The AeroPress is one of the easiest ways to make coffee, but it’s also one of the most personal. There are so many ways to make it, and each coffee lover has their specific way of doing things.
But when it comes to storing your AeroPress, there are a few simple things you can do to keep it in great condition! And most importantly, to keep your coffee tasting its best.
What to Do Before Storing Your AeroPress Coffee Maker
Before you go ahead and store your AeroPress, you’ll want to make sure that it is thoroughly clean and dry. That means rinsing all the parts and letting them dry completely.
There are many different ways to do this, but my favorite process is the one I’m going to share with you!
1. Clean All The Parts
The parts of the AeroPress need to be completely clean before you store them. This means disassembling the entire thing and then soaking all the different parts in dish soap, water, and white vinegar solution.
The AeroPress has 4 main parts:
- Filter cap
- Plunger
- Chamber
- Funnel
There is also the spoon and the stirring paddle, but these are not technically part of it. The AeroPress plunger is made of two parts, the body, and the rubber seal.
The rubber seal is what needs the most care and attention, especially if you use the AeroPress every day. The best thing to do is to completely remove it from the plunger before you start soaking the other parts and clean it separately.
Once everything is ready, start by mixing a 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar in a bowl. Then, add a few drops of dish soap and mix it all up until it’s nice and foamy.
Add the parts to this mixture and let them soak for 20-30 minutes. You can let them soak longer if you want, but I usually find that 20-30 minutes is enough to remove all the coffee sediment and smells.
2. Dry Them With A Paper Towel
After you’ve let the parts soak, it’s time to dry them off. I like to do this with a paper towel because it’s quick and easy, but you can also do it with a hairdryer on low heat if you want.
Important: Make sure that the parts are completely dry before you start assembling your AeroPress. That means checking everything, from the chamber to the filter cap, and ensuring no moisture is left. The moisture will affect the seal on your plunger and can ruin the coffee, so take your time with this step!
3. Push The Plunger All The Way Down
Pushing the plunger is the most important of them all! This will help to preserve the rubber seal and prevent it from compression.
The rubber seal is made from a material called silicone, which is relatively stable and easy to keep in good condition. But it can still be affected by moisture and heat, so it’s important to follow this step properly.
Important: If your AeroPress is not sealing, the silicone seal probably has shrunk or got damaged. This can happen if you didn’t press the plunger down or if you didn’t let it dry completely before storing.
4 Ways to Store Your AeroPress
Now that I covered the process of how to clean and dry your AeroPress, it’s time to talk about storage! There are a few different ways you can do this, depending on your needs and what you have available.
1. Stack It (2 Methods)
When it comes to stacking, there are many opinions out there, but I find they can all be summarized in two different ways.
Method 1: Stacking the AeroPress with the filter cap in its original position.
Method 2: Stacking the AeroPress with the filter cap inside the funnel.
Both methods require stacking your coffee brewer on top of the paper filter holder, which is easy to do since the chamber can be used as the main base. You can see from the photo above the difference but let’s explain the how in more detail.
- Method 1
For the first method, you want to assemble the AeroPress as usual, then take the spoon and stirring paddle and add it on top of the funnel. Don’t forget to push the plunger down until you hear a hissing noise. As we previously said, this ensures that there will be no compression.
- Method 2
On the other hand, with the second method, you want to remove the filter cap from the chamber and place it inside the AeroPress funnel. This will make the filter much easier to access when you’re ready to use it.
TIP: You can also stack your AeroPress inverted (plunger at the bottom). If you like to brew inverted this will help you save some time when it’s time to brew espresso!
Get this free cheat sheet to step up your coffee game and learn about the different grind sizes!
2. Store it in The AeroPress Storage Bag
If you bought the AeroPress travel kit (which I highly recommend if you travel a lot), then you will have the storage bag included with it.
This bag is meant to protect the AeroPress while in transport and it’s a great way to store your AeroPress at home. If you don’t have it you can buy it separately from the official AeroPress website.
It’s made out of nylon and can also store the AeroPress Go, filters, stirring paddle, and spoon. All in all, it’s very practical and a good option to keep everything organized in one place.
3. Store it in A Cabinet
This is the safest and most practical way to store your AeroPress. You just have to put it on a shelf in a cabinet or somewhere out of the way, and not worry about it.
One thing to consider, though, is the fact that AeroPress is made out of plastic. So, if you are going to store it in a cabinet with other things, make sure that it’s in a safe place that’s not going to cause any damage.
The best place is in your kitchen cabinet. This way, you can easily access it when you need it and the chances of any accidents are much smaller than if you kept it in a different room.
TIP: For the AeroPress paper filters, I recommend storing them in a resealable plastic bag. This will keep them fresh and make sure they don’t absorb any smells from the cabinet.
4. Get an AeroPress Organizer
Last but not least, you can buy an AeroPress organizer. This is something probably only professional baristas will have, and that’s because it’s not a necessity, but it’s a great way to keep your AeroPress and all its accessories organized and in one place.
It also adds a nice touch to your kitchen and it’s a great conversation starter (if you have guests over and they see it). These organizers can be made out of different materials, but the most popular ones are wood and acrylic.
They can come in different shapes and sizes, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs. Some of them even have a place for paper and metal filters, so you don’t have to worry about where to store them.
They can also be very expensive, but I did my research and you can find a 3D printed one for around $30 on Etsy.
Last Thoughts
Making delicious coffee with the AeroPress is pretty easy, but so is storing it correctly. You have to pay attention to where you’re going to keep it because different ways can be more or less practical depending on your needs.
I personally prefer to store my AeroPress in the storage bag because it’s the safest way and I don’t have to worry about it. But if you’re looking for a more compact and organized solution, then an AeroPress organizer is the way to go.
What’s your favorite way to store your AeroPress? Try one of the methods I mentioned and let me know what you think!
Evelina
Evelina’s passion for coffee could never been hidden. Having worked as a barista, she learned the true value of the coffee bean and its secrets. As she continued to evolve as a barista, so did her knowledge, techniques on making different coffee blends and most importantly how to operate every kind of gear when it comes to coffee. Having a degree in biomedicine and being a barista, allows her to provide our community with in-depth knowledge surrounding the topics of coffee.
Get this free cheat sheet to step up your coffee game and learn about the different grind sizes!
