Aeropress Inverted Method Tutorial – Does This Recipe Make Better Coffee?

There are two main methods of brewing coffee with an Aeropress:

• Standard method
• Inverted method

You might be asking, “Inverted what?” 🙂

I know I did when I first learned about it, but the concept is pretty simple.

With the Aeropress inverted method, you set up the AeroPress coffee maker upside down, with the plunger on the bottom and the brewing chamber on top. You steep your coffee in this position and flip the Aeropress onto a cup for plunging in the end.

Is there an advantage to using the inverted Aeropress method?

Yes, there are 2 reasons:

1. Dripping
2. Filter clogging

No Dripping

Let’s start with dripping. So if you’ve ever used an Aeropress with the standard method, you’ll have noticed that a few drops of coffee may drip into your cup during the steeping stage.

Serious coffee geeks freak out because this dripping alters their coffee-water ratio. 

With the inverted method, you do not lose any water while stirring and steeping the coffee grinds, so you retain complete control over the water amount in your brew. Many of the winning Aeropress recipes from the yearly championships use this method.

On this note, remember that if you use the standard method, place the plunger into the chamber after stirring to create negative pressure and not let more coffee drip through. I touched on this in the standard Aeropress recipe.

Improved Filtering

The contact area of the Aeropress’s filter is rather small. Much smaller, than a Chemex or V60 filter, which essentially do the same thing, right?

So as you plunge, that small piece of paper has to filter out a lot of coffee grinds, preventing them from entering your cup.

With the standard method, the grinds settle onto the filter, and immediately get packed onto it, as you plunge. This forces the smallest grinds particles through the filter, or even clogs it partially. Now while this is useful for the faux espresso Aeropress method, normal coffee usually tastes better with the inverted method.

With the inverted method, as you flip the Aeropress for plunging, you mix the grinds, so they do not settle on the filter at all. This improves filtering and reduces clogging.

Besides the above 2 points, some coffee aficionados also say that the upside-down method allows for more contact between the grinds and the water, emulating immersion brewing like a French press, so the coffee tastes richer. I disagree with this reasoning since both methods need to be stirred and steeped, so they are both brewing via immersion.

The things you need for inverted Aeropress coffee

The main tools you need are the same for both the inverted brewing and standard methods. However, there are some slight changes in the grind size and water temperature.

You’ll need:

• AeroPress
• Filter
• 15-18 grams of freshly ground coffee beans (check out our list of the best coffee beans for the AeroPress)
• 80°C water (filtered water is best)
• Kettle or pot for heating water
• Stopwatch
• Kitchen scale

Grind size for the inverted method

My recipe calls for slightly cooler water than I usually use, so you can use a grind size that’s a little coarser than recommended.

I recommend using a medium grind with the inverted method on the Aeropress.

Aeropress inverted method recipe

Here is how to make coffee with the Aeropress inverted brew method, with details following below the recipe card.

Aeropress Inverted Method Tutorial – Does It Make Better Coffee?

Alternative AeroPress recipe with no dripping and better filtering during extraction.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Recipes

Servings 1 servings

Ingredients

  

• 16 g ground coffee (medium grind)
• 250 ml filtered water (80°C)

Instructions

 

• Connect the cylinder and brew chamber
• Wet the filter and warm your cup
• Add ground coffee
• Pour hot water
• Stir the coffee 8-10 times
• Screw filter holder on
• Brew for 30-120 seconds
• Push air out
• Turn right-side-up with a cup
• Plunge for around 20 seconds

Video

Notes

u003cliu003eExperiment with the coffee amount.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eThe longer the brewing time, the more intense the flavor.u003c/liu003e

Step 1 – Connect the cylinder and brew chamber

Place the cylinder’s open end on a flat surface and slide the brewing chamber onto it from above. 

They should overlap by about 1 cm, creating a good seal between the plunger and the chamber. I’ve found that pushing it so the end of the silicone seal is at the end of the brewing chamber is perfect.

Step 2 – Wet the filter and warm your cup

Place a paper filter into the filter holder and carefully rinse it with your hot water into your coffee mug. This flushes the filter to remove the paper flavor you would otherwise end up with, and warms your cup simultaneously.

Discard the water from the mug.

Step 3 – Add coffee grinds

Measure 15-18 grams of coffee beans (I use 16 g specifically which is about one leveled AeroPress scoop) and set your grinder to a medium grind. The result should be like sand at the beach, slightly coarser than table salt.

Pour your grinds into the brewing chamber.

Step 4 – Pour hot water

Slowly pour 250 ml of 80°C water onto your grinds in a circular motion. The pour should last 8-10 seconds.

This 250 ml of water results in a 1:15 coffee-water ratio. That is how I like it.

Using a coffee scale allows for exact measurements, but if you don’t have one, pour until you are 5 mm below the top of the Aeropress.

Step 5 – Stir the coffee and put screen on filter

Stir the coffee 8-10 times.

Too much stirring can produce a bitter result, but too little stirring might make your coffee sour.

Screw the filter holder on.

Step 6 – Brewing time

Start your stopwatch, and let your coffee bloom for at least 30 seconds. 

This contact time between the coffee and water will result in a cup of fruity coffee with a light body. If you prefer a stronger cup of coffee, you can let it steep for up to 2 minutes. But not more!

It’s fun to experiment with steeping times!

Step 7 – Push air out

After your brewing time is up, it’s best to get rid of the extra air inside your Aeropress before turning it back onto your cup.

Apply just a bit of pressure pushing the chamber into the cylinder until you see the first bubbles in the filter holder.

Step 8 – Turn right-side-up

Get a sturdy mug, and quickly but carefully turn the AeroPress right-side-up onto a sturdy mug.

Alternatively, you could place a mug onto your AeroPress, and turn them both to avoid spillage.

Step 9 – Push down

Position your body over the Aeropress and push down on the plunger slowly and evenly, extracting all the coffee’s goodness. The motion should take about 20-25 seconds.

Stop when you hear that unique Aeropress hissing sound.

Step 10 – Serve and enjoy!

Your coffee should now be ready to drink. 

The 17g coffee to 250 ml water results in a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio. If that is a bit strong for your personal preference, dilute your coffee by adding some more hot water if you like.

And as I mentioned, experiment with these recipes.

Next time you make an inverted Aeropress brew, try these:

• Add a little more or little fewer coffee grounds (16-18g)
• Use 85° or 90°C water.
• Use a little more or little less water.
• Wary your brew time.

The great thing about brewing with an Aeropress is that you have full control of the extraction process. 

If you’re wondering if the inverted method also applies to the AeroPress XL, the answer is no. AeroPress strongly advises against using the inverted method for the XL variant as it’s more unstable and can cause an accident.

Now, over to you.

Have you tried the recipe? Did you change anything for a different outcome?

Let me know in a comment below!