AeroPress Espresso: What It Can Make and a Recipe That Works

An AeroPress can't make true espresso. Espresso is defined by about 9 bar of pressure, and an AeroPress produces a small fraction of that. What it can make is a short, strong, concentrated shot that works in a latte, an Americano or over ice. AeroPress calls this "espresso-style" coffee.

Below: why it isn't espresso, the espresso-style recipe AeroPress publishes, the grind it needs, the pressure caps that get you closer, what to make with the shot, and starting settings on five grinders that cover both AeroPress and espresso.

For everyday AeroPress brewing, see the AeroPress brewing guide and AeroPress recipes for beginners. This post covers only the concentrated, espresso-style shot.

Can an AeroPress make espresso?

Not by the standard definition. AeroPress's own help center puts it plainly: if espresso has to be made with 9 bars of pressure, "then no, AeroPress coffee makers do not make espresso." It adds that if you judge espresso by taste, "many people think AeroPress coffee makers can brew espresso."

AeroPress's espresso-style article sets out the numbers. It quotes the Specialty Coffee Association's definition of a single espresso: "a 25-35 ml beverage prepared from 7-9 grams of coffee through which clean water of 195°–205°F has been forced at 9-10 atmospheres of pressure," with a grind that makes the brew time 20–30 seconds.

Dose, volume and time are easy to hit with an AeroPress. Pressure is the problem. The article says 9–10 bar is about 130 pounds per square inch, which is "too much pressure for AeroPress coffee makers"; the coffee would leak from the filter cap or the plunger seal. It also says Alan Adler, the AeroPress's inventor, calculated the pressure under normal use at 0.25–0.5 bar for an unmodified brewer.

So the honest answer is that the brewer makes a concentrate, not espresso. AeroPress lists the traits it aims for instead: strong in flavor, small in size, thick and viscous, and topped with crema. A small amount of water with a full dose of coffee gives you the first two. The filter and cap give you the other two.

The espresso-style AeroPress recipe

This is AeroPress's own recipe from its espresso-style article. It's built around the Flow Control Filter Cap and the metal filter, but the dose, water and timing work as a starting point with any setup.

Steps, as AeroPress gives them:

1. Put the stainless steel filter in the Flow Control Filter Cap and attach it to the chamber. Set the AeroPress on a sturdy mug.
2. Add the coffee and shake to level it.
3. Pour in the hot water, stir well, and let it brew for 30 seconds.
4. Insert the plunger and press with slow, smooth pressure. When you hear a hiss, press quickly to the bottom.

That works out to roughly 1 part coffee to 4 parts water (see brew ratio), far stronger than a normal cup. The result is small and intense, which is the point.

AeroPress's recipe notes add a few tips worth keeping:

• For crema, use fresh, dark-roasted beans. Dark roasts hold more carbon dioxide, which is a major part of crema.
• For body, use the metal filter. The paper filter holds back fine particles and oils; the metal one lets them through, which gives a thicker mouthfeel.
• For a lighter, easier-to-clean shot, put a paper filter on top of the metal one.
• For a different style, tamp the grounds with something round and flat, add the water slowly, skip the stir, and steep an extra 30 seconds.

A longer-steep version for milk drinks

If you don't have a pressure cap, a longer steep in the inverted position is another way to make a concentrate. The Roasters Pack publishes one for milk drinks, which it says was inspired by James Hoffmann's approach. It uses 20 g of coffee at a "fine-medium grind" and 90 g of water at 94–96°C, inverted. Stir and keep agitating gently, flip at 90 seconds, then press very slowly all the way through, past the hiss. It says to expect about 55–70 g of concentrated coffee.

The longer steep lets you grind a little coarser than the 30-second recipe, for the reason the AeroPress grind size guide explains: the longer coffee sits in the water, the coarser it can be.

What grind does AeroPress espresso need?

Fine, but not espresso-fine. AeroPress's recipe notes say it directly: "For espresso style coffee, grind fine, but not as fine as espresso." They also say to use a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder for a more uniform grind.

