Category: Coffee Making Equipment

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There’s only One AeroPress – or is there?

The AeroPress Range at Artistry Coffee

The AeroPress range has expanded – the classic AeroPress was joined some time ago by the AeroPress Go, and now by the AeroPress Clear.

The AeroPress Clear is made from a tougher new material – Tritan. It’s crystal clear and shatterproof, very durable and lightweight. It’s the same proven design that produces consistently reliable and great tasting coffee. The clear look is amazing and is great for demonstrating what’s going on as you make coffee with the AeroPress Clear.

The AeroPress Go is a modified design an a slightly shorter coffee making chamber to make it more transportable. The stirrer paddle was reimagined so that it can fold over on itself and fit inside the tube, for easy transport. The scoop is a different shape and size, again so that it can fit inside the tube for portability. The AeroPress Go device itself has the numbers 1, 2, and 3 on it – missing the 4, so giving a clue as to how much shorter it is.

The AeroPress Go comes with a mug to make the coffee into, and a red silicone lid which can also be used as a stand to place your mug on for increased stability. This is after all a device that’s designed for use out and about!

The classic AeroPress Original has been repackaged into a more compact box with changed accessories. The iconic coffee maker now comes with a stirrer paddle, a c15g coffee scoop, and 100 paper filters (so there’s no longer the funnel or the paper filter holder, only the things you really need to make coffee. So fewer plastic items).

So the AeroPress range is developing and you can find out more about all these AeroPress designs and buy them in our online store, along with replacement filters, a travel cap, or metal filters which fit the device.

There’s even a brilliant AeroPress inspired T-shirt for you!

Find an AeroPress Inspired T-shirt at artistrycoffee.co.uk
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What is the AeroPress Inverted Method?

AeroPress Inverted Method

The AeroPress coffee maker was conceived by the inventor of the Arobie Flying Ring, Alan Alder, as a reliable way to produce coffee – including out in the open.


You simply needed some coffee grounds, hot water in a flask, and your AeroPress.
The result was great, and consistently reliable. Clean and easy to use, and very portable. Not quite an espresso, but something very close.


As the AeroPress was marketed people really took to it, appreciated its cost-effectiveness and the quality of the coffee it produced. It became popular on location, at home, and at work. Then people began to experiment.


The Inverted Method was born, and the ‘quick & easy’ original method of using the AeroPress was joined by a ‘take your time and brew’ method.


The Inverted Method takes the principles of immersion and steeping with coarser ground coffee to result in different flavour profiles. The room for experimentation with different ‘recipies’ was extended (i.e. using varying amounts of coffee grounds, & water, and changing up the timing to see what different flavours could result).
This is possible by turning the AeroPress on its head, literally! Inverting it!!


The first thing to do for the Inverted Method is to connect the two chambers (so it’s connected as if you were about to push down on the second one).
Make sure they are firmly connected with a good overlap of the cylinders, then flip them over (invert them). They should now be standing on what is normally the top part of the AeroPress.


You haven’t yet put the filter and mesh cap on – don’t, for the moment.
You should now have the tube standing up, into which you can pour the coffee grounds (coarser perhaps, and starting with c11g before you experiment with your quantities).
Please check safety and stability for the next stage, and only progress if you are confident that you will not spill the hot water, that the tubes will not topple, that they are connected well and will not leak, and that you will not be scalded by the hot water.


So, ensuring stability and safety, pour your desired amount of hot (not boiling) water into the tube with the coffee (probably c 100 to 200ml. It depends on how far into the first chamber the second tube is pushed up to).


Then stir really well, remembering that agitation of the coffee grounds with the water is a key part of coffee making.


Now you can leave the coffee steeping, immersed in the water. Perhaps leave for 2 minutes the first time, but this is something to be experimented with along with the coffee and water proportions.


The next part is a little tricky, but best achieved by slightly damping one of the paper filters so it sort of sticks.
Place the dampened filter into the mesh cap. Then screw the mesh cap firmly into the AeroPress.


With your mug in place, quickly and with care, flip the AeroPress over so it’s in a normal position above the mug.


Now breathe.


You’re ready for the normal AeroPress push. Steadily and slowly push down on the AeroPress so that the coffee pours into the mug below, and leaves you with the puck of coffee grounds in the device.


Unscrew the cap, expel the puck of coffee grounds by placing over a bin and pushing the last couple of centimetres. Rinse and wipe the AeroPress and enjoy your coffee made the Inverted way!


You can now add hot water if you prefer a weaker coffee, or milk of your choice if that’s your preference.


The AeroPress is a great device to experiment with. And whether you’re using it the way it was originally designed, or the Inverted Method, you can experiment with grind variations, coffee and water proportions, and timings to hit on a recipe and method that suits your tastes.


Maybe you’ll decide one day to enter an AeroPress Championship – yes, there really are such things!


You can see our store pages if you’ve not yet got an AeroPress, if you need new filters, or if you’d like to try a metal filter.

