How to make strong coffee in an AeroPress

Blog post written by Tom Saxon - Batch Coffee

Firstly I'd like to address the term 'strong' in coffee.

It is typically a way for commercial coffee to be described on a scale, usually from 1-5.

Many believe that the strong coffee you would buy in a supermarket not only tastes strong but has more caffeine and will keep you awake for longer (similar to alcohol where strong tastes relate to strength in volume), however in coffee this is not true.

Strong coffee is related to the taste of the coffee and strong tasting coffee is typically dark roasted and bitter flavoured.

However, many people have become accustomed to enjoying a bitter or concentrated coffee so here is how you can make your morning brew extra strong.

So, strong black coffee starts with any freshly roasted coffee.

It all now depends on how you brew your coffee, whether it is espresso, aeropress or pour over for instance.

To make any brew stronger in taste and in caffeine make the grind slightly finer. This will increase the overall surface area of the grounds and will extract more caffeine. Make sure you don't make it too fine though as you may not be able to brew anything as water may not be able to pass through the grounds and if you’re brewing with your trusty Aeropress then you may not be able to plunge.

Another technique is, you can brew with hotter water and increase brew time if you are using a method of immersion like Aeropress. This effectively will over extract your coffee and the end result will more than likely taste unbalanced and bitter, but in this case will have an element of strength.

You can also change the brew ratio of coffee to water and essentially add more coffee to the Aeropress. As long as you add enough water to extract enough soluble compounds to make a cup of coffee you will certainly end up with a strong brew.

If you’re not really bothered about the caffeine content and you just want a bitter flavoured coffee, then maybe take a look for some dark roasted coffee. This will taste roasty and burnt but should give you the desired strong tasting coffee.