Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Product Description

Fast and convenient, the AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker makes one of the best cups of coffee you'll ever taste. This innovative uses the ideal water temperature and gentle air pressure brewing to produce coffee and espresso that has rich flavor with lower acidity and without bitterness. It makes 1 to 4 cups of coffee or espresso (enough for 1 or 2 mugs), features a micro filtered for grit free coffee, and takes just 1 minute to make coffee (actualpress time takes only 20 seconds).

With total immersion brewing, the AeroPress produces uniform extraction for the ultimate in full coffee flavor.

To brew a double espresso or 10-ounce cup of coffee:

Place a microfilter in the bottom cap of the AeroPress chamber and twist the cap tightly closed.
Place two scoops of ground coffee from the included AeroPress scoop into the chamber.
Stand the chamber on a sturdy mug, then proceed to pour hot water into the top of the chamber (175 degrees F is optimal).
Stir the water and coffee with the included paddle for about 10 seconds.
Insert the plunger into the chamber and gently press down about a quarter of an inch and continue to maintain that pressure for 20 to 30 seconds (gentle pressure is the key to easy AeroPressing).

This will result in a double espresso. To make an Americano, simply top off the mug with hot water, or add hot milk for a creamy latte. The AeroPress can press from 1 to 4 scoops, and each scoop from the included AeroPress scoop makes the equivalent of a single espresso or 5 ounces of American coffee. Fill the chamber with hot water to the number corresponding to the number of scoops.

You can also make a full carafe of coffee using the AeroPress in less time than it takes to brew a pot of drip coffee. Two 3-scoop or 4-scoop pressing, topped off with hot water, will fill most vacuum carafes.

The AeroPress is the result of several years of applied research by inventor/engineer Alan Adler, who conducted numerous brewing experiments, measuring the brew with laboratory instruments. The experiments demonstrated that proper temperature, total immersion and rapid filtering were key to flavor excellence. He then designed and tested dozens of brewers before settling on the AeroPress design. Adler's best-known invention is the Aerobie flying ring which set the Guinness World record for the world's farthest throw (1,333 feet).

Comparison of Brewing Methods

Drip Brewing
Traditional drip brewing passes water through a bed of grounds. When the water first drips into the bed, it is too hot and bitterness is extracted. As the water filters downward through the bed, it becomes too cool and extraction is weak. The water doesn't contact all of the grounds uniformly. Grounds at the edge of the bed are under-extracted, while grounds at the center are over- extracted and contribute bitterness.

Total immersion of the grounds in the AeroPress completely solves these problems. All of the grounds contact the same water temperature, and the brewing process is short and sweet. The gentle air pressure of the AeroPress also extracts extra flavor from the coffee. Ordinary drip brewers leave a lot of flavor in their soggy grounds.

The drip method cannot make a robust single cup because the small amount of water doesn't heat the bed enough for rich extraction. It is also slow. AeroPress makes one to four servings with a single pressing in less than a minute. The flavor is equally rich for any number of cups.

Espresso Machines
Most coffee lovers agree that espresso is less bitter than drip brew because of the shorter brewing time. However when we ran comparison taste-tests in the homes of espresso lovers, they all agreed that AeroPress espresso tasted better than the brew from their high-priced European espresso machines--why? The reason is that the total immersion brewing of the AeroPress yields a robust flavor at lower temperature--and lower temperature brew is far less bitter. Home espresso machines don’t allow adjustment of temperature. But even if they did, their lack of total immersion would not yield robust flavor at reduced temperature. In addition to smoother taste, the AeroPress has several other advantages over conventional espresso machines.

Grind is not critical in the AeroPress. Grind is so critical in espresso machines that most grinders cannot produce a grind fine enough to make a good tasting shot! Special espresso grinders cost hundreds of dollars and require frequent cleaning.
Espresso experts always adjust the grind when there are changes in humidity or batches of coffee. They throw away two or three shots while adjusting the grind in to achieve the desired 25-second shot.
There is no tamping in the AeroPress. Books on espresso teach the art of just the right amount of tamping. They instruct the home barista to practice on the bathroom scale to learn exactly thirty pounds of pressure.
There is no pre-warming of the portafilter head. In fact the AeroPress has no portafilter head!
There is no maintenance. Espresso machines require regular cleaning and descaling with caustic chemicals. They also require disassembly and cleaning of the showerhead.
There is no need to judge when to stop the pull. This is the most critical skill in using an espresso machine. As espresso lovers well know, most would-be baristas in coffee shops, hotels and restaurants run the pump too long--extracting sour bitterness from the grounds.
With the AeroPress, the amount of water is predetermined by the user, who can brew any strength from weak to super-intense just by choosing the desired amount of water prior to pressing.

