4 ms·

I love my aeropress but it is not even close to the best cup of coffee in the world

kitotik 7y ago
Hmmm. Perhaps not the _world_, but if you can’t make a cup that is in at least your personal top 10, you need adjust process and/or ingredients. I can cover a pretty wide range of my personal tastes - from syrupy espresso-like to smoky diner style to super crisp and light pour over style.
- ValentineC 7y ago
  > I can cover a pretty wide range of my personal tastes - from syrupy espresso-like to smoky diner style to super crisp and light pour over style. Is this all from your AeroPress? I find that a lot of the "range" I'm getting comes from obtaining beans from a variety of regions and roast levels. I can't figure out how to switch things around on the process level — but I almost always do the inverted method.
  - kitotik 7y ago
    Yes for sure all from AeroPress. So many knobs to turn. Aside from the obvious variables like quality and quantity of beans and water, the following have HUGE effects: - coarseness of the grind - water temp - bloom time - steep time - length and pressure of the extraction(the ‘press’) Checkout some award-winning recipes to get a feel for all the different techniques.
    - notechback 7y ago
      From looking at some of those recipes Aeropress looks more like a cult than a way of brewing coffee. Instructions on exact seconds to wait for the water to cool or how many times to turn the spoon... I don't doubt that this influences the coffee but I doubt that any mortal human can taste the difference between s coffee stirred 3 or 4 full rounds.
      - kitotik 7y ago
        No doubt there are always extremists! Imagine if in the programming world people bickered about things that had no affect in performance or functionality - say like whitespace or which text editor to use
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- munchbunny 7y ago
  I don't think I could hit my top 10 - there are a lot of very good coffee shops around me and I'm not that enthusiastic about coffee. However, top 10 is also not my goal for making coffee at home. I'm just aiming for good enough to enjoy drinking it, and also caffeine. I've been trying cold brewing my coffee lately, and I'm liking it a lot. No warm cup in the morning, but it tastes good and I can make it in large batches over the weekend. Grind and mix in the morning, filter and store in the evening. Also, it requires minimal attention on workdays and still tastes fine at the end of the week.
randycupertino 7y ago
What would you rank above it? I'm far from a coffee snob, however moving in with someone who is one I've come to like our aeropress even though imo it's a lot of work for a cup of joe.
- itronitron 7y ago
  Not the parent, but since I moved there is a really good local brand of organic instant coffee (generic grocery store chain). I no longer use my AeroPress because there aren't any good sources of coffee beans near me.
- notechback 7y ago
  In Europe most will bet on a proper espresso machine or else a mocha express style espresso maker. Espresso has more flavour, less bitterness and a tiny bit less caffeine; for me it brings out the pure coffee flavour in a small punch. Served in good cafes with a glass of water.
  - krrrh 7y ago
    It’s fascinating how much this has to do with personal preferences and cultural fashion. When I lived in Europe I would always make an effort to find the third wave coffeehouses that focused on aeropress and pour over preparations so I could enjoy the light-roasted subtleties and terroir of the different beans. It made coffee more like wine or microbrews. These places usually had a younger more international crowd and were frequently run by Australians or Kiwis. I find the dark espresso roasts produce a more consistent product but only because a whole range of flavours is missing. But different strokes for different folks.
    - ntsplnkv2 7y ago
      The best cup of coffee is the coffee you like! There is a lot of "third wave" espresso out there now which you may like more, not quite as traditional as what you may have found in Europe.
    - Lio 7y ago

Hmmm. Perhaps not the _world_, but if you can’t make a cup that is in at least your personal top 10, you need adjust process and/or ingredients. I can cover a pretty wide range of my personal tastes - from syrupy espresso-like to smoky diner style to super crisp and light pour over style.

ValentineC 7y ago
> I can cover a pretty wide range of my personal tastes - from syrupy espresso-like to smoky diner style to super crisp and light pour over style. Is this all from your AeroPress? I find that a lot of the "range" I'm getting comes from obtaining beans from a variety of regions and roast levels. I can't figure out how to switch things around on the process level — but I almost always do the inverted method.
- kitotik 7y ago
  Yes for sure all from AeroPress. So many knobs to turn. Aside from the obvious variables like quality and quantity of beans and water, the following have HUGE effects: - coarseness of the grind - water temp - bloom time - steep time - length and pressure of the extraction(the ‘press’) Checkout some award-winning recipes to get a feel for all the different techniques.
  - notechback 7y ago
    From looking at some of those recipes Aeropress looks more like a cult than a way of brewing coffee. Instructions on exact seconds to wait for the water to cool or how many times to turn the spoon... I don't doubt that this influences the coffee but I doubt that any mortal human can taste the difference between s coffee stirred 3 or 4 full rounds.
    - kitotik 7y ago
      No doubt there are always extremists! Imagine if in the programming world people bickered about things that had no affect in performance or functionality - say like whitespace or which text editor to use
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
munchbunny 7y ago
I don't think I could hit my top 10 - there are a lot of very good coffee shops around me and I'm not that enthusiastic about coffee. However, top 10 is also not my goal for making coffee at home. I'm just aiming for good enough to enjoy drinking it, and also caffeine. I've been trying cold brewing my coffee lately, and I'm liking it a lot. No warm cup in the morning, but it tastes good and I can make it in large batches over the weekend. Grind and mix in the morning, filter and store in the evening. Also, it requires minimal attention on workdays and still tastes fine at the end of the week.

randycupertino 7y ago

What would you rank above it? I'm far from a coffee snob, however moving in with someone who is one I've come to like our aeropress even though imo it's a lot of work for a cup of joe.

itronitron 7y ago
Not the parent, but since I moved there is a really good local brand of organic instant coffee (generic grocery store chain). I no longer use my AeroPress because there aren't any good sources of coffee beans near me.
notechback 7y ago
In Europe most will bet on a proper espresso machine or else a mocha express style espresso maker. Espresso has more flavour, less bitterness and a tiny bit less caffeine; for me it brings out the pure coffee flavour in a small punch. Served in good cafes with a glass of water.
- krrrh 7y ago
  It’s fascinating how much this has to do with personal preferences and cultural fashion. When I lived in Europe I would always make an effort to find the third wave coffeehouses that focused on aeropress and pour over preparations so I could enjoy the light-roasted subtleties and terroir of the different beans. It made coffee more like wine or microbrews. These places usually had a younger more international crowd and were frequently run by Australians or Kiwis. I find the dark espresso roasts produce a more consistent product but only because a whole range of flavours is missing. But different strokes for different folks.
  - ntsplnkv2 7y ago
    The best cup of coffee is the coffee you like! There is a lot of "third wave" espresso out there now which you may like more, not quite as traditional as what you may have found in Europe.
  - Lio 7y ago