I bought an Aeropress a couple of years ago, but this is the first I’ve seen of the inverted method. What is the purpose of inverting it to fill it up? I generally follow the lines on the side (2 scoops of beans = water up to about the 2 line), but if you invert it to fill it up, how do you know how much water to put in?
I haven’t tried the inverted way yet. It seems a little unstable (not unlike me). One advantage I can see is that you can have very hot water standing in the cup heating it while the coffee is brewing. If you do it right side up, with the brewing-thingie resting on the cup, even if you’ve warmed the cup, it’s cooling off during that time. I think it’s essential that you heat the cup AND the milk. [What? You don’t add milk? I’m disappointed in you.] I don’t have a microwave in the kitchen, so I’m going to try warming the milk in little metal pitcher while I’m going through the brewing process. I’d like to arrive at a reasonably warm cup of coffee.
I noticed in one of the videos that the person actually presses the coffee into a small metal pot (using the funnel) and then pours it into a cup.
No wonder there are world championships… so many details to remember, so much that can go wrong. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and all that. Do you suppose ESPN will cover? Maybe it will be on pay-per-view.
Anamorphic, can you 'splain something to me:
I scoop the coffee into the tube (BTW, I’ve tried it both ways, right side up and upside down- the upside down method allowed me to keep very hot water in the cup until the last minute- a good thing). Then I add water supposedly up to the mark for the number of scoops (not really a problem when the tube is upside down, but I can’t exactly explain why it’s NOT a problem). Three scoops of coffee take up a LOT of room (volume). So I add the hot water, and stir, but as I’m stirring, the water level drops as the coffee becomes moist, and I have to add more water to get back up to the 3 mark. Is this normal?
Then I press. But when I’m through pressing and the plunger is down as far as it will go and I look in the cup, there’s just isn’t a whole lot of coffee in there. I haven’t actually measured the amount of coffee yield, but the directions say something like 1 scoop per 5-ounce cup. When I did three scoops, presumably that would have yielded 15 ounces? No way. I probably got 4 ounces of liquid pressed through 3 scoops of coffee.
Can you critique my process, please?
Yes, some water loss due to water absorption - or to/through the filter if you’re doing it the ‘right side up’ way - is normal. One thing I’ve noticed and taken into practice with the inverted method is the amount of water added seems to be less strict. Most of the inverted methods seem to instruct you to fill the tube to either almost all the way full or about 3/4 full – more than the level marks used in the normal method. I have seen videos where, yes, they do add even more water after the loss of water you’ve noticed.
And yes, that is the normal amount that comes out. You’re doing it right. What comes out is more similar - in volume and in intensity - to a shot of espresso than a cup of coffee (although, strictly speaking, it’s not espresso). Most people, including myself, will then add hot water to it to make a drink that’s closer to an Americano, pretty much the same as a normal “cup of coffee”.
One of the advantages of the inverted method is less water loss during the seeping stage - you don’t lose the water that would normally be lost to the filter absorption and prematurely through it and into the mug. The main advantage, though, is more of a total immersion of the grounds, which helps with better retention of the coffee’s natural oils.
A nice side effect of the inverted method, is that you can get away with using much less coffee. One thing that scared me about my initial attempts the instructed way - the coffee tasted fine, but it uses a lot of coffee to make one cup. Much more so than any other method I’ve used! But most recipes for the inverted method seem to recommend 17g of coffee, which is much less. It’s closer to one heaping scoop, rather than the two scoops recommended by the instructions.
No milk for me. I take it black. Like my soul. 
My understanding is the benefit comes from more of a total immersion of the grounds. This helps maintain the natural oils of the coffee.
As I mentioned to ThelmaLou, most of the inverted method ‘recipes’ I’ve seen actually aren’t real exact on the amount of water added - they seem to either say ‘almost to the top of the tube’ or ‘about 3/4 full’.
Very helpful comments- thanks. I will implement your instructions tomorrow morning and have a report on your desk by noon.
My remark, “I’m disappointed in you,” was a nod to that witty hasbean video where the guy says something like, “If you’re not grinding your own coffee…(beat)…I’m disappointed in you.”
(I’ll be here all week.)
Oh, right! Forgot that! 
