New Kid on the Brewing Block: The Rookie (Delter Press) vs the Legend (AeroPress)

Completely innovative coffee brewing methods come about very rarely. In 2005, the AeroPress was revolutionary. It was plastic. It was a weird shape. It made a pretty fantastic cup of coffee with very little effort. Since then numerous brewers have emerged, none with quite so much impact as the aforementioned weird coffee gadget. Now, over a decade later, the Delter Press put its brewing design into the public eye and it looked a little familiar…But other than being, in this publication’s opinion, a very clever marketing decision, the Delter Press is unlike the AeroPress in all the ways that count. It has gained much attention due to being compared to the AeroPress and in this case, the attention is, however got, well-deserved. It will never replace the AeroPress, one of the most popular brewing methods of the modern age, but it is in its own way unique. 

On the Delter Press from the Professional, Sinjon Wicks:

The Delter Press is a completely new alternate press that has been designed from the ground up to solve two major factors that can turn your favourite brew into something a little more lackluster – channeling and agitation. This is ensured by the patented Jet Seal at the bottom of the press that keeps coffee and water completely separate until the moment you decide to press, creating an effect similar to the shower screen in a traditional espresso machine – evenly dispersing water across the entire coffee bed.  

Secondly, the plunger isn’t just a plunger; when filling with water, the plunger should be fully inserted into the main chamber – pouring directly into the center of the plunger. At the bottom of the plunger you’ll find a few small perforations and a rubber seal that allows water to flow into the main chamber only when the plunger of the press is lifted. 

The clearest, cleanest coffee can be achieved by following the recipe insert that is included with the Press, or by watching one of the many instructional videos at: https://deltercoffee.com/pages/brewing-guide

Being an opinionated coffee nerd, and with the impressive variation of the press, I’ve adapted the original recipe by Delter to something that suits my palate a little better;

Recipe:

• Freshly grind your favourite beans to a medium consistency – Filter grind or slightly courser should be perfect. While you get your beans grinding, fill a kettle with fresh water and get boiling. Remember, we don’t want to use rapidly boiling water – so boil and allow the water to stand in the kettle for about 30 seconds. 
• Make sure your Delter Press is clean and the components fully inserted. (When the press is dry, avoid removing and re-inserting the plunger too quickly, as the seal may twist out of groove 
• Turn the press upside down onto a scale, remove the brewing cap and dose coffee directly onto the Jet Seal. Make sure you don’t dose into the brewing cap, as this will affect the efficacy of the seal and your brew will be loaded with sediment and extremely cloudy.  Delter recommends a brew ratio of 12g coffee to 200mls of water. I’ve found that I prefer something a little more ‘full flavoured’ and accordingly, I’ve upped my ratio to 17g per 200ml’s. Pre-wet one of the Delter Press filter papers and ensure that you have a nice tight seal between the paper and brewing cap. Screw the brew cap on nice and tightly and return the press right side up. 
• The accurate level markings on the Delter, means you don’t necessarily have to use a scale to recreate brews consistently. Pour your off-boiling water directly into the center of the plunger until you reach the 200ml mark and place the rubber cap onto the plunger to avoid nasty steam burns. 
• Lift the plunger until the 50 ml mark – we’re going to press this 50ml’s of water slowly and carefully to begin the pre-infusion or bloom of our coffee. I usually allow a bloom of about 30 seconds. After your bloom, lift the plunger again to the 100ml mark and once again, press nice and slowly. We want to press slowly and in a controlled fashion, as this will extend the contact time between your water and coffee, as well as reduce the risk of agitation and channeling. Lift up the plunger and press out the remaining coffee.
• Enjoy!
• Cleaning the Delter is a simple affair – place the press over your sink and flush out any excess moisture by lifting and pressing the plunger several times. Remove the cap, shake out any coffee and rinse the press. Do not wash the press in the dishwasher. 

It’s never been a better time to be a coffee geek, with hundreds of new gadgets and toys released every year. Often these innovations are flash-in-the-pan ideas that fall flat in usability, practicality and quality of brew. The Delter is not one of these fickle trends. Sure, the Delter isn’t going to replace any of your existing brewing methods – it is completely different and will make a great addition to your coffee arsenal providing you with a completely different coffee experience.

The Delter, for me, is particularly useful while hiking or exploring – due to the accurate level markings and dosing cap – it’s quite possible to use the device accurately without a scale or goose-neck kettle. For those in a rush, the coffee can even be pre-ground and stored securely in the dosing cap – all you need to do is add your hot water.