In terms of taste, what is the correct way to produce a full cup of coffee using an AeroPress?

Question

When I made my first cup of coffee with my AeroPress I couldn't help but notice that it only filled my cup half way. I've watched a few videos on YouTube of people using an AeroPress and from that I've build a short list of ways you can top your cup off.

1. Just add plain water to top your cup off
2. repeat the entire process (new filter, new grounds and water)
3. Once empty just add more water on top of the grounds that you just used. (This is the method I use.)

In terms of overall taste, what is the best way to get a full cup of coffee from an AeroPress?

Answer 1

My personal preference is to just add a bit of water to top my cup off. I do not use the inverted method, and by adding additional water during the brewing (since I tend to get just a bit of drippage during brewing) I tend to end up with pretty close to a full cup.

However, if you are looking for a much stronger (pseudo espresso) cup, the second method may be for you. It has only really the drawback of using an additional sum of coffee and filter.

I would not recommend using the 3rd method. At that point you are just headed to over extracted grounds and a less desirable (by most people) cup of coffee.

To sum up, you are looking at producing a cup sized quantity of good coffee with method one, a cup sized quantity of Aerpresso with the second and a cup sized quantity of likely over extracted coffee with method three. Any of these may be fine depending on what you are trying to achieve.

Answer 2

I have had similar problem when I bought my aeropress. I have tried the described methods and found out the #1 is the best in terms of taste and preparation. You can achieve very similar results to standart americano which is my favorite choice in cafes.