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How AeroPress Fans Are Hacking Their Way to a Better Cup of Coffee
- csours 11y agoI would like to "hack" together a stainless steel AeroPress, at least the outer tube, I think the press is fine. I don't know whether I've been pressing too hard or what, but I've noticed that my cylinder is expanding.
- philip1209 11y agoEven a Pyrex one would be interesting.
- subpixel 11y agoI'd prefer that to any sort of plastic, based on my own non-scientific but resilient worries about leeching chemicals.
- joshrotenberg 11y agoSame. I've had my eye on the AeroPress for a long time and I'm very intrigued, but I can't get past the "hot water in plastic" thing. I'm sure there are at least ten other worse things I do every day, but ...
- subpixel 11y agoThis might be the ticket: the reverse french press http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/10162 http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/10162 (I also like that it sounds like some sort of judo move.)
- csours 11y agoI've tried something like this before, and the coffee tasted weird, but I may have done something wrong. It may have just been a matter of waiting longer.
- e12e 11y agoHeh, that's the traditional way of making coffee. Eg Turkish, or how it's used to be made here in Norway: * Put kettle on, bring water to boil (now, the rough frontiers-type pours in coffee right away, enjoying the bitter, ruined taste that comes from too high temperature) * take off heat (the hipster adds a thermometer, the scientist adds a thermometer, and takes the time, notes down the time, and uses a stop watch for next brew session) * add coffee (if not already added), let the mix sit for an appropriate amount of time * Either a) pour coffee into a cup, pour back in kettle - let settle -- pour into cup (traditional bonefire way[1]) or b) pour over a strain (hipster way) [1] http://gfx.nrk.no//AGRFaC3nrw7fFDP219oVYQ-one6GgfK_yq075cFJqKcQ http://gfx.nrk.no//AGRFaC3nrw7fFDP219oVYQ-one6GgfK_yq075cFJq...
- ctdonath 11y agoThat's so gloriously obvious I'm amazed I'd never come across the suggestion.
- jkyle 11y agoI would guess your grind is too fine. It shouldn't take an enormous amount of pressure.
- Afton 11y agoIf you leave it full of grounds for any length of time, it starts to corrode the interior of the tube (it starts to look 'scratched'). This can lead to seepage.
- joezydeco 11y agoYou also shouldn't store the plunger in the cylinder. I've had mine 4 years, use it daily, hand-wash it, and never seen any stresses on the plastic.
- wampus 11y agoThat's a good point. If you wash it immediately after use, you can push the plunger all of the way into the cylinder (with the filter cap off) until it pops out the other end. It will spin freely and not put any pressure on the cylinder during storage. Then you can just rest it on top of the filter cap in a small dish and drop the accessories in the top. Of course, you can argue this adds unnecessary stress by doubling the number of plunges, but I haven't had any issues with it.
- x3n0ph3n3 11y agoMine has been stress-cracking from heat expansion and contraction. Definitely thinking of giving it up in favor of my glass french press.
- helyka 11y agoYou don't seem to be the only one: http://www.reddit.com/r/AeroPress/comments/2r06e1/stress_fractures_is_this_normal_anyone_else_get/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AeroPress/comments/2r06e1/stress_fra... I do think that contacting the company though might help.
- duncans 11y agoHad mine for 3 years now. It's looking cracked/scratched, but still works just fine. Not bad for £25; I'll buy a new one in a heartbeat if/when it breaks.
- elwell 11y agoIf it's cracking your probably using water that's too hot. I've used mine almost daily for years with no issues at all.
- wampus 11y agoSame here. I never use water over 180 degrees Farenheit and never put it in the dishwasher.
- kylecesmat 11y agoFor most coffees you're going to want to be a little higher, around 198-203 degrees for proper extraction. Very good choice to never place it in the dishwasher, it takes just a few seconds to clean and it lasts a lot longer
- dfan 11y agoThe standard recommendation for the Aeropress, including from Adler himself, is to use 175F water, much less hot than you'd use in other preparation methods.
