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Incredible scans! > Removing used coffee immediately after brewing and storing the AeroPress with the seal pushed all the way through the chamber (as shown) ca

Incredible scans! > Removing used coffee immediately after brewing and storing the AeroPress with the seal pushed all the way through the chamber (as shown) can help minimize wear by reducing compression to extend the gasket’s life. But, that's not what's shown. Pushing the gasket all the way through isn't possible unless the filter head is removed.

amatecha 3y ago
Yeah I personally store mine with the filter head on, and the plunger/gasket inner cylinder separate. Also other protip (which may actually be in the instructions), I pour the hot water onto the gasket before pushing it into the AeroPress, so the material expands and will have a tighter seal.
angst_ridden 3y ago
Proper storage is just pulling the plunger out entirely. Every few years, soaking the rubber seal in mineral oil overnight then cleaning will restore flexibility (otherwise it shrinks over time, reducing the quality of the seal). Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee.
- bowmessage 3y ago
  Why is pulling the plunger out entirely necessary for proper storage? I always just push mine all the way through so the rubber isn't under any tension. Disagreed on the paper filters, I personally enjoy using a metal filter to ensure the oils from the coffee beans are not filtered out. I suppose it is all subjective.
  - angst_ridden 3y ago
    That works too. I call it "proper" because it removes one step before I have coffee, which, no matter how trivial, is a big deal for me in the morning. Interesting about the filter. I prefer super dark roast, Italian espresso-grind coffees. The paper filters give me a much smoother brew. Of course, as you say, taste is entirely subjective! I'm envious, because I'd rather have just one reusable filter rather than go through a stack of paper discs each year.
  - joezydeco 3y ago
    When the plunger is at the end of travel and out of tension, the cap won't fit on. I just tried screwing on my cap and it forces the plunger back into the shaft, compressing it.
    - pavon 3y ago
      Yeah, so you just set it down cap up, not screwed in. Takes up less space than keeping the plunger separate, and is just as good on the plunger.
- semi-extrinsic 3y ago
  I've never maintained or replaced the seal on mine in over ten years, and it still seals just fine. It's made from silicone rubber, which is extreme durability even when continuously exposed to temperatures above boiling or strong acids/bases. As used in the AeroPress where it's just sitting at room temperature indoors for 99% of the time, durability is at least 20 years. I also use a metal filter, but just for the taste and convenience of not having to buy paper filters. The eco-responsibility argument against filters I don't get. Unless you drink extreme amounts of coffee, you use significantly more paper in a day just going to the bathroom. I hope people aren't using metal foil for that as well. <insert seashell joke here>
  - pavon 3y ago
    My first one had to replaced after about 6 or 7 years. The plunger rubber had gotten worn down, and the internal wall of the brewing compartment had become blistered from hot water (I used 170-185F water). The new one with different materials seems to be holding up better.
- eastof 3y ago
  On the eco-responsibility bit, just curious do you actually have a source that logging uses more carbon than mining? I'm not sure but my gut would say the opposite since rocks are heavier but idk.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- arp242 3y ago
  > Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee. You can use the paper filters more than once too; typically I need about one or two a week (depending on which coffee and how lucky I am), meaning that one €4 350-pack filters will last for years (I just bought my first refill after 4 years, but I didn't re-use the filters for the first few months and I gave a bunch of them to a friend when he ran out). Re-use isn't necessarily more eco-friendly by the way, because cleaning takes energy too and cost of production can be much much higher. But realistically, the eco-impact and differences are so small it's not really something to worry about.
- SamBam 3y ago
  A year's supply of paper aeropress filters weighs about 1.4 oz. This is significantly less paper than a single Monday New York Times, so if you've ever read a paper newspaper, you've eco-sinned more than drinking a year of aeropress. Indeed, the paper is so little that I'd be really surprised if the ecological impact of mining and making that metal filter will ever be recouped. It's a little how cotton groceries bags are so resource-intensive that you'd need to use them hundreds and hundreds of times before they're better than daily plastic bags. (Litter aside, which isn't an issue with paper filters.)
  - dublinben 3y ago
    >It's a little how cotton groceries bags are so resource-intensive that you'd need to use them hundreds and hundreds of times before they're better than daily plastic bags. (Litter aside, which isn't an issue with paper filters.) It doesn't seem unreasonable to use a cotton grocery bag hundreds of times. That's only a few years of weekly shopping trips. Regardless, litter from improperly discarded plastic bags was the primary motivator of their regulation. It was not intended to be about resource use or carbon emissions or whatever people are focused on today.
- astrange 3y ago
  > Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee. It's also healthier, because metal filters make for oily coffee.
  - shitlord 3y ago
    I switched to paper filters after using a metal one for years. Maybe the metal filter degraded over time, but it produces a thin layer of "mud" at the bottom of the cup. It's unfortunate because it leaves a bad ending to an otherwise good cup of coffee.

