Gear Review - Aeropress Coffee Maker

Cool review. And for anyone in Tucson interested in the Aeropress, I believe they sell them at Caffe Luce on Park and University. You can also buy some good locally roasted beans for your new Aeropress.

Was glad to find this thread. I've used the aerolatte for camping to great success. I grind with my little zass knee grinder for a fresher cup.
I did want to update that the aerolattes have been reconfigured with non-BPA containing plastic so that shouldn't keep you from using them. If you have an older model the manufacturer will replace the old parts as well.

Anyway, it's a gem of a machine.

I would recommend this for camping.

1. Boil a pot of water and let it cool a little, do not let the coffee sit in boiling water.
2. Dump in grinds and stir, you will see crema develop with fresh coffee, let sit for ~3minutes
3. strain through a sieve.

The only "extra" gear involved here is a sieve which can be used for other purposes. This will brew as good a cup as a french press or aeropress. I don't care for Moka pot coffee.

The principals for good coffee are simple. Hot water but not boiling, even extraction ( which is where a burr grinder comes in), fresh coffee, don't over steep the coffee.

The aeropress is awesome, my favorite brewing method after my HX espresso machine but I would never lug one with me camping.

The aeropress is BPA free, FYI: aerobie.com/Products/Detail…

Just ordered mine, can't wait to try it out!

Will someone please make me a cup of Aeropress coffee so I can try before I buy?
Mal

Malcolm- just throw down for one.

I've been using one for a couple of years and it drives my wife crazy that I'll sneak shots of Aeropress rather than use the fancy espresso maker she got me for Christmas...

It's a short learning curve and a mellow, delicious cuppa jo.

Cowboy coffee. Handful of rough ground tossed in a pot of steaming water. Pour a mug. Let yer' teeth do the filtering. 'Nuff said.

Woodchuck ATC wrote:Cowboy coffee. Handful of rough ground tossed in a pot of steaming water. Pour a mug. Let yer' teeth do the filtering. 'Nuff said.

Mmmm... sounds like the awful Czech "coughfee" I had at the train stations in Prague. Damn I miss it.

This may sound pathetic, but lately, for backpacking, I bring along Starbucks instant coffee- it's fairly new on the market, and tastes pretty much like a good cup of brewed coffee, and it's micro-ground so it blends well in cold water too.



It's a bit pricey, (9.95 for 12 single serving packs- about .85 per cup) but it's the best instant coffee I've ever had, and it doesn't weigh anything, really. It's the only thing I ever get from SBs, anymore. For routine camping (without backpacking) we use our french press.

Just as an update:

I've been reusing the filters [at home] with very good success. I get around 10-14 'shots' through the Aeropress on the same filter. I know it sounds absurd given the price of the filters and when i first read someone suggesting doing so in a review i thought "..what the?!?..". However, when i take off the filter basket, i peel off the filter, shoot the puck into my official spent grounds collection vessel (4lb peanut butter container) then rinse the filter while in the bottom of the basket, rinse the main body and place the whole thing on my Silvia (i know, i know insult to injury) to dry.

Also, the inside of the plunger is a handy storage area for a baggie of grounds and a few filters as well as the stir paddle.

Another technique I've adopted is this: Instead of topping off the shot (one press) with straight water to make a full cup, I do a half press first then a full press. I do the half-press by pushing the plunger down about a half inch or so, holding it there until the pressure is released, then tilting to the side to break the 'seal' and removing the plunger to repeat. [*[never ever ever pull-up/remove the plunger without first breaking the seal, if you go too far and can't tilt to break the seal, just finish the press!!]*] Doing this about twice will push about half the 'shot' out. I refill to the top, stir again then do a full press. This fills my mug perfectly and it's better than topping off because i get a more well - rounded cup and i do it all under 4 minutes.

I do something similar when I'm filling my Thermos. I go a little coarser on the grounds, increase the grounds by about 50% and use the 1/2" inch push - tilt - remove technique to do a full press, refill to the top, stir, press normally then dispose of the puck. I can also do this in <4min and the results are spectacular. My hot h2O dispenser on my water cooler is a little too hot so i drop a little cold in first to keep it from getting too bitter. Pre-heat the thermos with boiling h2O and warm the coffee up first and that thermos will stay hot for hours and hours.

Both of my Aeropresses see very heavy use and after two years, they are holding up great!

Dirty Gri Gri wrote: This may sound pathetic, but lately, for backpacking, I bring along Starbucks instant coffee...

Blasphemer!

Daryl Allan wrote:Just as an update: I've been reusing the filters [at home] with very good success. I get around 10-14 'shots' through the Aeropress on the same filter.

Go online and buy some polyester 5 micron filtering felt
mcmaster.com/#6376t11/=8bx2h0
Cut a disk to match the size of your paper filters. You can reuse it over and over and it lets more oil through, way better mouth feel. The first few times you try to screw down the filter holder it will be very difficult until the felt crushes around the edges with use.

I have found it better to use the inverted aeropress method for brewing with the cloth.

Again, don't lug this thing with you camping, see my post above.

Ryan Kelly wrote: Blasphemer!

I bet all y'all coffee do gooders would succomb to the Starbucks poison if you are held captive in the woods, and there were no witnesses around. You'd like it, I know you would, wouldn't you, you know you would.

But if I was in the woods drinking Starbucks and nobody was there to see it, did I drink it at all?

Nice Rick. I have had mixed results using the paper filters while inverting so I'll be giving these a shot. Would it be better to cut it a little wider to keep it in the basket till it's seated? How thick is the poly vs. the paper? Thanks for the link! :)

d

To use the paper filters with the inverted method, wet the surface of the filter holder then the paper filter will stick to it.

The felt fabric is much thicker than the paper, about 2mm thick. If you cut it larger than the paper filter diameter you probably wont get it on. Cut it the same size. The fuzz from the felt will hold it in place. Before you try to make coffee with it, put the felt into the filter holder, remove the plunger and screw on the filter holder. Maybe repeat a couple of times to compress the felt on the edges.

Also, I recommend grinding finer and using less coffee than the directions which come with the Aeropress, unless you like wasting coffee. I think they recommend that dosage because they are assuming people will be using store bought pre-ground coffee which is always ground for a coarse drip.