Customer Reviews for Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
by Aerobie

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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

Customer Review: Amazing Coffee
Summary: 5 Stars

I've tried just about every coffee maker and every way to make coffee out there. I was looking for something that was faster than my french press but didn't cost an arm and a leg for a high quality espresso maker. I saw the Aero Press mentioned on some coffee sites as an inexpensive solution and thought I'd give it a try.

All I can say is this thing makes very good coffee fast. From start to finish I can have a twelve ounce cup of great coffee in under 4 minutes and depending on how awake and organized I am in about 3 minutes.

Here's the process. Put twelve ounces of water in a measuring cup. Set it in microwave timed for just under two minutes, start heating. While the water is heating I pour beans into my grinder and grind. While the coffee is grinding I take out the press put in a filter and put the press on top of my cup. When grinding is done and water is still heating, I spoon (actually I pour) the ground coffee into the top of the aero press. When the water is done, I take it out of the microwave, check the temperature, pour a little water into press until grounds are wet, pour more water in until press is full, stir for ten seconds - with the fancy stirrer that comes with the press. Press the coffee through the filter and lastly I add any left over hot water to the cup. Coffee is ready and I can start to enjoy my day.

The grind is critical to a good cup with the Aero Press. I use a decent burr grinder and found that the best grind is a little finer than that used for drip - don't grind it to powder i.e. espresso, fine. If you grind it too fine it's very difficult to press and if it's too coarse then there's not enough extraction because it just pours through.

Sounds to me like improper grind was the source for some of the negative reviews I've seen.

Haven't played around too much with temperature - generally using about 175 degress as recommended.

I use the recommended amount of coffee - the scoop provided is two tablespoons.

I've been using fairly dark roasts because I was using the french press before but I think I'll be switching to a lighter roast. Something more like you'd use in an espresso machine.

The press will make an expresso that's not high end espresso maker quality but better than what comes out of my steam powered medium price maker.

Plus it's very nicely engineered. The plunger can be used to measure water and will hold the accessories. The press with the accessories stacks on top of the filter paper holder.

Cleans quickly and easily. Only flaw I've noticed and it's very minor is that if you have plunger pushed all the way down, the base that holds the filter won't screw on all the way.

I highly recommend this if you want a very good cup of coffee fast.

Customer Review: What a sweet gadget
Summary: 5 Stars

I have too many coffee makers, a couple of drip brewers, a couple of french presses, a vacuum brewer and a nice Gaggia Classic Espresso machine. During a vacation last winter I got this to travel with so I could have a decent cup anywhere. It worked for that. In fact it worked so well that this, the least expensive coffee brewer I have is the one I use almost all the time. The concentrated coffee it brews tastes a lot like an americano, though I only have to add an equal amount of water to the brew instead of the 4 to 1 ratio of coffee to hot water I use when I use the espresso machine. So the AeroPress doesn't quite make espresso.

There is a short learning curve involved in getting the best cuppa. The manufacturer recommends a water temperature of about 170 degrees but I use the same 200 degrees that I would for french press coffee or tea. There is a difference in taste. I like the darker drink that the hotter water offers. Too much espresso in my past, I guess.

In addition to consistent temperature the fineness of the grind makes a big difference. If the plunger is difficult to depress then the coffee is too fine. If the coffee is too weak then it is too course. A couple of cups was all it took to dial in the fineness of the grind. I do have a decent but not top of the line burr grinder. I err on the side of using a bit too little water in the AeroPress. It's always easy to add a touch more hot water to the cup if the coffee is too strong. There's not much to do if the cup is too weak other than to grin and bear it. The learning curve for this coffee maker is more than for a drip machine but less than for an espresso maker, a lot less.

The coffee I get is not the muddy stuff that comes from a french press, which uses a very different method of separating the coffee from the grounds. The press gives a very nuanced cup with a wider range of flavors than I get from any other coffee maker I've ever used. It really is a brilliant design. It's easy to clean, sturdy, travels well and makes a great cup of coffee. If you are only brewing one cup, or one for you and another then it's a joy to use. I wouldn't want to serve coffee to a brunch party with it. I've tried making a cappuccino and a latte with it and a stove top steamer. That wasn't a great success. You need to use a real espresso machine for that, though the AeroPress does serve well for cafe au lait, and brilliantly for my one morning cup. Do use a wide based cup for brewing. It is possible to tip your whole apparatus over with a narrow cup and a bit too little attention to pressing the plunger strait in.

Filters are easy to use and very reasonable $3.50-$4.00 for 350. If you want to bother you can even rinse and dry the filters for reuse.