amatecha 3y ago

Yeah I personally store mine with the filter head on, and the plunger/gasket inner cylinder separate. Also other protip (which may actually be in the instructions), I pour the hot water onto the gasket before pushing it into the AeroPress, so the material expands and will have a tighter seal.

angst_ridden 3y ago

Proper storage is just pulling the plunger out entirely. Every few years, soaking the rubber seal in mineral oil overnight then cleaning will restore flexibility (otherwise it shrinks over time, reducing the quality of the seal). Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee.

bowmessage 3y ago
Why is pulling the plunger out entirely necessary for proper storage? I always just push mine all the way through so the rubber isn't under any tension. Disagreed on the paper filters, I personally enjoy using a metal filter to ensure the oils from the coffee beans are not filtered out. I suppose it is all subjective.
- angst_ridden 3y ago
  That works too. I call it "proper" because it removes one step before I have coffee, which, no matter how trivial, is a big deal for me in the morning. Interesting about the filter. I prefer super dark roast, Italian espresso-grind coffees. The paper filters give me a much smoother brew. Of course, as you say, taste is entirely subjective! I'm envious, because I'd rather have just one reusable filter rather than go through a stack of paper discs each year.
- joezydeco 3y ago
  When the plunger is at the end of travel and out of tension, the cap won't fit on. I just tried screwing on my cap and it forces the plunger back into the shaft, compressing it.
  - pavon 3y ago
    Yeah, so you just set it down cap up, not screwed in. Takes up less space than keeping the plunger separate, and is just as good on the plunger.
semi-extrinsic 3y ago
I've never maintained or replaced the seal on mine in over ten years, and it still seals just fine. It's made from silicone rubber, which is extreme durability even when continuously exposed to temperatures above boiling or strong acids/bases. As used in the AeroPress where it's just sitting at room temperature indoors for 99% of the time, durability is at least 20 years. I also use a metal filter, but just for the taste and convenience of not having to buy paper filters. The eco-responsibility argument against filters I don't get. Unless you drink extreme amounts of coffee, you use significantly more paper in a day just going to the bathroom. I hope people aren't using metal foil for that as well. <insert seashell joke here>
- pavon 3y ago
  My first one had to replaced after about 6 or 7 years. The plunger rubber had gotten worn down, and the internal wall of the brewing compartment had become blistered from hot water (I used 170-185F water). The new one with different materials seems to be holding up better.
eastof 3y ago
On the eco-responsibility bit, just curious do you actually have a source that logging uses more carbon than mining? I'm not sure but my gut would say the opposite since rocks are heavier but idk.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
arp242 3y ago
> Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee. You can use the paper filters more than once too; typically I need about one or two a week (depending on which coffee and how lucky I am), meaning that one €4 350-pack filters will last for years (I just bought my first refill after 4 years, but I didn't re-use the filters for the first few months and I gave a bunch of them to a friend when he ran out). Re-use isn't necessarily more eco-friendly by the way, because cleaning takes energy too and cost of production can be much much higher. But realistically, the eco-impact and differences are so small it's not really something to worry about.
SamBam 3y ago
A year's supply of paper aeropress filters weighs about 1.4 oz. This is significantly less paper than a single Monday New York Times, so if you've ever read a paper newspaper, you've eco-sinned more than drinking a year of aeropress. Indeed, the paper is so little that I'd be really surprised if the ecological impact of mining and making that metal filter will ever be recouped. It's a little how cotton groceries bags are so resource-intensive that you'd need to use them hundreds and hundreds of times before they're better than daily plastic bags. (Litter aside, which isn't an issue with paper filters.)
- dublinben 3y ago
  >It's a little how cotton groceries bags are so resource-intensive that you'd need to use them hundreds and hundreds of times before they're better than daily plastic bags. (Litter aside, which isn't an issue with paper filters.) It doesn't seem unreasonable to use a cotton grocery bag hundreds of times. That's only a few years of weekly shopping trips. Regardless, litter from improperly discarded plastic bags was the primary motivator of their regulation. It was not intended to be about resource use or carbon emissions or whatever people are focused on today.
astrange 3y ago
> Unrelated: using paper filters is less eco-responsible than the gold foil filter, but makes for better coffee. It's also healthier, because metal filters make for oily coffee.
- shitlord 3y ago
  I switched to paper filters after using a metal one for years. Maybe the metal filter degraded over time, but it produces a thin layer of "mud" at the bottom of the cup. It's unfortunate because it leaves a bad ending to an otherwise good cup of coffee.