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Science, Theatre, Artistry! Coffee making with the Hario Syphon

Hario Syphon Coffee Maker in use

There’s something of the science lab about making coffee with the Hario Syphon Coffee Maker!

You don’t need to understand the science to enjoy coffee making this way – and it’s not complicated, but it is incredible. Not understanding the science of air pressure, vacuums, and heat effects just actually makes it appear to be magic! And therefore enthralling.

The Hario Coffee Syphon is not based on new ideas at all – in fact the first syphon coffee makers are traced back to origins in the 1800s.

The thrill of seeing the water bubble up to the top chamber of the coffee maker is spellbinding. Then shortly after it will slowly seep back down into the lower chamber as brewed coffee. It really does seem like magic.

The device comes with a small alcohol burner which is the main control over the process. There’s a lower borosilicate glass chamber where you place pre-boiled water, and an upper chamber where the coffee grounds are placed (with a filter held in place by a clever weighting mechanism). The whole thing is held on a stand to hold the coffee maker above the alcohol burner. Can you see why it feels like a science lab way of making coffee?

Hario Technica Coffee Syphon 3
Hario Technica Coffee Syphon 3 available at Artistry Coffee

The water is heated further from below, and (here’s a Mickey Mouse bit of science) the expanding pressure in the lower chamber forces the coffee up through the connecting pipe into the top chamber where the coffee grounds are sitting.

This mixes the hot water with the coffee and begins the brewing process. If you can draw yourself away from being mesmerised by this coffee making device, you can help the effectiveness of the process a little at this point by stirring the water and coffee grounds in the top vessel.

The heat source now needs removing and covering, to extinguish the flame. This starts to reduce the air pressure below ( which has almost become like a vacuum – because the contents that were in the lower chamber are now in the upper chamber).

The reduced pressure below now gives the brewing coffee somewhere to go –  down!

So gradually the contents of the upper chamber will sink into the bottom glass vessel – straining through the filter in the middle section to give a clean, clear brew.

The top section then needs removing, as its work is done – and the stand that the bottom glass vessel is held by becomes the pouring handle to pour out your coffee!

See the Hario Coffee Syphon at Artistry Coffee – we stock the 3-cup version.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, which give full explanation of the device, how to use it and any safety requirements.

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See our products in more detail…

Unboxing the Asobu Cold Brew Coffee Maker on the Artistry Coffee YouTube Channel

Last year, on our Artistry Coffee YouTube channel we created a number of ‘unboxing’ videos to make it easier to see some of the features of the products we stock.

We think they’re quite useful, so will we’ll tweet them out again through the week.

We stock a range of handbrew coffee equipment that help you craft delicious coffee at home with artistry!

We love the way handbrew coffee makers enable you to engage with the coffee as you make it – experiencing more of the aroma and sensing the flavours of the coffee. The handbrew coffee making process tends to create moments of coffee making which pause the world around and can take you into a sensory experience which helps you appreciate the coffee more and be a momentary welcome break from the business of the day.

We thoroughly recommend freshly grinding your coffee – perhaps with one of our hand-grinders which enable the coffee to be ground to your preferred coarseness and ensures your coffee is fresher if you’re grinding the coffee just before you’re making it.

We love making filter coffee with a pour-over coffee maker, where you’re truly in control of the process and can experiment with the speed and flow of the hot water over the coffee. It can be where the true artistry of coffee making is at its best.

If you’re needing a simple coffee making solution though, the AeroPress or the Clever Dripper are so easy to use and very reliable in producing great flavours.

Plus, have you ever fancied making Cold Brew coffee? Well there’s lots of ways you can make it – and we’ve got some great products for that.

Do take a look around our website at artistrycoffee.co.uk to see a great range of coffee making products, and speciality coffee beans too.

So follow our tweets @artistrycoffee, or visit our YouTube Channel and see the great products of which we speak!!

 

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Add some new style to your coffee making:

StoveTop Coffee Makers at Artistry Coffee

We’re learning more about stovetop coffee making – it’s a favourite of some,but not a method that we’ve previously spent a lot of time on ourselves. However, some of the new stovetop makers we’ve found add colour and vibrancy to the kitchen, so we’re embracing the technique at home now too!

We have a great range of stovetops – with the lovely Bialetti Fiammetta and Venus stovetops for 2 or 3 cups, and the classic style Pezzetti 6 cup makers. Plus there’s the classy Berghoff Studio Stovetop too.

They give a different flavour quality to the coffee – so are worth trying out.

See the range at artistrycoffee.co.uk and add some colour and style to your coffee making.

Your coffee making style can change and develop – and we’re always on the lookout for interesting products to help you craft delicious coffee at home with artistry! Our range includes milk thermometers, insulated brewers and servers, attractive mugs and flasks. We always have a changing range of hand coffee grinders and essential coffee filter papers too – as well as AeroPress inspired T-shirts, and some coffee-style socks!

Visit artistrycoffee.co.uk to see the latest!

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The New Twist Press from Barista & Co

Twist Press

This innovative new coffee maker – The Twist Press – is a great product for coffee on the go – it is compact, easy to use, and includes a coffee storage section under the silicone lid.

