Best Coffee Maker I Have Tried Is the Aerobie AeroPress

Ouchmychin · Post by **Ouchmychin** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:22 pm

About two weeks ago I got fed up with our automatic drip coffee maker that made great coffee some days and blah others with no rhime or reason. I started looking at forums like coffeegeek.com and epinions.com as well as Amazon.com and found that almost all the makers had satisfied and dissatisfied users for a variety of reasons. The general consensus was that to make a good cup of coffee, the water must be hot enough and contact the grounds for long enough. The one maker that seemed to make coffee that all users felt was outstanding was the Aerobie Aeropress. I got one and I concurr. This thing makes a concentrate for 1 to 4 cups but is best for 2 cups. The grounds must be very fine but not espresso fine. A filtr is fitted to the bottom of a clear acrilic cylender; the grounda are dumped in; the cylender is set on a cup; and a hollow plunger with a heavy rubber stopper is used to measure the water. A little water is used to wet the grounds then dump in the rest and stir with their paddle for 10 seconds. Push the coffee out through the filter using the plunger. Dilute with more hot water. The coffee is Americano style and almost as good as a true expresso machine can make. For a cost of $24.95 for the whole thing. Oh I almost forgot,Just unscrew the bottom cap over the garbage disposer and plunge out the fiilter and grounds. A quick rinse under the tap and all is clean and ready to go again.

Ouch

bbqncigars · Post by **bbqncigars** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 8:53 pm

As a senior coffeegeek member, I can say that I've been very happy with my Aeropress. Alan put some serious engineering into it. You forgot to mention that you can use the hollow plunger to microwave the brewing water in. The filters are amazingly cheap, although there was a thread on coffeegeek on some permanent metal prototype filters. The one tiny quibble I have with the Aeropress is that it only makes one mug's worth of coffee at a time. Ah well, that's what my Melitta style pour-over and Thermos are for (my standard non-flying travel kit).

Wayne

Ouchmychin · Post by **Ouchmychin** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:10 pm

Hello Wayne,
Glad to hear from someone else that has used the AeroPress. There were a lot of other things about the design of the maker that I didn't have room to tell. I hope some others will look at one at one of the sites I listed for details. What is remarkable is that the flavor is so intense that I can readily tell the differences between coffee brands and regeons as well as roasting style. and the results are reproducible. I make a 2 measure batch and get 2 mugs of coffee after dilution. I wish I had a pitcher that fit the press so I could pour more easily without spilling any. Also, my wife tried to use it and doesn't have the strength or weight to push the plunger with a two cup batch.

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:38 am

The Aerobie Website wrote:The concentrate can be drunk as espresso....

I disagree. Only espresso is espresso. What comes out of that press is strong coffee, not espresso. I'm sure it's a fine device that makes a nice, strong cup of coffee, but the marketing language is totally inaccurate.

Ouchmychin · Post by **Ouchmychin** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:58 pm

Ben,
I agree it's not espresso. At the sites I listed many users also agree. Only the least discerning would make that claim. It is good coffee though and since I don't want the bother and expense of a good expresso machine it made the best cup of coffee of any coffee maker that I have tasted so far. Have you tried some?

MOSES · Post by **MOSES** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:01 pm

Ben wrote:I disagree. Only espresso is espresso. What comes out of that press is strong coffee, not espresso. I'm sure it's a fine device that makes a nice, strong cup of coffee, but the marketing language is totally inaccurate.

What makes espresso espresso instead of concentrated coffee? Is it the use of steam, rather than hot water, to brew it? If so, do those little stovetop gadgets produce espresso? Regardless, I find I usually like what they produce.

-Mo

blackgrass · Post by **blackgrass** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:02 pm

I have been told to never put coffee ground down the disposal in the sink.
Anyone else?

MrSmooth · Post by **MrSmooth** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:13 pm

MOSES wrote:What makes espresso espresso instead of concentrated coffee? Is it the use of steam, rather than hot water, to brew it? If so, do those little stovetop gadgets produce espresso? Regardless, I find I usually like what they produce.

-Mo

Espresso is a substance that is brewed under 9bars pressure at just under boiling - not steamed at all. The result is a coffee that has extracted all the best of the oils etc from the beans, with a fine polyphasic collodial foam on the top containing these oils which is known as 'crema'. Without the pressure, you cannot ever get a drink exactly like espresso.

