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    by Loom Coffee Co. 3 min read

    The standard method with a 1:15 ratio, medium-fine grind, and 90-96°C (194-205°F) water produces a clean, balanced AeroPress cup in under two minutes.

    There are hundreds of AeroPress recipes online, and they contradict each other on almost everything. That's the whole point. The AeroPress combines immersion, pressure, and filtration in ratios you control, which means understanding the variables matters more than memorizing someone else's numbers.

    What do you need?

    • AeroPress (with paper filters; we recommend using two)
    • Kettle
    • Kitchen scale (grams)
    • Timer
    • Burr grinder
    • Stirring paddle or spoon
    • 15g coffee, 225g water

    What ratio and grind size should you start with?

    Start at 1:15 (15g coffee to 225g water) with a medium-fine grind. Medium-fine looks like table salt. The AeroPress chamber holds roughly 220-250ml, which naturally limits your dose at standard ratios.

    Finer grinds increase extraction but also increase plunger resistance. If the plunger stalls completely, you've gone too fine. If it drops with no resistance, go finer.

    Concentrated "espresso-style" shot

    For milk drinks or iced coffee, use a 1:5 ratio (20g coffee to 100g water) with a fine grind and a 1-minute steep. Dilute the concentrate with hot water or pour over ice.

    How does water temperature affect the cup?

    Use 90-96°C (194-205°F) for light to medium roasts. Drop to 85-90°C (185-194°F) for darker roasts or when you want more body and sweetness. The AeroPress retains heat well because of the enclosed chamber, so your water temperature stays more consistent than in an open pour-over.

    Temperature ranges by roast level

    Light roasts (94-96°C / 201-205°F)
    Medium roasts (90-93°C / 194-199°F)
    Darker roasts (85-90°C / 185-194°F)

    Our Santa Lucia Reserve (panela, ripe tamarind, crumb cake) does well at 93-94°C (199-201°F), where the sweetness and body come through without flattening the tamarind acidity.

    How should you press?

    Use the standard method only. Place the filter cap on the bottom, add coffee, pour water, stir, and press. We don't recommend the inverted method. Flipping a cylinder of near-boiling water creates a real spill and burn risk, and the technique is falling out of favor in the AeroPress community for exactly that reason. The standard method produces excellent cups without the hazard.

    Press slowly, using only the weight of your hand. This is the single most important technique for AeroPress. A full press should take 45-60 seconds. Stop pressing when you hear the hiss of air reaching the coffee bed. There's no need to push past that point; compacting the grounds squeezes out bitter compounds and forces fines through the filter, producing a muddy brew.

    People press too hard. That's the most common AeroPress mistake. Hard pressing causes channeling (water finds a fast path through the bed instead of extracting evenly), underextraction in some areas, and pushes larger particles through the filter. The result is a cup that's simultaneously bitter and sour, with a silty mouthfeel.

    Use two paper filters for greater clarity. Stack two standard AeroPress filters in the cap. The second filter catches fines that slip through the first, producing a noticeably cleaner, brighter cup. This pairs well with the slow press: gentle pressure and double filtration together deliver exceptional sweetness and balance.

    What should you adjust when the cup tastes off?

    Troubleshooting: taste adjustments
    • Sour (underextracted): Grind finer or extend the steep by 30 seconds. This is an extraction problem.
    • Thin (lacking body): Grind finer and/or lower the temperature to shift toward body and sweetness.
    • Flat or dull: Raise temperature by 2-3°C (4-5°F) to bring acidity and brightness forward.
    • Bitter or astringent: Grind coarser or shorten the steep. If you're pressing hard, slow way down. Use only the weight of your hand.
    • Muddy or silty: Press more slowly and stop at the hiss. Try two paper filters if you aren't already. Hard pressing forces fines through the filter.

    Change one variable at a time. The AeroPress has enough interacting variables that changing two at once makes it impossible to know what caused the result.

    Recipe: AeroPress Standard (clean and balanced)

    • Coffee: 15g
    • Water: 225g at 93°C / 199°F
    • Ratio: 1:15
    • Grind: Medium-fine (table salt)
    • Filter: Two paper filters stacked
    • Bloom: 30g water, 30 seconds, stir once
    • Steep: 1:30 total
    • Press: Weight of your hand only, 45-60 seconds. Stop at the hiss.

    Recipe: AeroPress Concentrated (for milk drinks or iced coffee)

    • Coffee: 20g
    • Water: 100g at 96°C / 205°F
    • Ratio: 1:5
    • Grind: Fine
    • Filter: Two paper filters stacked
    • Steep: 1:00
    • Press: Weight of your hand only, 45-60 seconds. Stop at the hiss.
    • Dilute: Add 100-150ml water, milk, or pour over ice

    Start at 1:15 (15g coffee to 225g water) with a medium-fine grind for a clean, balanced cup. For a concentrated "espresso-style" shot good for milk drinks or iced coffee, use a 1:5 ratio (20g coffee to 100g water) with a fine grind and a 1-minute steep. Dilute the concentrate with hot water or pour over ice.

    We don't recommend the inverted method. Flipping a cylinder of near-boiling water creates a real spill and burn risk, and the technique is falling out of favor in the AeroPress community for exactly that reason. The standard method (filter cap on the bottom, add coffee, pour water, stir, press) produces excellent cups without the hazard.

    Press slowly, using only the weight of your hand. A full press should take 45-60 seconds. Hard pressing is the most common AeroPress mistake: it causes channeling, underextraction in some areas, and pushes larger particles through the filter. The result is a cup that's simultaneously bitter and sour with a silty mouthfeel. Stop pressing when you hear the hiss of air reaching the coffee bed.

    Bitterness usually comes from pressing too hard, steeping too long, or grinding too fine. If you're pressing hard, slow way down and use only the weight of your hand. Try coarsening the grind or shortening the steep by 30 seconds. Also try stacking two paper filters in the cap to catch fines that contribute to bitterness.

    Use 90-96°C (194-205°F) for light to medium roasts. Drop to 85-90°C (185-194°F) for darker roasts or when you want more body and sweetness. The AeroPress retains heat well because of the enclosed chamber, so your water temperature stays more consistent than in an open pour-over.