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The AeroPress is one of the most forgiving brewers ever made, and it turns out to be a near-perfect match for Swiss Water® decaf. The AeroPress is an immersion and pressure brewer - a plastic chamber that holds your coffee and water together while they steep, then forces the brew through a paper or metal filter via a hand-driven plunger. The entire brew takes 1-2 minutes. It is inexpensive, nearly indestructible, and travels well. Unlike espresso machines, there is no pump, no temperature-controlled boiler, and no portafilter to tamp precisely. Unlike French press, there is no four-minute steep and no grit to worry about. The AeroPress sits in a category of its own: fast, flexible, and almost impossible to ruin.

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What grind should you use for AeroPress?

The recommended starting point is medium-fine - what we label AeroPress medium-fine on all Colipse whole bean bags. This works well for the standard cup-strength recipe most people use first. The AeroPress is also unusually versatile on grind size:
  • Espresso-fine: produces a concentrated, espresso-style output you can dilute with hot water or milk
  • Medium-fine: the sweet spot for a standard full-flavoured cup
  • Medium: produces a lighter, more tea-like cup with longer steeps; closer to manual drip in character
Start with medium-fine and adjust from there once you know what strength and style you prefer.

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Standard method or inverted - which should you use?

Both methods work well. The difference comes down to control over steep time. Standard (upright) method:
  1. Place a paper or metal filter in the cap and wet it; attach the cap to the chamber
  2. Set the AeroPress on your mug with the filter end down
  3. Add coffee (15-17g for a standard cup)
  4. Pour hot water (200-220ml) over the grounds
  5. Stir briefly, then steep for 60-90 seconds
  6. Press the plunger down slowly over 20-30 seconds
The standard method is simpler and cleaner. The only limitation is that water begins dripping through the filter before you are ready to press, which can shorten effective steep time. Inverted method:
  1. Place the plunger in the chamber and flip it upside down so the plunger end is at the bottom
  2. Add coffee, then water
  3. Steep fully immersed with no dripping - you have complete control over steep time
  4. Attach the filter cap, flip the whole assembly onto your mug, and press
Inverted gives you more precision. Most experienced AeroPress users prefer it. The tradeoff is a brief moment of flipping a hot, liquid-filled chamber onto your mug, which takes a little practice.

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What is the right ratio and steep time?

A good starting ratio is 1:12 to 1:15 - roughly 15-17g of coffee to 200-220ml of water for a standard cup. Adjust to taste: more coffee or less water increases strength, less coffee or more water lightens it. Steep time is typically 60-120 seconds. The pressure applied during plunging does a significant portion of the extraction work, so the AeroPress does not need as long a contact time as French press. Longer steeps (2+ minutes) work better with medium or medium-coarse grinds. Shorter steeps (under 60 seconds) work better with finer grinds.

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What water temperature works best?

The AeroPress tolerates a wider temperature range than almost any other brewer. The SCA guideline of 93-96°C applies, but lower temperatures can produce surprisingly good results with the AeroPress. Brewing at 80-85°C extracts less bitterness and more sweetness - a useful technique with any coffee, but especially with lighter roasts. For decaf, lower temperatures reduce the risk of over-extracting the slightly softer cell structure of Swiss Water® processed beans. If your decaf cups taste sharp or thin, try dropping your water temperature by 5-10°C before adjusting anything else.

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Paper filter or metal disk?

The AeroPress ships with paper microfilters, and a metal reusable disk is sold separately.
  • Paper filter: produces a clean, clear cup with no sediment and no diterpenes (the oily compounds linked to LDL effects). Closest in character to pour-over or drip.
  • Metal disk: allows coffee oils and fine particles through, producing a heavier, more textured cup with noticeable body. Closer in character to French press, but shorter steep and slightly less sediment.
The AeroPress is uniquely well-suited to experimenting with both. Paper is the easier starting point; metal rewards those who prefer body and richness.

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Why does decaf perform exceptionally well in the AeroPress?

Swiss Water® Process changes the density of coffee beans slightly. The process removes caffeine by soaking beans in flavour-charged water, which can make the bean structure marginally more porous than untreated coffee. In high-pressure espresso extraction, this sometimes means decaf pulls differently than caffeinated coffee. In the AeroPress, it is not a problem - the lower pressure and shorter steep time work naturally with decaf’s extraction profile. The short brew cycle also means you are not spending four minutes waiting for a French press steep or babysitting a pour-over kettle. For decaf drinkers who often brew multiple times a day - afternoon cups, evening cups, late-night cups - the AeroPress’s speed and ease makes that frequency practical. The AeroPress is also the best travel brewer available. Swiss Water® decaf in an AeroPress means you can maintain your exact brewing routine in a hotel room, at a campsite, or in a short-term rental without compromising on cup quality.

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Which Colipse Decaf Coffee product works best with an AeroPress?

Decaf Espresso Beans and Dark Roast Decaf are both excellent in the AeroPress. Both are available pre-ground in AeroPress medium-fine grind. The Decaf Espresso Beans work especially well if you want to use the AeroPress for concentrated espresso-style shots to build lattes or Americanos. The Dark Roast Decaf suits those who want a full-bodied, straightforward cup with low acidity. All Colipse decaf uses Swiss Water® Process - 99.9% caffeine removal, no solvents.