Have just invested in an aeropress as it's cheaper than 7/11 coffee in the long run but have never purchased coffee beans before so don't know what's good.
What coffee do you use or can recommend? Also how many grams per cup do you use?
Thanks!
For anyone interested I've purchased mine here for $39 delivered - http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/222101189802
Is aeropress actually any good? I see Americans rave about it but they love to drink coffee that's been sitting in a pot all day, gross!
I tried it and it's pretty meh coffee a cheapo Aldi machine does far better.
Maybe I did it wrong? Happy to be shown the light.
A cheapo ALDI machine will give you 8 or 9g of coffee in a little pod (assuming that is what you mean).
I can grind fresh beans of my choice, and use more than 8g cause I like stronger coffee. After just checking, about 14g is my usual in an aeropress.
I find an aeropress with high quality beans is on par or better than a moka pot, and better than any capsule machine. Good beans make it better than a 7/11 or Coles expresso machine coffee.
A high end home machine or a cafe espresso provides a better crema and strength.
The aeropress is easier to clean that any of the others (except a pod, I guess. Do you ever clean inside those?)
I tend to get good beans as a gift at xmas/bday/father's day, but am ok with supermarket beans otherwise.
At home, I usually have good beans and a grinder (just a $30 cheap one). At work I get a 250g pre-ground pack which I use fast enough so that it doesn't get too stale.
I have found the Coles generic free trade coffee is surprisingly good at half the price of good beans, Woolies not so much. Otherwise, I tend to buy the brand name on special, but steer clear of Harris and Vittorria. Unfortunately, I noticed the 250g ground Coles free trade is now 250g whole beans, so that rules it out unless you have a grinder.
I also steer clear of buying 1kg of ground beans, as I can taste the reduced intensity by the time I finish it as it has sat around for a month.
Flavour depends on the quality and freshness of the beans.
Can't comment on the flavour of the ALDI pods, but I've tried Nespresso which I assume is one of the better (if not the best) Pod coffees and it's complete junk compared to anything I make with my Aeropress.
I bought an ABLE Stainless steel disc filter which has improved taste as well.
Assuming I also use 14g/cup, my 2Kg for $60 beans = 42c/cup
So price is probably on par with the cheaper pods and significantly less than the expensive ones. And that's assuming that my 14g cup isn't the equivalent of 2 or even 3 pods per cup.
Nespresso is actually pretty "meh", hardly "Italian", as some of my Italian friends would say.
Yeah, I'd agree with them.. but on a scale of Pod coffee, I'm assuming it sits somewhere towards the top.
@scubacoles:
I think that's their market strategy well-done! They target towards the younger age group, producing modern looking coffee machines, which gives off that superior impression. I might be biased but I find Lavazza coffee just that much stronger and more fragrant than Nespresso. This is just my opinion, died-hard Nespresso fans who say otherwise :)
@scubacoles: Best quality pods. But highest price. I keep shying away from it. Sticking to cheap-deal compatibles, or my preferred bang-for-buck: Aldi.
I have used an aeropress for several years now. Make sure you buy filter roast beans from a roaster to get the most out of it. Supermarket beans are a darker roast so you will get a pretty boring brew as you miss out on all the subtle notes that you get from a filter roast.
Being in Melbourne, you have access to heaps of roasters so it won't be a problem. When I lived in Melbourne I would buy from Padre, Market Lane, Clement, Brother Bubba Budhan or St Ali to name a few.
If you want to order online there are a couple of companies that post deals on here such as Sweet Yarra coffee (based in Melbourne) or you can order from Manna Beans (QLD but ship express). Just make sure you specify filter roast for aeropress.
I've been using an aero press for about a year now.
I've tested a few types of beans but my default bean at the moment is Lazzio from Aldi, it's cheap and i prefer the darker roast as i like that strong kick. I use 'one scoop' per person. I used to measure it out the beans, measure the water temperature etc but that became tiresome.
Grind i use is somewhere between a filter grind or a espresso grind.
If im feeling fancy i purchase more expensive beans from online but this is usually a treat.
I find i still prefer going out for coffee to try a range of beans but for at home aeropress works well.
I also still use pods when i don't have the time to brew aeropress. Aeropress takes about 7-10 mins from boiling water, grinding beans to frothing milk. Capsule is about 5 mins.
I buy beans from Manna, BayBeans, Sweet Yarra Coffee, Central Coast Coffee depending on who has the best deal running at the time I need fresh beans, usually around $25-30/Kg for 2Kg shipped.
Buy yourself a grinder.. You can get what looks to be a knockoff of the Porlex hand grinder that I use from Chinese Warehouse sites like Banggood for less than $20.
Ever bought from https://www.coffeecompany.com.au/ ? I'm considering buying from them, as the range and prices seem decent, but keen to know if they're actually any good. Tossing up between them, and sweet yarra coffees OzB Deal (haven't tried their beans yet).
No. after shipping costs (they're not included) the price per KG is much higher.
Honestly I just use the Aldi coffee (brewed in Melbs I think). Through the Aeropress it tastes pretty good and costs $7 for 500g.
yes, that's the Lazzio beans ive mentioned.
