A firsthand look at the AeroPress

The AeroPress is a portable coffee maker that uses an innovative immersion, aeration and pressure method to quickly make a cup of coffee. Compact in size and completely manual, the AeroPress produces an intense, pure-tasting coffee that its many devoted fans swear by. 

The BestReviews Testing Lab took a close look at the AeroPress Original, testing it on construction, portability, usability, end product and price. Without a doubt, we were won over by the coffee it produced and its easy maintenance, despite a slight learning curve.

What is the AeroPress?

Using the AeroPress for the first time means learning its innovative brewing process.

Product Specifications:

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 10 oz | Brewing Time: 10 to 30 seconds | Filter Type: Paper | Portability: High | Cleaning Ease: Easy

The AeroPress Original is a 10-ounce portable plastic manual coffee maker that uses a combination of filtration, aeration and pressure to produce coffee in as little as 10 seconds. It comes in three pieces: a silicone-tipped plastic plunger, a graduated plastic sleeve and a hard plastic perforated filter cap. It also comes with a 15-gram coffee scoop, a plastic stirring paddle and 100 discs of fitted filter paper. All its parts and accessories can fit into a compact bundle when fully assembled, making it highly portable. While dishwasher-safe, it needs very little cleaning and maintenance between uses. 

Pros

• Intense, concentrated coffee: The AeroPress Original produced strong, clean-tasting, espresso-like coffee in testing with very little sediment that could be mixed or extended with water or milk.
• Fast brewing time: The AeroPress Original took between 10 and 30 seconds to brew coffee when we tested it, faster than any French press, drip coffeemaker or pour-over method.
• Easy to clean: All the parts and tools included in the AeroPress rinsed clean in running water, and used grounds were compressed by the extraction method into a compact “puck” that pops out neatly along with the used filter directly into the garbage.
• Extremely portable: Less than 5 inches in length and 3.6 inches across, the AeroPress Original fit in the bottle pocket of a backpack, including filters and tools. Its plastic construction seems less prone to breakage or shattering than any glass coffee maker.
• Versatile: The AeroPress can make espresso-style coffee, American coffee, latte-style drinks and cold brew depending on the techniques and amounts of ingredients used, with many more recipes available from a large community of users.

Cons

• Limited capacity: With a 10-ounce maximum capacity (and you’ll need 15 grams at least of grounds), the AeroPress Original couldn’t fill a standard 16-ounce mug without being used twice.
• Learning curve: Its unusual brewing procedure needs to be learned from its printed or online instructions, and we found that even when the instructions were followed, practice was needed before we began to see the best results.
• Plastic construction: While less fragile than glass, the AeroPress’s plastic construction and silicone plunger showed some wear during testing and retained detergent flavors after being run through the dishwasher.
• Specific grind: AeroPress specifies using a medium-fine grind to prevent excessively fast filtration and create an intense, espresso-like flavor. When we used preground supermarket coffee, which uses a medium grind, we found the AeroPress made light-tasting American-style coffee.

Who is it for?

Coffee aficionados and enthusiasts will enjoy using the AeroPress, especially on the go. Coffee drinkers who appreciate the craft of coffee making and enjoy the nuances of different beans, roasts and recipes will appreciate the versatility and hands-on nature of the AeroPress. It’s also ideal for traveling coffee fans as a respite from mediocre hotel, conference or airline coffee. 

How we tested

The AeroPress is one of the most compact coffee makers we’ve tested.

Due to the unique design of the AeroPress, we could not use the exact same recipe of water-to-coffee that we used in testing French presses. However, we did make sure the water was the same temperature (200 degrees) as in other tests. We used our store-bought medium-ground coffee as is and also, as AeroPress recommended, ran them through a coffee grinder for a few seconds for a medium-fine grind.

We followed the AeroPress assembly and usage instructions as given by AeroPress, noting any errors we experienced in the process. We evaluated the quality of the coffee brewed according to flavor profile, perceived strength and variations from brewing times. We rinsed the AeroPress after use, disposed of grounds and filters after use and ran it through the dishwasher at least twice. Finally, we packed it with all accessories in a backpack to test portability and ease of transport.

Price and where to buy

The AeroPress Original retails for $39.95. It is available on Amazon.

How to use an AeroPress

Remember to place the AeroPress on top of your cup or mug before pouring your water!

1. First, remove the plunger and filter cap from the AeroPress tube.
2. Place a paper or optional metal mesh filter into the filter cap. Screw the filter cap securely to the main tube.
3. Using the provided scoop, measure out 15 grams of medium-fine ground coffee into the AeroPress tube. Shake to level.
4. Perch the AeroPress with coffee grounds and filter cap in place on the rim of a coffee cup or mug.
5. Pour 200-degree water into the AeroPress to a desired water level from 1 to 4. Stir gently with the included paddle.
6. Let stand for 10 to 30 seconds. The longer the standing time, the stronger the brew.
7. Reinsert the plunger into the Aeropress and slowly but firmly press down until all the coffee is extracted. You should hear the sound of the coffee and air being expelled through the filter.
8. With the plunger still in place, unscrew the filter cap. Over a garbage can or other receptacle, push out the used grounds and filter paper with the plunger. The grounds and filter should pop out in a neat disc.
9. Rinse all the parts of the AeroPress in running water and dry them.
10. Enjoy the concentrated coffee as is or add water (for American-style coffee) or milk (for latte-type drinks) as desired.

Should you get one?

The AeroPress Original impressed our testing team with its intense, espresso-like results.

The AeroPress is an excellent product for coffee aficionados who want clean, intense, espresso-like coffee and who enjoy the process and craft of coffee making. It’s particularly ideal for coffee fans who are tired of low-quality coffee while traveling, as it can fit in any piece of luggage and make excellent coffee anywhere there’s hot water and the appropriate grind. Its size makes it a little limited, but its delicious results help make up for its capacity.