How to make AeroPress coffee in a few simple steps

• The AeroPress is an innovative, easy, clean, and delicious way to make coffee on the go.
• With a few easy techniques and tips, you can make delicious coffee anywhere.
• Not only will you save money, but you'll also save the planet, as the AeroPress is a very low-waste solution.

I travel a lot, and that means I often wake up to a hotel room equipped with a K-cup brewer and a selection of stale coffee in plastic cups. I care a lot about coffee, and a fair bit about the planet, so I tend to eschew the K cup in favor of my trusty AeroPress.

I must have made close to a thousand cups of coffee in the half dozen years I have had my AeroPress. I have used one everywhere from Alaska to Atlanta, and regardless of whether I wake up in a suite or a sleeping bag, it is my go-to on-the-go coffee maker.

At just under $30, the AeroPress is not expensive. In fact, I think it has saved me money by avoiding the lobby coffee bars so many times.

The AeroPress makes a coffee concentrate that isn't really espresso - it's more like a concentrated filter brew, but if you know how to handle it, the strange-looking giant syringe can turn out a delicious cup. And, when you're done, you simply push the puck of grounds into the trash, and the AeroPress is all clean, so you don't have to mess up your hotel sink with coffee grounds!

So how do you get the most out of your AeroPress? Here is my step-by-step guide on how to make the best coffee with the AeroPress.

Here's what you'll need to make AeroPress coffee:

• Delicious coffee beans like these from Presta Coffee
• An AeroPress coffee maker
• Hot water and a mug
• A coffee grinder (optional)
• A metal filter disc (optional)

James Stout/Business InsiderI often use the AeroPress to make coffee while camping.

How to make AeroPress coffee

1. Boil your water. If you can't boil it, microwaving or running the K-cup machine without a cup in is fine. In the latter case, I run one cycle first to clean out any stale coffee taste.
2. Preheat your cup with some of the hot water
3. While the water boils, prepare your coffee. I like to use a scale when I can, but when I can't, I try to eyeball the same 20-gram dose that I normally weigh out at home.
4. Grind your coffee. If at all possible, grind your coffee fresh, this preserves flavor and means you get the most out of your brew. If you can't, have your coffee shop grind it to a medium-fine setting. This article has a great visual and some more fun recipes to try. If you are interested in a grinder for travel, Handground's grinder comes with fun AeroPress recipes and a great brewing guide
5. Assemble the AeroPress and turn it upside down, so the hole faces upward and it is standing on the plunger. If you are using a paper filter, wash it well to take away the papery taste. I prefer a metal filter, as it is less wasteful. Metal filters are reusable so I never run out of filters on a trip, and I prefer the taste of coffee through metal. Place the filter in the cap.
6. Put your coffee in the AeroPress chamber and add enough water to saturate it (about 50 grams if you have a scale) and let it bubble for 30 seconds. Ideally, the water should be just lower than the boiling point, so leave your kettle open about 30 seconds after it shuts off.
7. Now fill the AeroPress nearly to the top and let is stand for a minute. Give it a quick stir with the included stirring wand and put on the cap.
8. Now invert the AeroPress and push down on the plunger.
9. Enjoy delicious coffee guilt-free.

Buy the AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker for $29.95 at Amazon

Buy the Handground Precision Manual Coffee Grinder for $79.95 at Amazon

Buy the Able Brewing Disk Coffee Filter for AeroPress for $15 at Amazon