Aeropress Coffee Maker

[Tim F]

I just picked up an Aeropress for making my morning coffee, has anyone else tried them?

It worked pretty well out of the box with the paper filter, I'd say it is an improvement on the french press like that. But I hacked it straight away using this method with 5 micron polyester filter material sourced from here pretty cheap. Just had to file down the corners of the bayonet lugs on the Aeropress to get a snug fit, it still fits with the paper filters too. I'll put up a pic when my camera battery isn't flat.

I brewed using the inverted method from that first link, pushed a little coffee through the filter to get the oils, then flipped and pressed into a cup with frothed up warm milk using one of those little whizzers. Now I'm not a massive coffee connoisseur but that is a seriously good cup of coffee and to my palate it is close to what I'd get from a good cafe, from about $50 worth of equipment (not counting the grinder).

 

[kdaust]

Got one months back along with a hario skerton for work.

Great coffee.

Best to use fresh beans always, and I love light roasts. Try a light roasted (only just to first crack) Ethiopian. Heaven.

Roast more brew more

 

[felten]

I use one for my coffee but the rubber bung is starting to scalp the smell from the stale grinds (brewing inverted for most of it's life). There's a cheap source online for replacement bungs somewhere though IIRC.

 

[neonmeate]

how is it for making an imitation espresso?

 

[kirem]

I might need to look into one of these.

 

[Greg.L]

You can get a decent expresso machine for $250, why would you bother with this method? Does it give better coffee? An expresso gives the best coffee, but I guess they take up a bit of room in the kitchen.

 

[kdaust]

Its crap at making an imitation espresso. But why would you want to? Despite the pressing motion, no real pressure is developed. Certainly nowhere near the 9 bar they make espresso with.

Espresso is not the be all and end all of coffee. Especially if you are making it on a $250 machine. Better to spend $100 on a cheap conical burr grinder. I find the aeropress better at making long blacks. Sort of a cross between a plunger and a chemex. As such, I like it with lighter roasts.

Look up the pressi I'd you want portable imitation espresso.

 

[neonmeate]

just saw on the side of the box that they say it can do imitation espresso, that's all... i'm happy with my plunger or filter for the lighter fruitier single origins etc but there are times (ie first thing in the morning) when i need a bit more oomph in my coffee. and i've thrown away my $250 breville cause i never got a good shot out of it in 2 years...