The Aeropress is known for making delicious coffee through the standard methods of brewing. You can read more about the standard way to brew coffee with the Aeropress in our How to Brew with the Aeropress Guide.
We consider inverted or upside down Aeropress brewing to be the best way to make coffee with your Aeropress. The coffee that this method produces tastes better, let us tell you why!
Issues with Normal Aeropress Brewing
There are a couple issues with the normal brewing method. First, if you steep right side up, you end up with under extracted coffee because the filter lets coffee through before pressing. Second, the bloom of foam that forms when the brew is stirred ends up being pushed into the coffee puck that is formed when pressed.
Lets elaborate on these two issues.
- Problem: When you brew coffee with the Aeropress right side up you will find that as soon as you pour coffee into the Aeropress that under extracted coffee will immediately begin pouring through the filter. This means that immediately you begin to fill your cup with bland, under extracted coffee. If you look closely you will notice this coffee is very clear which is a sign it is under extracted.Solution: Inverting the Aeropress when brewing prevents any coffee from being poured out of the press before it is ready. The entire brew steeps the whole time and then gets pressed together.
- Problem: The bloom that forms on top of a normally brewed cup of Aeropress coffee is pushed into the puck of grounds which is created at the filter when pressed. The bloom is the caramel colored foamy substance which forms at the top of the column when water is added to coffee grounds and the mixture is stirred. The bloom holds delicious oils that are lost when the normal brewing method is applied.
Solution: By inverting the press, we keep the bloom close to the filter. We can then press the bloom through while the Aeropress remains upside down and then pushing the rest of the brew through after righting the Aeropress.
Inverted Aeropress Brewing Guide
These instructions are meant to be general. You can apply your favorite Aeropress recipe to this method. We prefer a Metal Filter but you also use a Paper Filter. Flip your Aeropress upside down and follow our inverted Aeropress brewing instructions.
- Start by inserting the plunger an inch or so into the top of the chamber. Be sure that the plunger sits straight in the chamber. If the plunger is in crooked you can easily end up spilling the mixture when brewing.
- Mix the grounds and water in the column. Stir and steep. We suggest adding a little water to the column first, then adding your coffee grounds. Lastly finish by adding the rest of the water. We suggest adding a bit more water than normal when brewing inverted. When you stir you may find that the bloom comes up to the top of the column, making it hard to put the cap on without spilling. If you find yourself in this situation, stir a bit more to make the bloom subside and make a note to add less water next time.
- Attach the Filter & Cap. Place the filter inside the cap. If you are using paper filters, we suggest wetting the filter a little so that it sticks to the cap. Flip the cap and filter over and secure to the press.
- Press the Bloom Through the Cap. The idea behind getting those delicious oils through the filter is often lost by inverted brewing methods. With our method we suggest you keep the Aeropress upside down until after you press the bloom through the cap. Our method is to slightly tilt the Aeropress over your cup as you slowly press the plunger. You will press any air out of the chamber, then the bloom and a bit of the brew will push through the cap and spill out into the cup.
- Flip and Finish the Press. After getting the bloom and a bit of the brew pressed through, simply flip the Aeropress over onto your cup and finish the press. This move can be tricky, but with a bit of practice you can confidently brew without spilling.
There is a bit of an art to this and it may take some practice to get it right. For an more automated way to make high quality coffee you may want to go with a high quality coffee maker, preferably with a grinder. If that is your preference check out our guide for choosing the best coffee maker with grinder.
Watch our Inverted Aeropress Brewing Method Video
The concepts and procedure may seem advanced, but after a little practice you will find it is actually quite easy. Watch our inverted brewing video below to see the instructions above in action.
Nooooo, do not press the aeropress without an air pocket. You will put too much pressure on the brewing. Air is compressible, liquid is not. If you press the bloom through while its inverted, you are pushing all the air out. You will thus destroy the air pressure which keeps a stable pressure on the liquid. You’ll end up over extracting, or at least greatly increasing the possibility of over extracting. The bloom is just CO2, theres nothing special about the bloom. Blooming is a technique to prevent coffee from overflowing from the CO2 release from heat, and to help allow coffee to brew more evenly because you allow the CO2 to release before continuing your brew. If you enjoy oils in your coffee, as many french press enthusiasts do, I’d recommend using a reusable metal disc filter for your aeropress. Paper absorbs most oils. Of course if you add enough pressure you’ll probably force the oils through, this is probably your case.
Try a metal filter, and see if you like that. If you like the oils in your coffee you’ll definitely love it. I’m planning on getting one soon, because I enjoy the oils, and I also don’t like wasting so much paper.
Brilliant! I immediately noticed loosing 10-25% of the liquid as unpressed the first time I used the Aeropress. I thought, how could this be rated so well with this obvious flaw. However, the coffee it made was still great. It is even better now, using this workaround. Thank you!
Hi I’ve been trying to use the inverted method and have had problems. When you stir should you just stir the top or the entire column? Sometimes I find that grounds stick to the plunger and aren’t submerged when I invert it. I assume this leaves those grounds underextracted and the grounds that are submerged over extracted? Also when using the non inverted method, wouldn’t the first few drops that come out first be the most concentrated?
Inverted brewing is the “coffee sommelier’s” equivalent to the utterly meaningless and CMSommelier’s service hazing of double decanting without a funnel.
If the inventors of the AeroPress though that this made that much of a difference, they would have engineered the device to work in the inverted position.
I would argue that that flipping agitates the grounds and upsets the bloom.