Does anyone recommend the Aerobie AeroPress coffee maker?
March 12, 2010 by
Filed under Coffee Makers
I’m a college student who enjoys his coffee but only had enough money to buy a cheap coffee maker. I ran across this on a website and was wondering if the quality is good enough for me to consider buying one. From what I’ve seen it doesn’t look like they make much coffee, which is fine with me, but is it at least enough to fill up a mug?
Main questions: Have you used the AeroPress coffee maker, what was your impression of it, and would you recommend it?
I’ve never heard of it, but I’m assuming it’s like a “French press”–maybe. Starbuck’s usually has a variety of those. Otherwise, here’s a site for the one you’re looking for:
http://www.espressoparts.com/product/AEROPRESS
I have an AeroPress, and it’s a pretty neat little coffee maker. It doesn’t make a lot of coffee, but it is enough to fill my small mug. It is not enough to share. You can also dilute the strong coffee it produces with a bit of hot water without negatively affecting the flavors to make it more like “normal” drip coffee.
The good:
- It’s indestructible
- It’s super easy to clean
- It’s fairly tolerant of varying grind sizes (unlike, for example, a french press)
- It’s fast – brew for about 30-60 seconds and plunge
The bad:
- It uses custom paper filters, but if this is a problem, you can cut out your own or wash and reuse them, but that’s a hassle
- It requires an external way to heat water
- It doesn’t make very much coffee at a time
I use mine for camping because it’s lightweight, compact, unbreakable, and easy to clean. At home, I prefer a french press, but it is harder to clean and more picky about grind particulate size.
If you want to make enough coffee to fill a large mug or to share, check out the Planetary Designs french presses. See http://www.planetarydesign.us/products.html?paction=TableTop for more info. These are another sturdy and inexpensive way to make a great cup of coffee.
Another pet peeve about the AeroPress – it’s falsely marketed as an “espresso” maker. It does not, and will never make espresso. Ignore that part of the packaging, and it’s a great coffee maker. Also, I’d suggest ignoring (or at least experimenting with) the instructions about using 170-180F water. Use 200F water. You’ll get a much better extracted cup.