The Aeropress Reviewed

A while back I posted rather excitedly about the Aerobie Aeropress, and my enthusiasm was based on other people's feedback on it. I have now owned one of these gadgets for a few weeks. And here are my observations so far:

Am I still as excited about this little plastic device? Even more so now after trying it! I have never before been able to make coffee this good... Seriously, I have been a coffee drinker for more than 17 years, and this is the first time I have tried something that is truly innovative and quite revolutionary. Now, I am sure there are $1000+ machines out there that might make coffee as good as this, but how does that compare to $25? Talk about value for your money. They don't even rip you off when you have to buy new filters!

It is fun and easy to use, cleans up very easily, and you have full control over how your coffee or espresso will turn out. I have tried both normal grind coffee, fine and espresso grind. To my taste, the espresso grind gives the richest and smoothest coffee. It might be a little harder to push the press down while making it, but it still works fine. The next variable is how long you mix the water and coffee grinds before squeezing it through the micro filter. The included instructions recommend 10 seconds. After trying various times, I have found 20-30 seconds to produce the best coffee, but individual preferences will vary of course. Just experiment a little, and soon you will be making the perfect cup for you every time...

I am not the only one who is blown away by the quality of coffee this simple press produces. I have had several people over, and they have been totally amazed by the rich, smooth and bitter-free coffee this thing makes. I have also tried making larger amounts, like filling a coffee thermos. Making a quadruple shot espresso (max capacity for the Aeropress) will almost fill a 1,5 ltr thermos, depending on how strong you like your coffee. It is a little trickier to mix the coffee grinds with the water when you fill it to the max though - it can get messy if you are not careful.

Any problems with it? Not really, but you do end up using more grinds than in a coffee maker if you only make one cup at a time... This is not really much of an issue though, because coffee makers don't do very well with small amounts of coffee, and I always ended up having to make at least half a pot when I only needed a cup, since that produces better coffee in a regular machine.

I highly recommend this to any coffee lover, whether you are living in the jungle or not!