In brief
The AeroPress is a small plastic brewer shaped like a large syringe. You steep ground coffee in its chamber, then press a plunger down to push the brew through a paper filter. One press makes roughly one cup.
It sits between two families of brewing. The coffee steeps like a French press, but it is filtered through paper like a pour-over. That gives a cup with little grit and a short brew time.
For a buyer, the AeroPress matters because it is forgiving and portable. It also uses a finer grind than most filter methods, so not every grinder handles it equally well.
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Who invented the AeroPress?
Alan Adler invented it. According to Wikipedia, the AeroPress was unveiled in November 2005 at the CoffeeFest trade show in Seattle. Adler first sold it through his company Aerobie.
The brand has changed hands since. Wikipedia reports that Spin Master bought the Aerobie rights in 2017, and the company became AeroPress, Inc. In 2021, the Canadian holding company Tiny Capital took a controlling stake.
The brewer has a competition of its own. The World AeroPress Championship was first held in Oslo in 2008, with only three competitors.
How does an AeroPress work?
It works by steeping, then pressing. Ground coffee and hot water sit together in the chamber. A plunger with an airtight silicone seal then forces the liquid through a paper filter in the cap.
AeroPress says the air pressure gives a rapid extraction, and that its paper micro-filter removes grit. That pressure is gentle, nothing like an espresso machine. The cup is closer to strong filter coffee than to a shot.
Some people flip the brewer upside down to steep, a variation called the inverted method. Baratza notes that it extends contact time and gives a richer cup. Because nothing drips through early, it behaves more like a true immersion brew.
What grind size does an AeroPress need?
Medium-fine is the usual starting point, finer than pour-over. AeroPress's own instructions call for medium-fine ground coffee. Counter Culture also lists the AeroPress as medium-fine, like table salt.
Stumptown goes a little finer, calling for a fine grind about the texture of table salt. The short contact time is the reason. Less time in the water means the coffee needs more surface area to extract fully.
This is where gear matters. A grinder that is precise in the medium-fine range will make the AeroPress easier to repeat. Baratza, for example, suggests setting 12 on the Encore. See the AeroPress settings for that grinder, or use the grind converter to move a recipe from one grinder to another.
How much coffee and water does an AeroPress use?
Recipes vary, but most use around 16 to 18 grams of coffee. The table shows three published starting points.
| Source | Coffee | Water | Water temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| AeroPress | 16 to 18 g | To the No. 4 mark | 185°F (85°C) |
| Baratza | 18 g | 270 g | 200°F (93°C) |
| Stumptown | 17 g | 220 g | About 205°F |
Temperature is where they disagree most. AeroPress recommends 185°F, while Stumptown uses water just off the boil. Neither is wrong, so treat the range as something to taste your way through. The brew ratio and dose pages explain how to scale a recipe.
How long does an AeroPress take?
About one to two minutes from start to finish. AeroPress's own method waits 30 to 60 seconds after stirring, depending on the grind, then presses. Baratza starts plunging at 1:30 for a brew of about two minutes.
That speed is a large part of the appeal. Baratza's Chemex recipe, by comparison, aims for about five minutes.
Is an AeroPress good for travel?
Yes, which is why many owners pair it with a hand grinder. It is small, light and made of plastic. Wikipedia notes that the current line includes the AeroPress Go, released in 2019, and an XL version with double the capacity.
If you plan to travel with one, a compact hand grinder that handles medium-fine well is the natural partner. Our guide to the best hand grinder for pour-over covers several that also suit the AeroPress. For a full recipe, see the AeroPress brewing guide, or compare it with its closest relative in AeroPress vs French press.
Sources
- Wikipedia: AeroPress
- AeroPress: How to use
- Baratza: AeroPress brew guide
- Baratza: Chemex brew guide
- Stumptown Coffee: Brew guide, AeroPress
- Counter Culture Coffee: Coffee basics, grind size
By Jeff Gluck · Checked Oct 21, 2026