In practice, that puts you at the fine end of your grinder's normal AeroPress range, a step or two coarser than its espresso setting. Real espresso grind sits around 250–400 µm in the published sources (how BrewMark handles microns); the AeroPress shot wants a little coarser than that, which is why it's described here in words rather than a number. Go too fine and the plunger fights you and the shot turns bitter. Go too coarse and the shot runs thin.

For the espresso end of the dial, see the espresso grind size guide. For the AeroPress range as a whole, see the AeroPress grind size guide.

Pressure caps: Flow Control and Prismo

Two attachments replace the standard filter cap with a valve that stays closed until you press. Neither reaches espresso pressure, but both let pressure build before coffee comes out.

AeroPress Flow Control Filter Cap. AeroPress says it "uses a pressure-actuated valve to eliminate drip through." With a paper filter and dark-roast coffee, it says, the cap "uses a build up of pressure to create an espresso like crema." It takes the metal filter, paper filters, or both at once. AeroPress says it fits the Original, Go and Clear, and not the XL. The espresso-style article adds that the cap gives "significantly more pressure" than the unmodified brewer, and while "it won't reach 9 bar, it will be enough to produce crema." In a comparison table in the same article, AeroPress lists its espresso-style pressure as about 0.5–1.5 bars, against 9–10 for an espresso machine.

Fellow Prismo. Fellow describes the Prismo as "a pressure-actuated valve designed to be used with the AeroPress," which "allows for a build-up of pressure to brew espresso-style coffee." It uses a reusable etched metal filter in place of paper and creates a no-drip seal, so you don't need to brew inverted. Fellow says it isn't compatible with the AeroPress XL or Go. It also warns: "Please do not brew with Prismo over thin glass vessels. Prismo creates a great deal of pressure, and glass is fragile." Use a ceramic or metal cup.

Either one is optional. The recipe above still makes a strong concentrate with the standard cap; you'll get less crema and a little drip-through before you press.

Drinks to make with an AeroPress shot

AeroPress's article lists these uses for the shot:

• Americano: add hot water to make it more like a cup of drip coffee.
• Latte or flat white: combine with steamed milk. See latte for the basic build.
• Iced espresso: press the shot straight over a cup of ice.
• Affogato: press it over ice cream.

The Roasters Pack's concentrate is meant for milk drinks too: it suggests topping it with warmed or frothed milk for a latte, flat white or cappuccino. Fellow's Prismo page lists Americanos, cold brew, and hot or iced tea among its uses.

Without an espresso machine you won't have a steam wand, so warm or froth the milk separately. The coffee part is what the AeroPress handles.

Starting settings on popular grinders

These are the AeroPress (short-steep) settings from each grinder's BrewMark settings page, with the espresso setting alongside so you can see the gap. For the espresso-style recipe, start at the AeroPress setting and move toward the fine end of its range. Don't go all the way to the espresso setting.

Starting points from BrewMark's settings pages, which take them from each maker's own chart where one exists (rows marked * are estimated on the same dial). Every grinder drifts; adjust by taste.

All five rows above come from the maker's chart. Don't see your grinder? The master grind size chart lists every grinder BrewMark has a chart for. If you're choosing a grinder that can do both this and real espresso, the grinder finder set to AeroPress and espresso narrows the list.

Fixing the shot

The usual taste rules apply, just compressed into a smaller cup.

• Sour or thin: grind a step finer or steep a little longer. See how to fix sour coffee.
• Bitter or harsh: grind a step coarser or use slightly cooler water. AeroPress's recipe allows anywhere from 86°C to 95°C. See how to fix bitter coffee.
• Hard to press: the grind is too fine for the cap. Go coarser before pushing harder, especially with a pressure cap.
• No crema: use fresher, darker-roasted beans, as AeroPress suggests, or add a pressure cap. A plain AeroPress makes little crema, and that doesn't mean the shot is wrong.

Next steps

• Find your grinder's full chart in the grinder settings hub, or compare methods on the master grind size chart.
• For a regular cup, brew James Hoffmann's Ultimate AeroPress or follow the AeroPress brewing guide.
• Thinking about real espresso next? Read the espresso grind size guide.
• New grinder? Follow how to dial in a new grinder.
• Shopping for one grinder that does both? Use the grinder finder for AeroPress and espresso.