Aeropress Calculator: Ratio, Recipe and Brew Time

The AeroPress has a World AeroPress Championship, and winning aeropress recipes vary widely. That reflects the extra variables the AeroPress offers compared with most brewers: grind, steep time, water temperature, pressure, and method all interact in ways that reward experimentation. Your aeropress brew ratio is the fastest lever to pull — it controls strength more directly than any other variable. It is also one of the most travel-friendly brewers around, which makes it a common choice for coffee professionals on the road.

Standard orientation lets gravity pull water through the grounds from the start, while inverted keeps the coffee submerged until you flip and plunge. Both methods use the same aeropress brew ratio; the difference is immersion time and how much control you have over steep time. If you are new to the AeroPress, start standard — inverted is worth trying once your ratio and grind are dialed.

The default here (15 g to 220 g, 1:14.7) sits in a standard range that works for most grinders and most palates. If you’re dialing in for the first time, start here and move the ratio up (weaker) or down (stronger) before you adjust grind. For comparison, the V60 calculator and the Chemex calculator both default to slightly higher ratios (around 1:16) because those brewers rely purely on gravity and typically yield a lighter body.

Water temperature is worth paying attention to. The AeroPress works well across 85 to 95 °C, a range that extends cooler than the SCA’s standard recommendation for most filter brewers. Just off the boil (around 92 to 94 °C) is a reliable starting point for most roasts. For very dark roasts, try the cooler end of the range. Darker beans are more soluble and can over-extract at higher temperatures, so cooler water suppresses bitterness. The AeroPress uses pressure to aid extraction, and the grind is typically a bit finer than pour-over. Both mean cooler water can be used without under-extraction.

Steep 90 seconds. Choose your method before you start. You cannot switch from standard to inverted mid-brew. In the inverted position, the AeroPress faces upward, which prevents water from drawing down through the grounds by gravity the way it does in the standard position. That makes inverted more of an immersion brew and gives slightly more control over steep time.

Grind medium-fine: finer than a drip basket, coarser than a moka pot. The reference is fine sea salt. Finer than that and the plunge gets difficult and the cup goes bitter; coarser and you underextract in 90 seconds. If you’re using a hand grinder without numbered click settings, aim for the finest setting that still lets you plunge in 30 to 40 seconds of steady pressure.

Standard vs. inverted changes the consistency of the steep slightly. A grind that is two steps too coarse will flatten the cup regardless of which orientation you choose. Get your grind dialed before experimenting with method.