No problem on the help - but don’t forget, I’m not too far ahead of you with the experience, so I’m still learning too. If you discover something cool, please let me know!
Even after reading a bunch of reviews and stuff I’m still not clear on why I would want to replace my French press with one of these things. Some people talk about how easy it is to clean, but I don’t find the French press hard to clean at all, so that’s not much of a selling point. It also looks like it makes less coffee in a pass than the French press does. So, what’s the win?
Well, as with anything else, it’s a matter of personal preference. A lot of people, myself included, enjoy the taste of French Press, but don’t enjoy the mouth feel and sediment that goes along with it. Aeropress gives some of the benefits of the French Press without those side effects. Also, the shorter brew time required by Aeropress produces a cup off coffee that’s much less acidic. Of course, for some people, that’s a downside… I’ve read reviews from people who find the Aeropress’ coffee too UN-acidic. If you’re very happy with your French Press, there may not be a reason to switch, but it’s so inexpensive, it may be worth trying out anyway.
Yes, it produces less coffee in a pass… but what it produces is closer in volume and strength to a shot of espresso. Most people add hot water to make an Americano.
As far as cleaning… I have a French Press too, and no, it’s certainly not the most difficult thing in the world to clean. But I do hate having to reach in and clean out the grinds. Not the worst things in the world, but kind of annoying. I certainly wouldn’t put its ease of cleaning at the top of the reasons I’d recommend the Aeropress, but it is a nice plus.
I just like new gadgets. 
ETA: Anamorphic, my report will be late. I used my stovetop moka pot this morning. I don’t think I have the right grind for the Aero, and I’m almost out of coffee anyway, so I’ll go by the grocery store this afternoon.
This is an excellent explanation, and to be honest is the reason I’ll almost surely buy one despite being very happy with my French press 
Drinking my first cup. It is noticeably different than my favorite Melita one cup method. Smoother and less acidic. You guys are right that there seem to be a lot of variables. And I have to use a lot more coffee. I did Americano style, and was unsure how much water to use for 3 scoops of fresh ground in a 12 oz mug, but it seems to have turned out fine. Faster than the Melita method, too.
I’ll have to check out the intricacies, including this ‘inverted’ method.
(I like new gadgets, too, especially when they are only $20.50.)
Alpine, was the coffee hot enough? Did you preheat the cup?
I did preheat the cup. Water boils at a lower temp up here, but seemed hot enough! I’m used to slightly cooler coffee, in fact, because of how long it takes to do the cone method.
We ordered some beans from Sweet Maria’s to try roasting, too!
I’m such a geek. Three cups on, and I’ve just ordered an Aeropress for work. I usually only drink one cup a day, but today I had two. So fast and so yummy. I can tell the problem here is that the two of us are going to significantly increase our caffeine intake!
Geeks and their gadgets… could there be *anything *cuter? 
*I’m One of You. *
Okay. I had a slight mishap this morning. I assembled the Aeropress with the intention of using the inverted method. I put in the coffee, poured in the water, set the timer, stirred, waited… then when it was time to plunge, I realized I had put the coffee and water INSIDE the plunger (which BTW is also hollow and also has gradations marked on it… why is this?). Sooooo… I had to dump the water/coffee slurry into a glass, rinse out the Aero, reassemble, and pour the slurry into the correct compartment, plunge, etc. Then I just did another cup and added it to that first one. But geez… what a clusterf*ck. :dubious:
Would someone who has this down list for me the steps in your process so that everything finishes at the same time? 'Cause there’s the warming of the cup, the assemblage of the Aero, the heating of the water (in an electric kettle, I’m assuming), the pouring/stirring/plunging (all the while timing), and for me, the heating of the milk in a metal pot on the stove as I don’t have a microwave in the kitchen… there’s a lot of things that have to come together. Don’t chew gum while doing this.
I gotta say the resulting cup of coffee is REALLY good, not a trace of bitterness, but a ton of flavor. I just need to get my rhythm down…
Thank you for this. It is helpful to hear what the differences are between the different methods descriptively rather than in terms of better or worse. So those of us who like the mouthfeel of the French Press, that just a little sediment feeling, would not prefer te Aeropress over our current methods. BTW, you can experiment with brew times with the FP too.
Since you press Aero coffee through a paper filter, there is no sediment at all.