Twist Press Parts
Twist Press Parts

To use, you place the lower handle on top of a mug add a paper filter, attach the coffee making chamber – then water and coffee grounds and stir. Position the upper plunger handle and allow to brew for a minute.

Then TWIST !

Pull the handles together and let the coffee come through under pressure to the mug below. You should find a clean, strong, black coffee which you can enjoy espresso style or as a base for any coffee.

The device is easy to clean and (top shelf) dishwasher safe.

See the Twist Press online at artistrycoffee.co.uk or at our Duck Farm Court location in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Twist Press
Twist Press Stacked

 

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Supercharge your AeroPress with the Fellow Prismo

The Fellow Prismo AeroPress attachment

The AeroPress is a well renowned coffee maker which makes reliable good coffee very quickly. As we say it’s #QuickButNotInstant reflecting the fact that it’s far ahead of instant coffee yet doesn’t take much longer to make.

AeroPress
AeroPress coffee maker

The AeroPress is described as making espresso like coffee – recognising that it’s really good but not a pure espresso.

This new attachment device from Fellow products though can supercharge your exisiting or new AeroPress delivering more specific espresso shots.

The Fellow Prismo – attaches to the bottom of the AeroPress instead of the mesh cap. It features a pressure actuated valve which is the main bit of magic! It stays sealed until you press down – this helps facilitate the espresso shot, but also gives you other options for making cold brew or brewing with the immersion method without inverting.

The Fellow Prismo comes with a reusable fine metal filter and has a no drip seal too – giving you more control over generating an espresso shot (or the immersion method).

Press down and the coffee is forced under pressure through the central valve.

We stock genuine Fellow Prismo but do watch out for cheap imitations available by some online retail options – if you don’t see the Fellow logo (the O and bow tie mark underneath) on the product photos, it’s probably not genuine. Also the central valve and surrounding mouldings look a little different.

The genuine Fellow Prismo is available at Artistry Coffee in Duck Farm Court, Aylesbury or online.

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A Clever way to make coffee

One of our favourite coffee making devices for many years has been the Clever Dripper from Taiwan.It utilises paper filters which make the device easier to use and helps deliver a clean taste.If you want to label the coffee making method then Immersion Brew would sum it up best. After placing your filter coffee paper in the device (and rinsing it through with hot water to be purist about coffee making) you add appx 30g of reasonably coursely ground coffee and about 500ml of hot water.Then, after stirring together, you place the lid over the device and let the grounds immerse in the water. For 3 to 4 minutes the coffee grounds brew, gradually transferring their characteristics.Once brewed, you can place the Clever Dripper onto your coffee mug and the instant release valve will fill the mug with coffee in a few seconds. Then place on another mug and fill that too.The valve will automatically shut off once lifted from a mug, making this really easy to use.Cleaning is easy too – with a simple rinse through all that is really required after you have lifted the used coffee grounds out in their filter paper. Then you can dispose
of into compost or even use the grounds specifically to tend to acid loving plants.Now the Clever Dripper is available in Blue in the standard large size. It is also available in Red in a smaller (one cup) size.
Check our artistrycoffee.co.uk website for more details.

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Clever Dripper showing new colours!

Clever Dripper

The Clever Dripper is a great coffee maker using an immersion brew method (a bit like the method used by a French Press or Cafetiere). You’re in control of how long you let your coffee brew for, and when you’re ready you place the vessel ontop of a cup and the Clever valve underneath releases the brewed coffee directly into your waiting mug!

The Clever Dripper uses filter paper to give you a clean brew and makes it easy to clean and dispose of your used grounds into compost or for the acid loving plants in the garden.
The Clever Dripper has been around for a while now, but what’s new is the solid blue colour for the 2 cup device, or the solid red colour for the 1 cup version.

See more about this clever coffee maker at artistry coffee in Duck Farm Court, Aylesbury or online.

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The Stylish Compact Mini Slim PRO from Hario

Hario Mini Slim PRO coffee grinder

For many years we’ve stocked Hario’s Mini Mill Slim coffee grinder – which has been a popular choice with many.

The Mini Mill Slim a compact straightforward grinder, which is easier than many to adjust for the grind size you wish to use on your latest coffee beans.

Well it’s now got a new sibling!

The Mini Slim PRO from Hario is a timely update on the original, with some useful modifications.

The most obvious feature is the stainless steel in place of many of the plastic parts, and the version that we stock has a  black hopper and chamber rather than clear.

The clear acrylic lid has also been modified and the PRO version has a silicone grip around the circumference.

The important grinding burrs are still ceramic, which is helpful for good functioning and durability.

So the key thing is that many of the materials of the classic product have been upgraded, and it has a very stylish look about it!

They say “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” – but his shows that “if it ain’t broke” it may still be upgraded!

We have the Hario Mini Slim PRO coffee grinder at our Duck Farm Court location in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, or you can buy it online:

See the Hario Mini Slim PRO Coffee Grinder online