The only bad thing about the Aeropress is that it invites coffee snobery.
Still, it was the best $30 I’ve ever spent.

Can it make 12 cups at a time to warm and age to perfection as I work? Available on the spur of the moment?
I thought not…drip is here to stay.
(John (#1) has succumbed to temptation — I fight on)

FYI – The coffee from the Aeropress may be great, but your link to the item on Amazon is bad.

I remember your touting the AeroPress last year but just last week I went into my local roasters — http://www.carpediemcoffee.com — and the resident “coffee goddesses” offered me “the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had”. The price was right — FREE — so I agreed. The AeroPress appeared from behind the counter, with their own Thunderbolt Blend. One minute later — WOW!!! They plan to sell the AeroPress; I’ve already put in my order.

Amen.
RJS is correct, I don’t use it when I want to make coffee for 12, for this a large french press or drip is more appropriate.
I recently made a series of espresso based drinks for about six people: americano, cappuccino, straight espresso etc. It was very easy with the aeropress.

I got this as a gift around Thanksgiving this past fall. My drip coffee maker is in storage. Smooth, not acidic, it makes awesome coffee.
It’s best for individual use — not for large groups.

Sounds intriguing… I’m a coffee fiend. But I could drink an entire pot by myself. Having to make a cup over and over again may not be worth the investment.

You got this one right on! My friend is on a personal campaign to end the consumption of drip coffee all together by convincing everyone to own an AeroPress. He carries his in his backpack and is always ready for engaging conversation over a quality Americano. He sent one to my hotel as a care package when I was on some extended travel and away from my home espresso machine. One needs some patience to go through the process and clean-up but it is so worth it.

Thanks for fixing the link.
Also, curious about the grind of beans, amount, temp of water and such that folks find works best. After months, I’m still experimenting with my French press to get just the right cup of coffee. Would love to hit the ground running when I buy the AeroPress.

Chad,
I don’t know my temperature; I heat water for 2 minutes and 30 secs in the microwave. I use espresso grind Caribou Coffee and I’ve got the Mocha Java right now; it’s perfect for the machine.

Amen!!!

How many times can you run water through the ground coffee before you need to change?

RJS,
That’s like asking how many people have to chew the gum before it loses its taste!

I knew it – another product of our prodigal throw it out society…only use the grounds once!

? – I’ve had beliefnet tell me I’ve been classed as spam, that my comments have to be held for moderation; and that I typed the wrong text; but this message is a new one…
Comment Submission Error
Your comment submission failed for the following reasons:
Too many comments have been submitted from you in a short period of time. Please try again in a short while.
Return to the original entry.

And I see my comment appeared afterall (#14)

As with all things coffee, the greatest question is:
Is it available in the UK?

What a kwinky dink: this Aeropress is the talk of the town on one of the hiking/camping blogs I frequent. Here are the URL’s listed there:
http://www.aerobie.com/Products/videos/Aeropress.wmv
http://buckheadcoffeestore.com/shop/…spx?itemid=163
RJS: compost the coffee grounds and filter. Or add the grounds directly to the soil around acid-loving plants.

My good friend got one of these and it make an incredible cup of java. I just wish it didn’t use so many beans…

Sorry, the second link doesn’t work.

Two words – THE TODDY
I don’t know of these other methods. But the TODDY cold brew system has been my friend for years. Check it out on Amazon
By the way these ads are only getting worse… Christian Singles? Is there anything redeeming in that photo or is this not just a cheap sale on Christ? Sad, Christian commercialism, we should expect more

My love affair with my AeroPress (both of them – one at home, one at the office):
http://goodhotblackcoffee.blogspot.com/search/label/AeroPress

Does the French Press hold its flavour?

Scot I have to agree with you. I have one and it makes a great cup of coffee. If you’re into espresso, check out the nespresso system.

Scot,
I bought one last year after you had mentioned it. I love it. Makes a perfect cup of espresso.

I need to say thank you, Scot. I read your blog for a while and kept reading about the Aeropress so when my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I asked for an Aeropress. It is truly an amazing tool that makes a great cup of coffee. I used to make a daily Starbucks run to get my caffeine fix for the day, but now I only go for meetings; the rest of the time it is all Aeropress for me. Thank you!

Has anyone else heard that drinking coffee that wasn’t run through a paper filter can raise cholesterol significantly? Maybe it’s just propaganda from the machine that promotes other coffee makers! This has caused me to think twice when I use my french press.

David:
It’s true. I mention it in the posts linked from my love affair with my AeroPress comment (#22), in my post (from that link) about using paper filters:
http://goodhotblackcoffee.blogspot.com/2008/04/coffee-why-you-should-use-paper-filters.html
Alan Adler, the AeroPress inventor, has gone into detail about it at CoffeeGeek.com and I link to his posts about it. The chemicals are the diterpenes Cafestol and Kahweol.

Chad #9 Re: water temperature.
The instructions that come with the Aeropress says to do it at 175 degrees. That’s slightly cooler in temperature than drip makers and that’s one of the keys to a smooth, non-acidic cup that’s the trademark Aeropress.
My personal experience bears this to be true — the hotter the water in the Aeorpress, the more acidic and more “normal” the coffee. For a great cup — follow their easy instructions and you’ll never go back to any other kind of coffee.
As for grind — drip or espresso will do. My experience is that a fine grind is good.

Is there a connection between Aeropress coffee and fountain pen writing? Both are left brain? or right brain? or no-brainer?
I take the hot water straight out of our water filter machine at work. It must be above 90C. HOT!! Fill the coffee cup once with hot water to heat it. Then fill the appropriate amount of water into the the press. Great coffee.

I might have to add it to the collection alongside the drip maker and French Press. You can never have too many coffee-making devices!

I must agree! My AeroPress is amazing I use it every day!

Okay, an office mate happens to have an Aeropress and so I gave it a whirl. Bottom line: Splendid! Great coffee and the clean up is much less than with my french press. I’m sold.

How do you know to hit 175 degrees? do you have to have a thermometer each time you heat your water?

Get a cheap instant-read digital thermometer at Wal-Mart (TEMPRITE made mine – but I don’t know how accurate it is). I pour the heated water ($30 GE Wal-Mart 1.7 Qt electric tea kettle w/cool-touch base) in the inner “squeegee” tube and take the reading; when it drops to 170-175, I then pour it into the tube with the ground coffee (resting on top of my cup), stir with the paddle for however long I wish, and then use the now-empty squeegee tube to air-press the water through the coffee, and add to the resulting cup however much hot water I need to make it the strength I desire. Works for me and assures the temperature I want, rather than just relying on past experience and guesswork. You’ll be surprised at the difference 170-175 degrees versus 180+ degrees makes in how coffee tastes. I have two drip makers at home; one makes good coffee, the other makes a more bitter cup, and I ascribe the difference to the different temperatures they likely heat the coffee to, since all other factors are the same.

Guess RJS and I are the only real cheapskates here. I just throw the coffee grounds in a teapot, add boiling water, and pour it through a strainer. I can get a pot and a half from one scoop of grounds.

Regarding the temperature:
I used a thermometer when I’d take the water out of my microwave until I found “just the right amount of time” to reach 175 degrees. Now I don’t need the thermometer every time, unless I use a different mug or whatever.
I heat my water in the mug, then transfer to the top plastic “vial” — that way the mug is warm and the coffee stays hot longer.