- mesozoic 11y agoSo it's a french press made of plastic?
- stbtrax 11y agofrench presses don't use air pressure
- Afton 11y agoSort of. The finer grind, increased pressure, and shortness of steep time make it different. It's more like a cross between an espresso machine and a french press. I bought it thinking it would be a novelty item. I was mistaken.
- nightski 11y agoWithout the sludge.
- csours 11y agoWith the stainless steel filter screen, you can even have some sludge!
- dceddia 11y agoAnd it cleans itself. That part is awesome.
- ctdonath 11y agoWell... Take a French press. Replace the fine metal mesh with paper (so no grit gets thru). Use a much finer grind (French press requires coarse grind). Finer grind means much shorter steep time (30 seconds instead of 4 minutes). Put the filter on the bottom of the container, replace the filter plunger with a rubber plunger (so instead of pushing all the grounds to the bottom then pouring coffee out, it's more like a pressure-assisted syringe-shaped drip). Idea is paper gets all the grounds out (no grit in cup), fine grind minimizes brew time, short brew time makes sweeter results, syringe style is accidentally self-cleaning.
- ams6110 11y agoHad no idea the inventor was 76 years old. Good to see someone not buying into the notion that anyone over 30 is a has-been.
- joezydeco 11y agoAdler is a prolific inventor, his other most famous invention is the Aerobie flying disc (circa 1980 or so).
- hvs 11y agoA lot of us buy into that notion actually. Most people over 30, in fact.
- glibgil 11y agoThe world is run by people over 30 and us over 30s know it. That we don't challenge the conventional wisdom that wonder kids are disrupting everything is just a demonstration of our secure confidence.
- derefr 11y agoI tend to read that wisdom as referring to things like mathematical theory being mostly advanced by people under 30. People's brains seem to hold onto some extra bit of IQ between 20 and 30, that can be used to do some "wondrous" things. Of course, most big things that need doing don't need a supergenius; they need 10-20 years of steady hard work, so by the time you accomplish those you are indeed 30+ (or, god forbid, 40+.)
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- Gaussian 11y agoI have found my AeroPress coffee to be lacking body. I returned to pour-overs and French presses. Having read this, I feel I must again tinker with the Aeropress. Likely case of "Doing it wrong."
- helyka 11y agoEven if the AeroPress was to lack body, the coffee produced is still better than a drip.
- elwell 11y agopour-over usually doesn't mean drip (though it describes it)
- cag_ii 11y agoI wasn't a big fan until I read about the inverted method [0]. You might give that a try if you haven't already. [0] http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress/ http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/aeropress/
- whyaduck 11y agoI take my coffee seriously and I'm willing to spend some time (and money) making it. Even for me, that looks a bit more involved than I'd like.
- tholmes 11y agoThe inverted method essentially involves waiting for 45-90 seconds and then pressing. It's not going to leak or anything when you flip it unless you go absolutely wild. It's no harder than making a non-inverted aeropress or a pourover. Or if you accidentally put the plunger in the wrong side and don't notice before you fill it up. I did that once :)
- saidajigumi 11y ago
- wampus 11y agoI use my AeroPress twice a day, every day and love it. But the article is mistaken in calling it espresso. It's not even close, although someone has rigged one to produce espresso[1]. And don't let the article fool you, there are really only three important factors: water temperature, grind size, and steep time. Varying these can get different characteristics from a particular roast, and it's fun to experiment! What I found most surprising was how differently the same roast can taste from an AeroPress vs. an expensive espresso maker. If I don't like it from one, there's still a good chance it will be delicious from the other. Very strange! [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIfZ84qtBOc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIfZ84qtBOc
- serve_yay 11y agoI agree, it's absolutely not espresso. They recommend watering down the output of the AeroPress but it's nowhere near strong enough for that, as espresso is.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- sprice 11y agoAbsolutely agree on the three important factors. But I'd say the fourth is bean quality. Makes all the difference.
