How Fine To Grind Coffee For Aeropress
by Bryan Albuquerque
Before we talk about how fine your coffee bean grind size should be when using the Aeropress, let’s quickly go over why you might want to brew coffee at home, ie. the benefits of such a thing.
Reasons might include:
- Costs of buying a cup of coffee or two each day – They certainly add up!
- Too many burnt/terrible/bitter brews you’ve had to choke down to get your daily caffeine fix.
- No control over the taste and flavor of your purchased coffee. – You’re at the whim of the barista!
If these are things which happen to you, mastering the Aeropress is a great idea, and, even if you don’t mind any of the above – still a good idea! Now let’s hop to it!
| Porlex 345-12541 Jp-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder Silver |
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| Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill – “Skerton” |
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Table of Contents
- The Importance of Coffee Bean Grinding
- Our Favourite Aeropress Coffee Tools
- Grinding For A Specific Type of Coffee
- Aeropress Competition and Recipes
- Best Aeropress Coffee Recipe
- Grinding For Aeropress With The Hario Skerton
- Grinding For Aeropress With The Porlex Mini
- Grinding For Aeropress With The Wilfa Grinder
- How Starbucks does Aeropress
The Importance of Coffee Bean Grinding
One of the most important steps in making your own coffee is the grinding process. The grind size and consistency of your coffee can mean the difference between liquid gold and a bitter brew.
Here is a diagram which explains this. Feel free to gloss over it, knowing that we’re not here to do math. Still, it should give you an idea how technical this process *can* be.
The bottom line is that the surface area of the coffee grinds contributes to the taste of the coffee. With a higher surface area, you’re going to have a higher extraction rate.
This leaves you with the choice between a high extraction rate and the amount of contact needed with the grinds. When you want to increase the surface area, the coffee’s grinds should be fine.
With an immersion brewer, such as the Aeropress, the coffee grinds will be steeped in water for a longer period of time, which means it doesn’t need a large surface area.
A coarser grind can be the right mix for this type of coffee maker. The rate of contact and the size of the grind can result in a coffee that is too weak or too bitter.
These are the ends of the spectrum in bad coffees, and they’re likely why you are choosing to learn about how to grind specifically for the Aeropress coffee maker.
Here are some our of favourite products to make grinding coffee for Aeropress easier!
Type of Coffee Dictates How Fine To Grind
Coffees like Turkish blends need an extra fine grind, and espresso requires a fine grind because the water is forced through them very quickly. This means the grind will need a larger surface to come into contact with the water.
In terms of which coffee grinders one may wish to acquire, some people swear by manual burr grinders because they seem (and in some cases are indeed) custom built to grind directly into the Aeropress itself.
On the other hand, a high quality electric burr grinder can do things with speed, efficiency, and can allow you to micro-manage the grind size, and hence others prefer this method.
The Aeropress Espresso maker recommends a size of grind that is somewhere between medium and fine, which depends on the type of coffee being produced.
Something like this is a grind size to shoot for when it comes to Aeropress…
Whether you use a fine, extra fine or medium grind for your coffee with the Aeropress will depend on the coffee flavor you’re hoping to extract from the beans.
In many cases, this will depend on the method of pushing the water through the machine. Everything you do to the grind will influence the taste.
For example, if you rinse the filter and allow the water to bloom, it’ll have a different flavor than if you didn’t wet the grounds first.
Aeropress Competition and Recipes
You might be surprised to learn that there is an Aeropress Coffee competition each year where people create coffee with their Aeropress that is judged by a panel of coffee lovers.
Each recipe uses the Aeropress and results in a variety of coffee flavors.
Watch this video featuring Chris Heiniger, the first place winner at the 2015 US Eastern Regional Aeropress Championship, with a video from Prima Coffee here.
In 2009, the second year of competition, the winner used 19.5 – 20 grams of coffee and 200 ml of water at 75 degrees C over a slightly coarse grind.
The normal filter was rinsed and the Aeropress was turned upside down before the coffee was added. The water was added and stirred 4 times.
The filter was secured and the Aeropress was turned after 10 seconds. Then it was pressed. The total time to make the coffee was 15 seconds.
You could copy this winning recipe yourself after some practice.
Best Aeropress Coffee Recipe – A Gold Standard
You might want to use this 2010 recipe, which called for 20 grams of fine ground coffee, water at 80 degrees C and 250 ml of water.
In this recipe, the normal filter was rinsed, the Aeropress held upside down, too. The coffee was added then the water almost to the top. It was stirred for 10 to 12 seconds.
This winner made sure the cup was hot before pushing the coffee down. This winner stopped before hearing the air wheeze from the unit.
You don’t have to be preparing for competition to try some variety to your coffee grounds and method of using the Aeropress to find the right coffee.
What you love in your coffee flavor will not be what someone else loves. It can’t hurt to be adventurous.
Grind Settings for the Most Popular Grinders (+ How Starbucks Does it)
Hario Skerton
Hario Skerton is a very popular coffee mill that people use to grind coffee for Aeropress. However, there are constantly questions popping up on which setting to use for a fine grind to get the best flavor.
We have put hours into testing to find the best setting and consistency people are looking for.
We’ve got very similar results as many other people who did the testing, just like we did. The key to getting the consistent and quality grind from Hario Skerton is to shift about 6 notches from the point where the two burrs meet.
That’s about 1 full rotation, and that’s all it takes. And that’s how you get the best Hario Skerton grinder setting for Aeropress.
Porlex Mini
Porlex Mini is just one of many favorite grinders when it comes to grinding for Aeropress.
If you’re trying to achieve the best results with Porlex Mini, what we found to be the most efficient way is the following.
When you use Porlex Mini, we find the best setting to be 4 clicks back from the tightest, but even 5 or 6 is fine and it’s worth to test it out to find your preferred setting.
Wilfa Grinder
Many people switch from hand grinders to electric grinders, and Wilfa Grinder is one of the most popular electric grinders.
People who grind coffee beans for Aeropress love it because of a simple setting it comes with.
When you decide to grind coffee for Aeropress with Wilfa Grinder, all you have to do is move the grind setting (from the left to right), to the setting where it says Aeropress.
The red mark needs to be set on the second R in the Aeropress setting. If you would adjust the coffee a bit more to your taste, simply adjust the dial a dot away and test the results until you find your preferred settings.
How Starbucks does Aeropress
Starbucks refers to Aeropress as a great option you can use even when you’re traveling or looking for a quick & great cup of coffee in just a few minutes.
Starbucks’ ideal grind setting for Aeropress is fine, and medium for the inverted method. And you can find their full process in the video below.
More Aeropress Competition Tricks to Try at Home
- Rinse the filter before adding the grounds
- Wet the grounds for a few seconds prior to pouring the majority of the water
- Press gently for varied amounts of time
- Don’t allow the unit to wheeze air – discard the slurry left behind
- Use soft mineral water
The best coffee flavors to come out of the Aeropress are ones where the coffee is ground to a fine or medium coarseness. This is equal to the size of normal table salt. Other than that, you can experiment with preparation to find a flavor that speaks to you.
More Aeropress Articles From Our Site!
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About Bryan Albuquerque
Bryan Albuquerque is a coffee lover and vaping advocate who writes reviews and information about coffee accessories and KYG. A former coffee addict, Bryan traded his morning fix for an electronic cigarette in an effort to quit smoking, and has never looked back. He's dedicated to helping others make the switch to vaping, and believes that it's one of the best decisions anyone can make for their health.
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