My coworkers often tell me they never knew a cup could taste so smooth and yet be that caffeinated, then I get to watch their eyes glaze over when I try to explain the chemistry.
So what's the benefit of an aero press over a French press? I've used the French press for years and I always see people loving aero press. I'm curious what the differences are.
Main difference is the fact that the aeropress uses a paper filter which filters out sediment and oils giving the coffee a "cleaner" taste. From my research before I bought it, I remember it also being slightly healthier because, again, you filter out those oils.
Not quite. I said that was the main difference, but if we go into details, the physics of the thing, it's a bit more complicated. The guy who invented the aeropress, afaik, tried to make a handmade espresso replacement. He didn't succeed, but the way the aeropress works is a hybrid of immersion, percolation and pressure brewer, whereas the french press is all about immersion and that it's. It has the plunger, but that's for filtering, nothing else.
If anything, I think the aeropress is closer to a moka pot than anything. But it's its own thing, honestly.
This changes alot though, because of the filter, the aeropress can take finer grounds than the french press. Also when you press, you press all the water through the grounds.
For all of us Aeropress junkies, here's a deep rabbit hole: https://aeroprecipe.com/. I hope y'all have as much fun as I did playing around with the recipes and results options.
I know it is, but production is almost completely hands off for something like this and plastic is cheap as dirt. US production runs wouldn't be very expensive either. It's a painfully simple product. You get like 5 pieces of plastic in a small box. You can find things that look more complicated at the dollar store.
It's made of polypropylene, partially recycled, extremely durable, and again fully recyclable if it does reach end of life at some point. It's also certified BPA free - as opposed to the very first version (that was transparent and used a different plastic). BPA doesn't leech into water unless exposed over a very long time anyway, and the average brew time is about 3-5 minutes; but it's good they made the change anyway. If I remember correctly, BPA became an issue mostly due to being in baby toys that are chewed on, or bottles for beverages with a very long shelf life (e.g. water, that practically lasts forever) where it can leech out over time.
To me it's the ideal travel brewer, since I can pre-grind my coffee and keep it in a tin box, where I can also put a stack of filter papers in to keep them from getting wet. Glass just wouldn't work on the road, the risk of damage is simply too high. And you'll anyway need to have a plastic plunger, or at the very least a plastic coated one, since you need to have a 100% tight seal.
At home I don't use it often since I have a decent espresso machine, but I can see the merit as a daily driver in a small kitchen.
Edit: Oh btw, if the body was made of glass, I can totally see how it would shatter someday while applying force. You have to push with quite a bit of power the water through.
No I use a stainless moka pot. I don’t like to have hot things in plastic even if it’s bpa free. I don’t trust the companies to actually guarantee the entire supply chain
Questions: what are the perks to using this vs a pour over system (which is what I currently use when I'm out of cold brew)? Is this easy to use if you have limited hand dexterity and strength?
The effect on extraction by the slight pressurization (and ability to change the pressure by how hard you press) and speed of use would be two advantages over pour over.
It doesn't require hand dexterity or, really, hand strength. Arguably a proper, well-made pour-over with a goose neck kettle takes more hand dexterity than an Aeropress. Basically you put the hot water in, wait, and then press the plunger. Body weight or mild strength is all it takes. I usually just put my hands on top and then lean with my body; that functionally makes it require no hand strength at all.
They're very affordable, so perhaps worth trying. Unless you are concerned about microplastics. The entire thing is plastic.
Edit: they have a newer, more expensive version made of Tritan crystal. I know nothing about the composition of Tritan crystal and whether there is anything that can leech or whatever from it, but I would assume it gets rid of the microplastic concern. Though I'm not sure what the "rubber" stopper is made from.
Triton is a trade named plastic. All the microplastic concerns would still be there, but because it's based frre, food safe, and can be made clear, it allows "funner" colored food safe plastics to be used.
Aeropress is more forgiving and produces more body. Pour over, being a percolation brew, will have higher extraction at the cost of being a bit more sensitive to technique.
I had used one for many years, it's great for small amounts of coffee. If you need to make coffee for your significant other as well, it's a pain. Recently moved back to a French press and I love it
That is indeed a drawback this has. On the other hand I don't think a larger aeropress would make much sense either. This size is just perfect, but definitely for one cup.
People need to stop doing inversions. At some point you are going to spill it and now we have good valve based options its not even necessary to stop the tiny amount of dripping that occurs. Even before we had the several valve solutions the amount that actually dripped through was tiny and had no impact on the flavour of the cup of coffee since you could put the plunger in and create a slight negative pressure that kept the liquid in.
James Hoffman taste tested this and couldn't tell the difference, he has a fantastic video on what is actually worth doing and what isn't with the Aeropress and inversion isn't.
I love the Aeropress. I don't know if I've ever been able to make a bad cup with it. It seems so forgiving, yet you can really dial in a recipe at the same time.
My baseline recipe is 20g of coffee ground on the Encore (18 for light, 16 for med, 10 for espresso) and 200 ml water just off boil. Mix inverted for 2 min, stirring 3 or 4 times. Add 150 ml hot water in cold weather or right from the tap in hot water.
The only other brewer I bother with now is the OXO pour over, which is a good hands off brewer that makes me a very satisfying and consistent cup without the involvement of the Aeropress. It makes what it makes though. I use the same 20g coffee ground at 16-18, unbleached filters, and all 350 ml of water at once. I typically get evenly brewed grounds, but if I'm feeling so inclined I'll check it's getting all the coffee evenly, but whether I touch it or not, I feel I get the same result, so it's more piece of mind than taste that is affected.
I typically steep it 1.5-2 minutes, the gf likes it from 2-5 min, James's testing I think was good up to 10 minutes without too much difference, and even in the Aeropress instructions I think it calls for like 30 seconds. I still feel all produce something drinkable.
I wonder how this would affect my Turkish coffee. I think a lot of it's texture and flavor is because a lot of the powder is kind of dissolved filtering it out might be a bad idea.
It's a great backup to have, that's for sure. I drink mostly cold brew, but sometimes I run out and there are a few days before I brew more. Aeropress is a fantastic way to brew a quick cup.
Scientists found a way to make cold brew in a few hours just recently. It even passed every blind taste test, too. I forget the machine name, but it's also commonly used to clean jewelry, as well as use in a lab, for like $60.
Edit: I went and found the old article, they used ultrasonic waves and it only took them 1-3 minutes depending on preference. Unfortunately after reading another article, it's a modification they made to existing espresso machines. Their initial machine was around £15,000, and was overkill. Not sure how someone would be able to replicate at home. 🥲
Ultrasound? I have one of those I use to clean all sorts of things. Never thought of using one for coffee, but I could see it really rendering the oils, even cold.