Customer Review: Works good at firs, better when you get the hang of it
Summary: 5 Stars

I began using my AeroPress about a year ago when my employer dropped support for our coffee club. I am so glad they did. After a year of use and experimentation, I have some comments in reply to other's problems. Begin with following the recommendations that come with the press. I have varied everything and ended up back close to the beginning. Use proper water temperature. Too hot increases bitterness. To cold lacks flavor. Leaving the water in the chamber too long increases bitterness, not really the flavor. Only put in the amount of water recommended, too much water also increases chances of bitterness and a kind of sour tinge. (Over extraction?) I always use very fine grind, making a single cup, using ~180 deg. water, in the amount recommended, brew about 10 seconds (stirring with the supplied stirrer so it doesn't disturb the filter), and press very hard. Once I learned the right temperature, I use the same amount of water each day, microwaved for the same time to get the same temperature each time. (Consistency is a good thing to get a consistent, quality cup.) When I pour the water into the press, some dribbles out at first, (a common complaint I have seen) but so what; it just goes into the cup. I use one filter for a week, and then throw it out. It is easy to rinse off the tiny bit of coffee that sticks, pat dry a little and replace in the filter cap. Sometimes I forget and use two weeks. No difference.

When it comes out good (which it nearly always does, now that I know what to do and not do) I notice there is a foam on the bottom of the filter cap. While this may or may not be the same as the "crema" from an espresso machine, I notice its presence is usually a sign of a good cup. My thought is, this is from the oils in the coffee, and if it goes too long or is too hot, other products are extracted that cut the foaming like an anti-foaming agent. These other products are what make the coffee bitter. The oil is the flavor. The only drawback is, if you are after the caffeine, it is bitter, so you have to choose. Great flavor, no caffeine, or bitter with caffeine. Or, like some people, maybe you like the bitterness. With this little gem you can dial in your preference by varying temperature, amount of water, or length of brew. Your choice.

Oh yes, on care: just wash it out; I always wipe the rubber end of plunger to remove any residue so it doesn't add bitterness to later cups, and store plunger outside the chamber. Storing the plunger in the chamber keeps the rubber end compressed leading to not as good of a seal when plunging. Also you obviously want to use a sturdy mug with a flat base, not a dainty tapered teacup, and press straight down.

Customer Review: Excellent coffee maker!
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a great coffee maker - especially for someone like me who wants to make only 1 mug at a time. I've tried all different kinds of coffee makers, but they don't seem to be optimized for making a single ~8 oz mug of coffee. I always ended up brewing multiple cups of coffee and throwing the extra away to get the one good cup I wanted.

I got this aeropress about 1 year ago and it is great. I followed the initial instructions, but preferred my coffee a bit different. So, I experimented with grind, water temperature, amount of coffee/water, etc., until I found the right combination for *my* personal preference. I use this to make a cup of coffee, not espresso (that is, I add water to the result to get "regular" coffee), so I can't comment on the quality of espresso taste. I have noticed that coffee beans/grind from different sources have their own "sweet spots" for best grind and coffee/water quantity to get the taste I prefer. So, now that I know how I like to brew a couple different types, I try to stick with those so that I don't have to go through the experimenting stage needed if I try a completely new coffee bean/grind. That works for me. This coffee tastes great. :)

Oh, I should mention that I have also used french press coffee makers. I really like the taste of french press coffee, but got sick of the grinds and/or sediment that always ends up in the bottom of the coffee and made the bottom of the cup taste gross. True to it's advertising, the aeropress doesn't seem to leave grinds or sediment. I sip my cup kind of slowly and end up zapping it in the microwave to heat it up again several times. The coffee does not get bitter from sitting in my mug because there is not coffee grind sediment soaking at the bottom. That is a huge plus for me!

A few folks mentioned that the plunger can be hard to press. I have to agree. I've had 2 shoulder surgeries and it does take some extra effort to manage to push the plunger straight down. I can still do it, although I only have 2 scoops of coffee grind in at a time. I think it would be extremely difficult to press with too much coffee in it.

One year of daily use, including travel, and there are no problems, no parts wearing out from stress, no cracks in the plastic. It still looks like new.

I donated my drip coffee machine, french press and espresso machine to Goodwill. :)

PS - I noticed the aeropress is available via third party vendor and Amazon. I can't comment on the vendor, as I put it on my wishlist for Xmas last year and got it as a gift. I noticed there are separate reviews for each device/vendor, so will post my review under both.