I tried the viral Aeropress coffee-making hack – and was pleasantly surprised

While an espresso machine is undoubtedly best for full flavour extraction, the Aeropress is a surprisingly good alternative. I’ve been using an Aeropress in my own kitchen for the last two years, opting for one because it is much cheaper than an automatic coffee machine or an espresso machine and takes up a lot less space. Thanks to its clever design, the Aeropress is also able to produce pretty tasty espresso and provide a much easier clean-up process than other manual coffee makers such as the French press. Overall, I’m very happy with my current coffee set-up.

Of course, nowadays, no new gadget can exist for very long without the internet cooking up some interesting hacks for getting the most out of it, and the Aeropress is no exception. The most popular Aeropress hack by far is the “inverted method”, an upside-down brewing method favoured by TikTok coffee aficionados and competitors at the World AeroPress Championship (yup, that’s a real thing). The inverted method is supposed to produce a more controlled and flavourful brew – but is it worth the effort? I decided to try it for myself and detailed the results below.

How does an Aeropress work?

If you only want to learn more about the inverted method of Aeropress brewing, check out the section just below. If, however, you need a quick introduction to Aeropress coffee in general, then keep reading.

An Aeropress coffee begins with a quick immersion brew in the main chamber, as water is poured over coffee grounds. After a stir and a short wait the plunger is placed into the top of the main chamber and pressed down, creating air pressure which forces the brew through the filter paper. This rapid process combining immersion and pressure brewing helps an Aeropress coffee achieve the depth and richness of an espresso, while avoiding the bitter flavours associated with longer immersion brewing processes. At the end of the process, the Aeropress can eject the used grounds as a dry puck straight into the bin.

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What is the Aeropress inverted method and how does it work?

One of the perceived problems with the standard method of Aeropress brewing is drip-through, wherein some water will pass through the filter while the coffee is still brewing, weakening your drink. The fact that water slowly drips through the filter as the coffee brews also ultimately limits the brew time and makes it harder to be precise in your water measurements.

The inverted method aims to turn this problem upside down, literally. By sealing the bottom of the Aeropress and inverting, as described in the instructions below, you can prevent any drip-through, extend the brew time to unlock a deeper flavour and create a more precise and replicable coffee recipe.

Before I offer my verdict on this method, let’s run through the steps of the inverted brewing method so you can try it if yourself:

1. Insert your Aeropress plunger into the main chamber on the opposite side to where the filter cap attaches, then place it standing on its wide, rounded rim. It’s important to do this on an even, flat surface and to make sure your Aeropress stays balanced throughout.
2. Prepare 15g of ground coffee and add it to the inverted Aeropress. Freshly grinding your own beans will provide the best flavour, but any ground coffee will do. If you’re grinding your own, a relatively fine grind is best for Aeropress.
3. Heat your water to around 93°C. If you have a variable temperature kettle, you can pick a precise temperature and go straight to it. If, like me, you have a regular kettle, you can boil your water and allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes before pouring.
4. Add a filter paper to the filter cap and pour a small amount of hot water over and through the filter. This helps remove any potential papery aftertaste from your coffee and also helps the filter adhere to the cap, so that it remains in place when inverted.
5. Pour 150g of heated water over your coffee grounds, stir for 30 seconds, then add your filter cap and wait for a further 1min 30secs.
6. Once your coffee is finished brewing, very carefully invert your Aeropress so that it is the right way up and place it on top of your chosen vessel.
7. Press down gently on the plunger with both hands to push your coffee through the filter cap.
8. Enjoy. One final thing to note is that people’s preferences for Aeropress coffee vary quite a bit. Different guides will recommend different amounts of ground coffee, brew times, water temperatures etc. Try experimenting with your daily brew to see what recipe produces the perfect cup for your palate.

Aeropress inverted method: My verdict

After making and consuming a shot of espresso and an americano made using the regular Aeropress method, then immediately doing the same using the inverted method, I have to say I was very impressed with the latter’s results. The coffee produced via the inverted method had a much fuller flavour, unlocking a wider taste profile, which was much closer to that of a drink produced with a manual espresso machine. The inverted method also allowed me to be more precise in my timings and measurements and I’m confident I could replicate this coffee almost exactly time after time.

That said, the inverted method does have a couple of drawbacks. Setting up the Aeropress in the inverted position is a little finicky and flipping over an Aeropress full of near-boiling water didn’t feel like the safest thing in the world, which, I’m assuming, is why the company recommends sticking with the standard brewing method.

Weighing out and measuring the hot water and adhering the filter to the cap are extra steps that aren’t necessary with the regular method and, along with the added brew time, mean the inverted method will also take a little longer.

Ultimately, if you’re an Aeropress owner on the hunt for the perfect cup of coffee, I would largely recommend using the inverted method for its ability to maximise flavour and replicability of your daily brew. However, on bleary-eyed mornings when you’re feeling a little clumsy or in moments when you’re short on time, it might be best to leave this comparatively lengthy balancing act out and stick with the more straightforward method.

A good alternative to this hack, and one which I use in my day-to-day coffee-making, is to simply use two filter papers instead of one when following the standard method, as this will reduce drip-through significantly and allow for a more similar brewing process to the inverted method.