I've tried Manna (multiple times), Bay, Yarra and i think Central Coast.
But especially at work, I've settled for the Aldi Dark Roast, I actually liked their German Roasted beans better, but the new Melbourne roast is more than good enough and can't complain about the price.
Coles Fair Trade beans can be considered too.
Hi All,
Full disclosure - I operate an ecommerce site called www.shopforcoffeebeans.com.au and also distribute the Aeropress, so fair to say my opinion is not unbiased! However, I have been involved with coffee for a long time, and at last count have seven different methods of brewing coffee at home, and my Aeropress is still my go-to brewing method each morning. It is also awesome for travel/camping - I have a roadtrip planned for the USA in August and it will be coming with me so I can avoid the dirt-water they call coffee in much of the States.
To the original OP - I use between 15 and 17g of coffee depending on the beans, with the "inverted" method of brewing, and fill the water to the "3", which from memory is about 180g of water. We have a brew guide on www.shopforcoffeebeans.com.au if you are new to using the Aeropress and after more info on how to use it. I also highly recommend freshly ground coffee, I use Porlex hand grinder each morning, it only takes 20 seconds or so to grind enough to use for the Aeropress (also stocked on the web site). Its a great companion for the AP for the same reasons.
Regarding coffee to use - I agree with @marcusv, particularly if you like your coffee black. Filter roasted coffee tends to be best for the Aeropress. However, I have had some excellent coffees from the Aeropress when using a good quality blend (which are usually an espresso roast), and these may be a better option for you if you like to add a bit of milk to your coffee.
The coffee we stock on www.shopforcoffeebeans.com.au is not "cheap" like the stuff mentioned from Aldi, but hand-on-heart it is MILES ahead of any coffee you could buy from a supermarket, and well worth the investment. It still works out as a very economical way of having coffee at home, even if you spend the money on the good stuff (and once you discover the good stuff you don't go back!)
We do have a promo discount available until the end of this month on coffee from a roaster called Clark St - you can get 10% off any Clark St coffee or Espresso Syndicate coffee by using the promo code CLARK10 at our checkout. I recently brought on Clark St as a partner for our site and their coffee is absolutely stunning. You can read more about them on the site too if you are interested. If you would like recommendations, their blends (Wallflower, Mastermind and the Espresso Syndicate blend) are all excellent, and I really like their Colombian Altimara and Ethiopian Tade as well.
Hope that helps a bit. Coffee is a great thing to develop an interest in. When you start out you assume coffee just tastes like "coffee", but it's amazing to discover the range of flavours available - just like wine, beer or whisky.
Cheers
James
Coming into this convo a bit late but maybe it will help someone…
I am a recent convert to the Aeropress. Prior to it I used Aldi Pod coffee and drank it as a latte. I did away with that after reading about the environmental impacts the pods were having and I could no longer bring myself to drink it.
On my first couple of tries with the Aeropress I was underwhelmed. I couldn't get the coffee "strong" enough to make a decent latte with, the milk over powered the coffee and it was just BLAH. I kept persevering, trying different brewing styles etc and I can honestly say that I have not yet managed a decent strong latte with the Aeropress. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. I may not have achieved a good latte with it but I have to say that my tastes have evolved and drinking the Aeropress as a long black with a splash of milk (or my naughty pleasure- a dollop of Maleny Dairy Cream drool) has become my new favourite drink. I am absolutely addicted. It is quick, easy and delicious. I never really recognised the flavors within the coffee before.
I use fresh beans with a Porlex grinder, beans are from baybeans .com.au (Super Crema atm) and I have signed up to their subscription service to have 1kg freshly roasted and sent out monthly. I have to say though that I have been enjoying it so much that I am drinking far more than that. I went through 400grams in a week so will probably need to get another 500grams sent out soon LOL. I use 16-18 grams per cup with the Aeropress.
I have also purchased the Lavazza beans from Aldi intending to use them as a backup for when I run out. I made a cup with them and was NOT impressed. Honestly it was gross. There was a chemical/plastic kind of taste (stale beans perhaps?) and I found it very difficult to drink. It was the Medium roast one.
For when the craving for a latte hits, I have purchased a Stainless Steel Moka pot. It uses less beans than the Aeropress but is more fiddly and takes a little longer. I enjoy the process and the taste I have managed to achieve with it but still use the Aeropress more. They just produce very different drinks.
Happy brewing!
Sorry, just clarifying that the beans I purchased from Aldi were actually Lazzio medium roast.
Good choice buying an aeropress. I've used one for a couple of years and love it. I'm no coffee snob so if I'm lazy I will buy one of the better supermarket ground coffee brands. If I can be bothered I will go to Merlo in Southport and buy something like their house blend. The advantage of going to Merlo, or any other store that will grind the beans, is that they will grind the beans to suit the aeropress.I find that a finer grind suits the aeropress.
You can always buy your own beans and grind at home, but I'm too lazy to do that. That's another advantage of the aeropress, it literally takes a minute to clean after use. As far as grams per cup, I have no idea, I just use one table spoon per cup.