Pod Brewers
Many single-cup pod brewers have come to market recently. Some of these machines make American coffee. Others make espresso. They range in price from about $60 to several hundred dollars. A highly respected product review magazine tested the three most popular pod brewers and reported the flavor as "mediocre at best."

French Presses
People see some similarities between the AeroPress and a French Press. Both use total immersion and pressure. But the similarities end there.

The filter in the French Press is at the top of the mixture. Because coffee floats, the floating grounds clog the filter and makes pressing and cleaning very difficult. Users are instructed to use only coarse ground coffee. But this reduces the amount of flavor that can be extracted from the coffee and necessitates long steeping times which extract bitterness.

Furthermore, even coarse ground coffee includes many fine particles. These small particles pass through and around the filter resulting in a bitter, gritty brew. The particles in the brew continue to leach out bitterness. Consequently French press users are advised to drink or decant the brew immediately. Also, some particles clog the filter screen making pressing and cleaning very difficult.

AeroPress coffee is micro-filtered. It so pure and particle-free that it can be stored for days as a concentrate. The concentrate can be drunk as espresso, mixed with milk for lattes, or diluted to make American coffee. French presses cannot make espresso or lattes. Finally, cleaning the French press is quite a chore. The AeroPress chamber is self-cleaning. A ten-second rinse of the plunger is all that's required.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(1,805 customer reviews)

1,841 of 1,855 people found the following review helpful

The best solution for brewing a single cup, August 24, 2010

mcon - See all my reviews

This review is from: AeroPress Coffee Maker (Kitchen)

I have owned the AeroPress for over two years and, judging by the number of filters I have used so far, I have brewed about 600 cups of coffee with it. It has become an essential part of my daily routine. It is fast, easy, and the grounds just pop out into the trash or compost. But all this has already been covered in these reviews. Here are a few additional points worth considering:

-It can brew a few cups of coffee in just a few minutes and make each cup as weak or as strong as my guest wants.

-If you are expecting the coffee to taste like espresso or like French-pressed coffee, remember that the AeroPress uses a paper filter. It filters out much of the oil that would otherwise be present. I prefer my coffee this way but others may not. Think of it as the best drip coffee maker in the world.

-Unlike an espresso machine or a French press, you can grind the coffee in a basic blade grinder because a consistent grind isn't necessary. In a French press,...Read more

546 of 575 people found the following review helpful

Coffee the way you like it, September 24, 2006

P. A. Cook (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: AeroPress Coffee Maker (Kitchen)

I did many hours of research into coffee makers before deciding on an Aeropress. I learned that several factors influence the coffee you end up with: the temperature of the water, the way the water mixes with the coffee, and how the coffee is extracted from the grounds. I found it difficult to find knowledgeable reviews of the various coffee machines, so I decided to take control of my coffee preparation. The aeropress allows you to control how hot the water is and how long you let it mix with the coffee.

The whole coffee making process is explained in the products instructions.

1. Insert a filter and some coffee into the unit. A coffee scoop and some filters are included with the aeropress, they recommend 1 scoop of coffee per cup.

2. Heat the right amount of water. Markers are printed on the side of the Aeropress to show the recommended amount of water for between 1 and 4 (the maximum) espresso shots. The manufacturers recommend water between 75 and...Read more

389 of 416 people found the following review helpful

Hands down the world's greatest cup of coffee, no kidding, January 24, 2007

PearCider (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: AeroPress Coffee Maker (Kitchen)

***Update 3/15/11*** It's been over 4 years, and I still use this coffee maker every single day. I'm STILL on my first packet of filters, and still in love. I rinse the filters out and reuse once or twice per filter. And no, I haven't flipped it over. Yet.

As a certified coffee snob, I thought it didn't get better than french press. Fugetaboudit! The Aeropress renders a sweet, flavorful, impeccable Americano every time that will change your expectations forever. I have a drip coffee machine, a french press and a Krups espresso maker, and they are all officially retired thanks to the Aeropress.

I can't say enough about the results, but note that the Aerobie is more time-consuming to use than either french press or drip coffee makers, more comparable to espresso makers. Well worth it, mind you, but NOT as quick and painless as the manufacturer would have you believe. This product makes espresso by forcing air through the grounds using a syringe-type plunger. You...Read more

Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Product Description

Comparison of Brewing Methods

Product Features

Customer Reviews