Aerobie AeroPress Espresso Machine & Coffee Maker
- Operation: Manual
- Type: Espresso Machine Coffee Maker
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Quick concentrated coffee, effortless cleanup, great for travel or work
Pros
Easy to use, easy to clean, easy to pack for a weekend getaway.
Cons
Sensitive to bean quality and grind, only makes 4 shots at a time.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you want good coffee on the go, and don't need a lot at a time, this is the press for you.
I saw the AeroPress mentioned on SingleServeCoffee.com in one of their newsletters, and found that Amazon had it in a "buy 3, get 1 free" promo along with several paperbacks I wanted. Coffee and books, and a free book? Sure, I'm game.
Having had relatively bad luck making drinkable joe with a French press, I was a bit apprehensive, but for $25 it was worth a try.
Parts is parts
There are three significant pieces to this coffee maker: Filter cap, chamber, and plunger. The filter cap holds a flat paper filter, and attaches to the bottom of the chamber. The plunger goes in the top of the chamber, to push the coffee out through the filter.
The kit also includes a measuring scoop, a stirring wand, and a funnel for the grounds (goes on the top of the chamber while you're loading the grounds). You provide your own mug, anything from 2 3/8" to 4" across will be fine. Most coffee cups will work--I've used a regular dinner service mug as well as one of my 20 oz soup mugs. Very wide mugs (like super-size latte mugs) may not work as well.
Getting started
The instructions are simple, and there's a 45 second demo video on the website if you don't believe it. Realize that you're making a concentrated drink (unlike French press where you're making it more "full strength") and be patient with the process... you'll make a strong shot (or four) that can be taken plain, diluted with water or milk, served over ice, or blended into ice cream concoctions.
Coffee is mostly water
As with all of my reviews, I recommend filtered or bottled water. You have to heat it up yourself, as this is just a plastic pressing mechanism with no electricity or heating involved. A home or office water "cooler" with hot water is excellent, although you'll want to check the temperature and keep it around 175-185F.
It's all about the beans
Also be aware that the quality of your beans/ground coffee will be more important with this than with traditional drip. I tried a still-sealed year old bag of Boca Java beans and found it a bit suboptimal. A later attempt with a fresh (2 week old) bag of the same beans worked out beautifully. In my Kitchen Aid grinder, 25 seconds gave the right grind.
This is how you do it
The process is pretty simple. Put a filter in the cap, attach it to the chamber, add grounds (using the included scoop for best measurement).
Add water SLOWLY up to the marked number of shots.
Stir with plastic spoon or included paddle for 10 seconds or so.
Then use the plunger to press slowly for 20-30 seconds until you're down to the "cookie" (chunk of extracted coffee).
It takes less than five minutes including grinding the coffee, heating the water, and finishing the drink.
Some caveats:
Make sure you're only using one filter. The little filter panels are very thin and stick together (350 of them are about 1 1/2 inches thick combined), and more filters means harder coffeemaking and less flavor.
Order more filters when you're halfway through. You may not be able to find them locally. Some people on the Aerobie site report good results reusing the filters, but I'd rather just pitch them with the cookie each time.
Experiment with your grind. "fine-drip" is recommended, but if you get it too fine, you'll have trouble pushing the plunger down. Too coarse and you won't get as much flavor. Try illy espresso or the like if you wish, but you may find it easier to grind your own.
Having had relatively bad luck making drinkable joe with a French press, I was a bit apprehensive, but for $25 it was worth a try.
Parts is parts
There are three significant pieces to this coffee maker: Filter cap, chamber, and plunger. The filter cap holds a flat paper filter, and attaches to the bottom of the chamber. The plunger goes in the top of the chamber, to push the coffee out through the filter.
The kit also includes a measuring scoop, a stirring wand, and a funnel for the grounds (goes on the top of the chamber while you're loading the grounds). You provide your own mug, anything from 2 3/8" to 4" across will be fine. Most coffee cups will work--I've used a regular dinner service mug as well as one of my 20 oz soup mugs. Very wide mugs (like super-size latte mugs) may not work as well.
Getting started
The instructions are simple, and there's a 45 second demo video on the website if you don't believe it. Realize that you're making a concentrated drink (unlike French press where you're making it more "full strength") and be patient with the process... you'll make a strong shot (or four) that can be taken plain, diluted with water or milk, served over ice, or blended into ice cream concoctions.
Coffee is mostly water
As with all of my reviews, I recommend filtered or bottled water. You have to heat it up yourself, as this is just a plastic pressing mechanism with no electricity or heating involved. A home or office water "cooler" with hot water is excellent, although you'll want to check the temperature and keep it around 175-185F.
It's all about the beans
Also be aware that the quality of your beans/ground coffee will be more important with this than with traditional drip. I tried a still-sealed year old bag of Boca Java beans and found it a bit suboptimal. A later attempt with a fresh (2 week old) bag of the same beans worked out beautifully. In my Kitchen Aid grinder, 25 seconds gave the right grind.
This is how you do it
The process is pretty simple. Put a filter in the cap, attach it to the chamber, add grounds (using the included scoop for best measurement).
Add water SLOWLY up to the marked number of shots.
Stir with plastic spoon or included paddle for 10 seconds or so.
Then use the plunger to press slowly for 20-30 seconds until you're down to the "cookie" (chunk of extracted coffee).
It takes less than five minutes including grinding the coffee, heating the water, and finishing the drink.
Some caveats:
Make sure you're only using one filter. The little filter panels are very thin and stick together (350 of them are about 1 1/2 inches thick combined), and more filters means harder coffeemaking and less flavor.
Order more filters when you're halfway through. You may not be able to find them locally. Some people on the Aerobie site report good results reusing the filters, but I'd rather just pitch them with the cookie each time.
Experiment with your grind. "fine-drip" is recommended, but if you get it too fine, you'll have trouble pushing the plunger down. Too coarse and you won't get as much flavor. Try illy espresso or the like if you wish, but you may find it easier to grind your own.
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