- wampus 11y agoThat's why I qualified it with "a particular roast." But I probably should have added another factor: amount of grounds. I've found the manufacturer's recommendation of two scoops to be ridiculously strong, but maybe that's because I typically use a strong roast and don't water it down.
- pa5tabear 11y agoYou don't think pressure matters when plunging? I've speculated that a faster plunge might extract more solutes from the coffee grinds due to greater liquid penetration into the coffee grounds from higher pressure.
- elliott34 11y agoI always wind up making a mess everywhere with mine
- wampus 11y agoYou might benefit from the inverted method and using a normal teaspoon to add the grounds and stir, instead of using the included accessories (I never use the funnel, and the stirring paddle is just...weird).
- raisedbyninjas 11y agoUnless I want to break out the kettle to heat the water, I heat the water in my cup and then pour into the press. My coffee cups pour like shit, leaking steaming hot water about. Plus if my ceramic coffee cup isn't pre-heated this way, the resulting coffee is luke-warm.
- chappi42 11y agoHow complicated it has become to drink coffee ;-)
- ctdonath 11y agoThe results are worth it. The only better brewer I've found (and I've got over a dozen) is a vacuum/siphon brewer ... but that takes an intensive half-hour of work to get one, albeit excellent, cup.
- BrainInAJar 11y agoSignificantly less so. The Vacuum pot predates the french press, percolator and auto drip. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_coffee_maker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_coffee_maker They're also a huge pain in the ass to use.
- sliverstorm 11y agoCowboy coffee is pretty simple.
- mcguire 11y agoAnd dangerous, if you have a glass one. I do, from the '60s; it's cracked and I've never tried it.
- conchy 11y agoWas impressed with mine, but after the first few days the mess, fuss, and hassle started to get a bit old. Next, this guy needs to invent the 21st century version, which is connected to your water supply, filters and heats the water, stores and grinds a few weeks worth of coffee, and you just press a button and out pops your coffee, with no mess.
- glibgil 11y agoNespresso.
- conchy 11y agoPerhaps that's the right track, but now someone needs to invent one where you can just dump a kilo of regular coffee beans into the back, rather than supporting some huge multinational's billion$/year printer/cartridge revenue model.
- glibgil 11y agoWhere will the spent grounds go...? Now you have something that is not a simple problem and will not have a simple solution. In fact, it is a $15K solution https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rancilio-egro-one-pure-coffee-touch https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/rancilio-egro-one-pure-cof... Say what you will about Nestle, but they seem to be the only people trying to make a decent cup of coffee easy to serve. Update: thanks for the downvote. I will stop attempting to show you how the expectations you have for a cheap, carefree coffee machine are unreasonable unless you make some compromises or invent it yourself. It is an unsolved problem, but I get the message. I am not welcome to burst your bubble with the real cost of things.
- matwood 11y agoI agree with you. Nespresso is about as about as close as it gets to quick, easy, decent coffee.
- icebraining 11y ago
- simplexion 11y agoI know someone that loves International Roast instant coffee. Can someone define "better" coffee to me?
- glibgil 11y agoFreshly ground, careful amount of roasting, proper picking time and storage of beans. Those differences are very easy to taste. If someone appreciates the difference in taste then it is better to them. Why is this a difficult concept to you? Are you trying to talk others out of their preferences and suggest that instant coffee should satisfy them? Are you trying to be a sort of anti-snob? Sounds a little snobby in a different direction. Update: Thanks for the downvote. I get the message. I should never answer a stupid question. Apologies.
- Domenic_S 11y agoYou're being downvoted because your response started informative and then turned snotty. Would have been great with just the first 3 sentences.
- glibgil 11y agoI didn't want it to be great. I wanted to tell the guy the answer he already knows: different coffee tastes different. Can't my comment be just not-great?
