AeroPress Timer

READY
01:30

Common uses for a aeropress timer

  • Single cup at a desk
  • Travel and camping brewing
  • Concentrate for an Americano
  • Experimenting with recipes

The AeroPress is a hybrid: coffee steeps in water like an immersion brew, then gets pushed through a filter under gentle pressure. Because the plunge is part of the extraction, total brew time includes it — a brew described as ninety seconds usually means about a minute of steeping plus a slow half-minute press.

There is no authoritative AeroPress recipe. The instructions that ship with the device suggest a short steep, competition recipes from the World AeroPress Championship range from under a minute to several minutes, and both produce good coffee. What makes a recipe repeatable is holding grind, ratio, temperature and time steady together, then changing one at a time. Treat the timings below as starting points and expect to adjust them for your beans.

Standard versus inverted

In the standard orientation the chamber sits on the mug with the filter at the bottom, and coffee drips through while it steeps. That drip means the effective steep is a little shorter than the clock says, and it suits shorter, brighter recipes.

Inverted brewing turns the press upside down so nothing drains until you flip and plunge, giving full control over steep time at the cost of a slightly awkward flip. Neither is better. Inverted is easier to time precisely; standard is easier to do safely with a full chamber of hot water.

The plunge is not a formality

Press slowly — around twenty to thirty seconds of steady pressure. Forcing it fast raises pressure sharply, which can push fines through the filter and, on a full chamber, blow the seal. If the plunge feels immovable, the grind is too fine for the method.

Stop when you hear the hiss of air rather than pushing to the last drop. The final fraction is the most bitter part of the brew, and chasing it undoes the rest of the recipe.

Starting points, not standards — the AeroPress has no authoritative recipe, and championship recipes vary widely. Water temperature follows the SCA brewing range[1].

AeroPress starting points
Method Grind Steep Plunge
Standard, single cup Medium-fine 1:00 20–30 s
Standard, stronger cup Medium-fine 1:30 20–30 s
Inverted, single cup Medium 1:30 20–30 s
Inverted, long steep Medium-coarse 2:30 20–30 s
Concentrate for Americano Fine 1:00 30 s
  • Water at 92–96 °C per the SCA brewing standard; cooler water suits darker roasts.
  • If the plunge is immovable, the grind is too fine for this method — coarsen it rather than pressing harder.

Source: Coffee Standards — brewing ratio and water temperature

Sources

  1. Coffee Standards — brewing ratio and water temperature , Specialty Coffee Association — accessed 2026-07-28

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Does the plunge count as part of the brew time?
Yes. Extraction continues while you press, so a ninety-second AeroPress recipe usually means about a minute of steeping plus a slow twenty to thirty second plunge. If you quote a brew time, say whether it includes the press — otherwise the recipe is not reproducible.
Is the inverted method better than the standard one?
Neither is better. Inverted gives you exact control over steep time because nothing drains until you flip, which makes it easier to time precisely. Standard drips while it steeps, is simpler, and is safer with a full chamber of hot water.
How slowly should I press?
About twenty to thirty seconds of steady pressure. Pressing fast spikes the pressure, forces fines through the filter and can break the seal on a full chamber. If it will not move at all, the grind is too fine — coarsen it rather than pushing harder.
Should I press out the very last drops?
No. Stop when you hear air hiss through. The final fraction is the most bitter part of the brew, and squeezing it into the cup undoes whatever the rest of the recipe achieved.
Is there an official AeroPress recipe?
Not really. The instructions supplied with the device suggest a short steep, while World AeroPress Championship recipes range from well under a minute to several minutes, and both extremes win. Pick a starting point, keep everything else fixed, and change one variable at a time.
What grind size should I use?
Medium-fine is a common starting point for a one-minute standard brew, going coarser as your steep gets longer. The pairing matters more than either number: a long steep with a fine grind over-extracts, and a short steep with a coarse grind tastes thin.
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