BREWING GUIDE: ICED AEROPRESS

I’m currently on holidays sweating in the spanish sun and the only coffee I can drink is iced! And my Aeropress and Porlex grinder literally travel everywhere with me so good timing to tinker with an iced recipe, after a few days I think it got it right, considering im working with filtered water and a pretty limey kettle.

The AeroPress was dreamt up by the same guy who invented the Aerobie (those frisbee-lookin' things you can fling, like, two football fields). But truly, the dreamiest thing about the AeroPress is that, using this far-flung invention, you can brew a single cup of iced coffee in less than three minutes.

We used Friedhats Ethiopian Kochere Boji, It’s a Natural processed Heirloom coffee that most of our filter subscribers would have got in last months box! My favourite coffees to use for iced coffee is ethipioan naturals, so much acidity and flavour notes coming through. Through this method you can really taste the lime and milk choocolate notes.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

AeroPress+filters (I used our new reusable able brewing disk filter)
Coffee
Water Kettle
Scale
Grinder
Vessel with mouth large enough to fit AeroPress
Ice Ice Baby

RECIPE

This guide will produce one 8oz cup of iced coffee. 

STEP 1

PREPARE AEROPRESS AND ICE

We'll use the inverted method so start by placing the plunger in the chamber just under the 3 marking. Flip the assembly over and place on the scale with the chamber side up. 

Weigh out 100 grams of ice into vessel you will be plunging into.

STEP 2

WEIGH OUT COFFEE TO BE GROUND

Weigh out about 25 grams of coffee to be ground. We weigh out slightly more coffee than will be used, often a gram or two is lost in the grinder. Fill kettle and heat water. 

STEP 3

GRIND COFFEE

The grind should be about halfway between espresso and drip, similar to sand.I went five clicks off tightest on my porlex grinder!

STEP 4 

WEIGH GROUND COFFEE IN AEROPRESS

Weigh 25 grams of ground coffee into the inverted AeroPress and give it a gentle tap to settle the grounds. Tare scale.

STEP 5

BLOOM AND PAT GROUNDS 

Just after boiling, remove kettle and let water settle. Start timer and pour enough water to just saturate coffee bed (about 50 grams).

Using your brew paddle, gently pat the grounds down so that all grounds are saturated. Let bloom, or expand for 30 seconds. Allowing the coffee to bloom ensures even water dispersion and a delicious cup. 

STEP 6

ADD REST OF WATER

After 30 seconds, add water in small circles until the scale reads 150 grams. The slurry should just about fill up the entire chamber. Remove assembly from scale.

STEP 7

RINSE FILTER

While, your coffee brews, place a filter in the filter cap and rinse the filter with hot water from kettle. This will help seal the cap in and also wash away any paper taste the filter might impart. If you’re using your able brew reusable filter you wont need to rinse your filter!

STEP 8

STIR 

When your timer reads 2:30, stir vigorously 10 times.

STEP 9 

FLIP AND PLUNGE

Work quickly: screw the filter cap with filter onto the chamber. Tilt the Aeropress about 90 degrees and place the cup with the ice flush the the side and quickly flip the assembly over. Plunge into cup over the ice. The plunge will be a little shorter than a regular AeroPress because you have less coffee. The final brew time should be around 2:45. Pro tip: If plunging is very hard and you are getting a lot of resistance, coarsen your grind. If plunging seems too easy, make the grind finer.

STEP 10

SERVE AND ENJOY!