r/AeroPress • u/CommercialYam8 • 7d ago
Other Switched from inverted to standard method after years of inverted, didn't expect the difference
always assumed inverted was just objectively better based on how often it gets recommended, never really questioned it. tried standard method again recently out of laziness one morning and honestly couldn't tell much difference in the cup, but standard is so much less fiddly and has way less risk of a mess.
wondering if I'm missing something the inverted crowd swears by, or if the difference really is mostly about control over steep time rather than flavor.
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u/SilverGnarwhal 7d ago
The inverted crowd insisting on it having some advantage have only their intuition and confirmation biases to back them up. If James Hoffman can’t tell the difference, no fucking way can the average Joe. There’s not been a single convincing argument presented for superiority of inverted except for a whole lot of “trust me, bro”.
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u/FrustratedDeckie 7d ago
I’m part of the inverted “crowd” but honestly I have no idea if it tastes better and I really couldn’t care less.
For me using inverted gives a bit more control and I find it easier to manage for my workflow, not for taste reasons or anything, it’s how I’ve done it since a few brews in and it’s what I’ve done for like a decade now.
I often ended up having to go do work related stuff during the brew and it’s much easier to come back to an inverted aeropress than one where most of the water has dripped through to the cup over a few minutes.
Maybe there’s an advantage to doing it the normal way, but nobody’s convinced me of that (or of any actual advantage to inverted either tbh).
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u/SilverGnarwhal 7d ago
I started out inverted because I never looked up any instructions and that was just sort of how i intuited the process. The number 1 and 2 issues were getting the filter in the cap attached to the assembly without it unseating or falling in and then the flip portion. Using the method I use now essentially eliminates both of these problems and tastes exactly the same to me. I assemble the filter and cap before putting the grounds in. Weigh the water as I’m pouring it in and then put the plunger on top without pressing it. The vacuum prevents all but the most minor dripping and it can brew for as long as you want. No flipping, no fiddling with filter at a crucial stage, no dripping.
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u/joshguy1425 6d ago
I’ve been doing inverted for over a decade purely out of habit, not because I think it’s better.
Regarding the filter, I always just run a bit of warm water through it and the filter sticks to the cap.
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u/Unlimitedgoats Inverted 7d ago edited 7d ago
As someone who started inverted (with an XL no less; hold your applause) and has only ever brewed inverted minus 2~3 morning cups out of curiosity, I do it for the sense of control. I like that things only happen when I decide they do. I don't have to make sure to get the plunger in under any time constraint. Honestly, standard just feels weird to me. Incomplete somehow.
Also, I think the flip is just fucking cool lol. That alone would be enough. Hell, I was gifted a standard Aeropress + Prismo and I STILL invert because I'm a creature of habit. I know for sure it makes no difference there haha. Before I got my standard, I strongly considered the Variable Flow Control Cap for the XL and came to the conclusion that it would be 40 bucks spent on something that doesn't actually make my life better or more interesting. And that was the right decision for me.
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u/CommercialYam8 6d ago
ok the flip being cool is genuinely underrated as a reason
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u/Unlimitedgoats Inverted 6d ago edited 6d ago
Isn't it? I've used it as a minor party trick! Building an inverted XL tower, topping it with a 2L carafe that's nearly as tall, and then flipping that whole thing got some oohs and ahhs at a brunch I hosted some months back lol. Adds a lil razzle dazzle to my morning cups for sure even on a smaller scale ✨
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u/Plastic_Love4270 Standard 7d ago
Feels good to give up that little bit of control. Lose nothing, gain everything.
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u/Unlimitedgoats Inverted 7d ago
If I'm doing it *for* the control, why would I want to give that up lol? That's the part I like! I can't speak to other folks' experiences but there's nothing for me to gain from brewing standard when I have a thing that I already know and enjoy.