The stovetop gadgets, or "moka pots" do not make espresso either, although the coffee is made under some pressure, which is caused by steam pushing the boiling water through the coffee. Still far less than 9bars, it is somewhere between espresso and regular coffee and is also pretty tasty. But, it is not espresso either.

MOSES · Post by **MOSES** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:20 pm

Ah. Thanks. Sounds like you know....

-Mo

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:01 pm

The problem with your Aerobie Aeropress is that it only makes a few cups of coffee and if you want more its a major procedure. I like to have a pot of coffee going to get me through the morning, and so I use a ten cup drip.

"the water must be hot enough and contact the grounds for long enough"

I think that the best way to do this is with a Bunn. They run about $100, but are worth every single penny. They work the same way a boiler does. Water is kept warm until needed and the cold water going in as a replacement warms up before the next use.

Clive

yoyology · Post by **yoyology** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:21 pm

Huh. So the maker of the world's longest flying ring also produces a coffeemaker? How about that.

They also make an AeroSpin yo-yo that's supposed to be a decent player, but I've not tried one.

Ouchmychin · Post by **Ouchmychin** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:06 pm

I considered a Bunn when I was selecting my new brewer, but I read some reviews that it presented a fire hazard having a heating element on all the time on your counter. They were worried what happens if you get a leak or it runs dry for some reason when you are not around. It is on the short list of brewers that get the water hot enough. I used to brew 10 cups and give my wife 1/2 cup and drink the rest. Now I'm happy with one or two cups a day from the AeroPress.

Ouch

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:41 pm

I wasn't knocking the AeroPress, just the choice of language for marketing. I believe the device can make a nice cup.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:19 pm

I think my wife may enjoy this one - she likes lattes etc. more than she likes coffee, and really dislikes bitter coffee. I see myself wrapping one of these in festive paper, for some day in the near future.

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:23 am

They were worried what happens if you get a leak
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Ha! Ha! I bet they don't use a DE to shave every day. If they did they would worry more about not slicing their faces up and which soap/cream to use than they do about leaks.

Its all in the priorities.

Enjoy your coffee this morning.

Clive

Bunn
Bunn filter
Starbucks Italian blend
Wegman's coffee cup

PonyPlayer · Post by **PonyPlayer** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:32 am

Hi all,

We have a Bunn here at work and I am not really impressed with it. Granted, the coffee is brewed a lot quicker since the water is heated so quickly but in terms of taste....well, there is no big difference in my opinion.

I am definitely considering an Aerobie Aeropress but the small brewing portions is a definite drawback.

Have a great day.

Patrick

Ouchmychin · Post by **Ouchmychin** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:11 pm

Just a warning: I made an insipid batch today by grinding on "medium" instead of fine. I was making 3 cups instead of my usual 2 and I figured the grind had to be coarser to prevent a lockup of the plunger.
Was I wrong! It came through like weak tea. Stick with a very fine grind and make less coffee at a time. It is possible to make a batch in about a minute if you have one of those hot water dispensers on your kitchen sink. If not, add a couple of minutes to put the water in the microwave. So multiple batches are possible---but it is no good for a crowd.

Ouch

tonyespo · Post by **tonyespo** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:25 pm

We bought the Keurig Special Edition B60 Brewer. I love this coffee maker. I like flavored coffees and my wife likes plain coffee. With the Keurig we can each have our morning coffee without having to make two separate pots. I have been able to get two cups of coffee from a single K-Cup with no problem.

jmw19psu · Post by **jmw19psu** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:06 pm

I've been using an aeropress since my last birthday, in early September.
I futzed around with grinds and times, and pretty much use the finest grind I can get. I only have a Bodum blade grinder, though, so I doubt it's that fine.

I find the biggest factor in getting a good cup is the water temperature. I much prefer to use water that's just starting to bubble, which ends up around 180 F. The instructions recommend 160-170 F, but I guess I'm used to the extra oils the hotter water brings out.

I use 3 scoops of coffee, and fill to just under the 4 cup mark. Stir for 15 seconds, and press, add 2 spoons of sugar, dilute to 10 ounces, and that's my daily "cuppa". I do notice the smoothness, though cheap coffee still tastes like cheap coffee. A nice Sumatran or Huehuetenango works well.

I really like the speed and ease of cleanup, and the option of portability is very nice. It made for a very nice present.

Jon

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 7:45 am

I got an Aeropress a few days ago and have been making the best tasting coffee since. Even my wife likes it. She only drinks decaf and it really brings out the coffee flavor in the decaf.

I like it because it's easy to make and clean up. I think I'm going to take it to work so everyone else can try it.