- oldmanjay 11y agoYour comment can be damn near anything you want it to be. Do you expect that you should never get downvotes because you don't want them? I don't even understand why people pay attention to votes, but to have such an emotional reaction to the comment score truly boggles me. Note: I don't expect this to be a great comment either. Downvote away! I honestly don't care.
- simplexion 11y agoI never talk others out of their subjective preferences. I don't try to talk my friend out of drinking cheap instant coffee because I dislike the taste of it. That is my whole point; taste is subjective.
- pfooti 11y agoI have a very fine stainless steel mesh strainer for my aeropress (replacing the little paper discs). Using it, I'm able to let the coffee steep for 45+ seconds, gaining the benefit of the inverted method without needing to mess around with inversion. That said, I still prefer well-executed pourover (once I got the hang of my pourover method) to aeropress coffee but I think that's more of a personal preference thing. Nowadays I travel with the aeropress (and a nice travel grinder that fits inside) and do pourover at home.
- kaishiro 11y agoCan I ask what grinder you're using that fits inside the aeropress? The ones I've seen are always these terribly boxy little devices.
- benatkin 11y agoIs this article only available in a visual format? No audio version?
- crazy1van 11y agoFor the last few months I've been doing Aeropress or a pour-over in a chemex on the weekends. I'm still getting my technique down for both and I can't claim that either tastes remarkably better than my Keurig (I totally admit I dont have a great palette for coffee), but it seriously is a lot more fun than just pushing a button. I really looking forward to my weekend morning coffee now. Recently I've started doing cold brew coffee -- starting it Friday night and then diluting it with hot water in the morning. For me it tastes noticeably better and less bitter.
- enobrev 11y agoI've recently become a huge fan of the simplicity of a french-press cold-brew - something I came up with on my own, while being completely unsurprised that plenty of others have as well. Just a course grind into a French Press full of water. Leave it on the counter over night, and press in the morning. At first I was letting it steep in the fridge, but found that it steeps stronger and faster at room temperature. Sometimes I'll throw it in the fridge in the morning and let it steep longer while chilling if I know I'll want iced coffee later in the day. Cold brew definitely seems to maintain far more flavor. And I agree that it tends to be less bitter, though I've found lowering my water temperature (regardless of method) has removed most of the bitterness in my [near-]boiling brews.
- lightyrs 11y agoI was using the AeroPress Inverted Method for about two years with varying degrees of success, however, I finally soured on the clunkiness, mess-making potential, lack of easy containment/storage, and lack of body to the coffee it produced so I sold out and got a Nespresso VertuoLine. It's such a refreshing experience to just push a button and have espresso (actual espresso) or coffee. The only downside was the lack of bean choice, however, a clever YouTuber put me on to a method of reusing the pods with your own grind. So when I get tired of the Nespresso flavors, I brew my own (although this is pretty rare since the Nespresso varieties are pretty damn rich and tasty). I still keep the AeroPress around though — who knows why — affectation maybe.
- equalarrow 11y agoAgreed on the clunkiness & mess making. I did AeroPress for about a month and I am a 100% must have 1 cup of coffee as soon as I wake up type person. Something about the AP just seemed too much for not enough return. I ended up going back to my manual drip cone; I feel like you can't get any more stripped down than that. My go to for all this stuff is Sweet Maria's: https://www.sweetmarias.com/brewinstr/brewing.inst.drip.php https://www.sweetmarias.com/brewinstr/brewing.inst.drip.php
- e12e 11y agoHm. I'll have to acquire and open one of those capsules. I was under the impression that the toxic mess was some kind of freezedried, nasty paste (I certainly haven't tasted a nespresso that tastes like "real" espresso (nor anywhere near what I can get from my aeropress). But if one considers to re-fill the capsules (which would imply you'd need to vacuum seal them in order to keep the fresh-grind taste, or make them just before/soon before having a coffee...) -- sounds like more work than just getting a proper espresso machine. On the off-chance that you're not trolling... which Nespresso flavours have you found to be "rich and tasty" (by which I take it you mean comparable to freshly-ground beans from a specialist, along the line that a barrista would use)?