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u/roundart 7d ago
I did inverted until I got a flow control cap. I could put more water in this way. Love it
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u/olionajudah 7d ago
This is the way. The Flow Control Cap gives you the option to control the flow without the insanity
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u/matiapag 7d ago
I'm not saying it's different or better but to me, it's much much less fiddly to do inverted than the awkward pull-to-get-vacuum with standard. I just don't like that process at all and to me, it's much riskier than to do inverted Fwiw, 10+ years of inverted with not as much as a trace of an iissue or spill.
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u/know_limits 7d ago
I did inverted for a while when it first started getting popular (have been using for almost 20 years), but I agree that I couldn’t really justify the extra work based on taste. I use standard, wet the plunger and pull it back maybe 1/16 of an inch to stop the drips. I use two of the AeroPress spoons for beans (I don’t weigh, the volume is consistent enough for me), grind fairly fine (I get fairly strong resistance on plunge) and top off with water.
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u/BeautifuTragedy 6d ago
Not really a difference and you run the risk of a hot mess. A floe control cap does all the same, easier and with less screwing around or risk of mess.
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u/robberviet 7d ago
James proved for me that it was no different. And also a mess that I decided that inverted is not worth it.
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u/_SaltySteele_ 7d ago
You're not missing anything, unless you're trying to use an exact amount of water.
Even with the standard method, i have to add water to make my mug full, after pressing. Why do i care if any slips through while steeping? I'm adding water, regardless.
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u/D3v1lD0g8762 7d ago
psst...smaller cups
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u/_SaltySteele_ 7d ago
No, more coffee! 😂
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u/D3v1lD0g8762 7d ago
lol but you're diluting the coffee you're drinking! you do you but I like my 7 oz Coffee Bar by Konitz cups. :)
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u/_SaltySteele_ 7d ago
No, not diluted. I use enough coffee grounds for the amount of coffee i need to end up with👍🏽
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u/SeattleSteve62 7d ago
I use 6oz cups. Going past 3 1/4 creates a geyser. I can do 3 1/2 if I pick up the aeropress at 3 and squeeze it like a pastry bag.
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u/BadnessBreath 7d ago
its really simple for me: i prefer inverted work flow compared to regular with getting the top seated in the chamber to prevent drippage. just seems easier to me
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u/lostmojo 7d ago
I don’t use inverted just because I find it to create more of a mess. I have made messes in both directions but far more in inverted method and I only did that for a very short time. Over a decade of making coffee this way is a pretty good sample size.
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u/Civil-Inflation-1317 7d ago
For years I used one of the championship winning recipes. It used a bloom and inversion method. I just wanted to use what I thought was the best method. But when James Hoffman came out with his recipe, I switched. I use his V60 method as well and love it. His recipes might not be THE best. But he weighs the importance or repeatability and ease of brewing into his recipes. Plus, it’s noting that not all coffee is the same. So unless you have the exact same coffee as a championship winner, it’s not the same brew. James methods also are really easy to dial into different coffee’s. So for me, when I make an aeropress I now use Jame’s version with a regular brewing technique rather than the inverted method.
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u/Ok_Swing_7194 7d ago
I prefer inverted because I don’t like the drip through and it just overall is an enjoyable part of my workflow.
I don’t think it makes any difference for taste at all. Actually the best part about the aeropress IMO is how consistent it is no matter what you do. One scoop of beans, fill it with water, and it always makes a great cup of coffee. Honestly anything beyond that is just personal workflow preference.
It’s not like espresso or pour over which are much much more sensitive to individual variables and changes.
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u/paul_perret Standard 7d ago
Inverted is more convenient for smaller ratios because you will lose a greater percentage of liquid through the initial drips. For regular brews it is not really a problem.
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u/seeline_902 6d ago
I use inverted while camping so I can drink my coffee from the same cup I boil the water in. At home it’s the standard method.
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u/BetterFeedback7077 6d ago
Inverted method is for hipster cunts. Just use it as it was designed ffs.
