffee.

AeroPress allows us to experiment and test different brewing possibilities. I believe that there can only be recommended ways of brewing coffee with it. We can always get creative and push for new flavours and extraction profiles.

Espresso-like emulation is often achieved by using fine ground coffee as more pressure is needed to extract the precious liquid. Intensity can also be changed by increasing or decreasing coffee volumes. A coarser ground will bring smoothness to the brew emulating filtered methods.

Portable hand-grinders are the most popular companions of the AeroPress. Mine is one of those that has been designed to fit right inside the syringe-like piece of the standard AeroPress. There is also a metal filter option that eliminates having to carry a packet of paper filters as well as eliminates paper wastage.

The quality of the water we use also plays an important role in our AeroPress (Or any other extraction method) coffee extraction. There is a whole new market of waters dedicated to coffee and tea brewing.

For seven days we spent each night in a different location around the island. The magical Tasmanian landscapes, we had the privilege of witnessing, merged in a whole sensorial experience together with our current bourbon trilogy. AeroPress made it possible turning every coffee moment into an everlasting memory.