- mplewis 11y agoThey're all really good.
- marquis 11y agoIf the inventor will please make a portable, electric burr grinder I would be extremely happy. This is the missing piece, for travelers and those who cannot otherwise own a proper burr grinder. Edit: came across this which looks promising http://handground.com/ http://handground.com/
- prostoalex 11y agoBlue Bottle recommends Portlex https://bluebottlecoffee.com/travel-kit https://bluebottlecoffee.com/travel-kit Portable and electric are also mutually exclusive for car travelers, campers, etc.
- marquis 11y agoI've been using the Hario hand grinder and I find it extremely difficult to maintain a grip. Is the Portlex easier to hold? I'm female thus possible not as strong as others who may be using this.
- mkj 11y agoIs that the Skerton? I find that annoying at times even with relatively large hands. Wondered if the Hario MINI MILL SLIM would be better.
- sanityinc 11y agoI had the Skerton. The Porlex Mini is better in every way.
- jorde 11y agoI have owned both Hario's generic handgrinders and I swear by Porlex. It's higher quality construction and easier to hold and use. It also snaps right into Aeropress for travel so they are a perfect combination. If you get one, get the mini as there's really no reason to buy the large one. http://www.amazon.com/Porlex-Mini-Stainless-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0044ZA066 http://www.amazon.com/Porlex-Mini-Stainless-Coffee-Grinder/d...
- mrmondo 11y agoI've tried a great many ways of brewing coffee including several Aeropress setups - I can honestly say that Aeropress is no better than your standard French press - it's not even close to espresso or even a handpresso or similar device.
- moultano 11y agoHowever, it is much easier to clean than a French press, doesn't require a particular grind size, and you can use either a paper or metal filter if you are worried about cafestol or like oilier coffee.
- beloch 11y agoA french press can be cleaned simply by rinsing it out, with the occasional more thorough cleaning. Also, you can vary the grind size considerably. It's only superfine grinds that will clog the filter. I have an aeropress, but I rarely use it. Maybe I'm just a clutz, but I always have to wipe the counter down after using an aeropress (especially with the inverted method), while a french press is pretty much mess-free. The aeropress is very fidly. That's great if you're in the mood to experiment but not so great if you just want a decent cup of coffee. I do like the results of the aeropress for making iced coffee, but generally prefer the flavor of french press coffee. Paper filters remove a lot of coffee's flavor-rich oils. The one deal-breaker that some people have with french presses is the sludge they let through, especially when used with a low quality grinder that doesn't produce grounds of uniform size. If you can't stand sludge and have a crappy grinder you pretty much have to use something with a paper filter.
- moultano 11y agoThe aeropress is self cleaning. You just plunge it into the trash.
- beloch 11y agoYeah, and then you rinse off the grounds that stuck to the edges. Then you go back and rinse out the funnel for putting the grounds into the aeropress. Then you rinse off the stir-stick. Then you clean up all the grounds that didn't make it into the funnel. Then you get the drips that escaped if your inverted technique wasn't flawless.
- gegtik 11y agoHonestly I would prefer a Clever Coffee Dripper any day of the week. zero mess, probably even more dummy proof than the AP, higher capacity, imho better coffee.
- guelo 11y agoAeropress is made out of polypropylene plastic which has been found to leech quats and oleamide. I have become more and more alarmed at how often coffee is prepared or delivered via plastics that are prone to leach, specially at the higher temperatures of coffee. From plastic drip coffee machines to the lids on coffee cups sold at cafes. Even glass french presses normally have a plastic in the lid. This is one reason why I currently prefer the pour over method.
- signal11 11y agoHave you tried the Moka Pot? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot It's very popular in Italy.