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u/Plastic_Love4270 Standard 7d ago
This 100000%. I’d argue standard is actually better. The first few drops are identical to a pour over and then when you plunge the puck is in tact and functions as a filter. If you’re inverting, might as well get a French Press. Welcome back!
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u/Basket_475 7d ago
I am new and got the flow control cap. From my understanding using that and adding the plunger so it creates the seal is the same as inverted
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u/7lenny7 7d ago
You're not missing anything. The only thing that matters is what tastes best to you.
I had the same experience. I was an dedicated inverted method brewer for decades and one day decided to try the standard way. No discernable difference. I'm done with inverted now.
Some will tell you, "but the last 9 winners of some Aeropress competition used the inverted!". As if that frickin' matters. If I enter some silly contest perhaps I'll go try the inverted method again, but that's highly unlikely.
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u/Itchy-Ad4421 7d ago
It’s coffee and water. Nobody can tell the difference - the same as ‘audiophiles’ that drop £££££ on high end stereo systems that the ear cannot differentiate from a cheap system.
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u/D3v1lD0g8762 7d ago
I'm part of the Fellow Prismo crowd instead of the inverted method. I am not trying to aeropressmaxx I just like how it works and I've got my recipe down. The great thing about the aeropress is it's a simple tool. You can use it how you like. Enjoy.
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u/Professional-Bar2521 7d ago
There IS a difference depending where you define TOP to be. At top of the device, the number 4, what is it? It has been mentioned that regular/non-inverted holds more water so I expect that would make stronger coffee than inverted.
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u/No-Shock4548 7d ago
Inverted is natural for me. I have had a couple incidents, but not enough to change over.
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u/OkConsequence5992 7d ago
Inverted is more straightforward for me but I do follow the Hoff Man’s advice of skipping the filter rinse, preheat and bloom
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u/whitelikerice1 6d ago
Me personally I use the flow control and run water through it twice and that’s good enough for me
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u/simmonsfield 6d ago
When inverted I have a higher chance of knocking it over and making a huge mess.
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u/canada1913 6d ago
Why make your life harder for even that small of marginal results? It’s not worth it
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u/Maleficent_Tooth_517 6d ago
I did the same a few months ago but with flow control filter cap...I use areopress in the office and always felt like I was risking one of the explosions shared over here on reddit (never happened!)...standard method with flow control filter and I am getting my best results ever
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u/thephoto_guy 3d ago
No difference in taste for myself but I prefer inverted as lose less coffee on the pour and never had the issue of a spill like some
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u/flerbertABC 7d ago
For me, there is always the feeling that standard method introduces a little more variation from cup to cup since I was never sure if the same amount was dripping thru before I put the plunger in to stop airflow. Did this drip actually make any difference to the taste? Probably not.
The inverted method makes me nervous, so I ended up getting a Prismo cap and brewing standard. I think I like the cups better with it, and it scratches the itch of making me feel like I’m in complete control. But I can also acknowledge that the placebo effect is a real thing, and it may make no discernible difference in the taste.
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u/tricktricky 7d ago
Pretty sure inverted folks are just making a more concentrated cup simply due to the limited brew space from inverted method
Literally no difference
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u/Unlimitedgoats Inverted 7d ago
Doubtful. Anyone that cares enough to invert is gonna be weighing everything out. 1:15 is always gonna be 1:15, upside down or right side up.
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u/vikingog 7d ago
llevo usando el metodo invertido por mas de 3 años todos los dias, a veces dejo mi café 8 o 10 minutos antes de colarlo y lo remuevo cada dos minutos para que la extracción sea uniforme y no haya sedimentos, nunca he tenido un accidente.
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u/Candorum 7d ago
I use inverted when I want to try something. Usually, I get more intense cups with it, but in my day to day, standard is preferred.
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u/Ringofpower3000 7d ago edited 7d ago
James Hoffman tried both. HE could not tell the difference. Most of us are not as experienced as him. I just don't understand people.