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: it's the best there is
Summary: 5 Stars
i've been picky about coffee forever. back in the '70s, i used to mail-order jamaica blue mountain beans from zabar's in new york when i was in medical school. now, i roast my green beans from sweetmarias with an air popcorn popper.
i've used every coffee making system i've ever heard of, including chemex, french press, vacuum extraction (both electric bodum style as well as the all-glass "mad scientist" method), cimbali manual "pull your own shot" espresso maker, gaggia electric, and probably others whose names escape me.
the coffee made with the aeropress is superb. as some folks have said, it doesn't have the exact taste of espresso (tho' it is "expressed") but since luigi bezzera invented espresso for speed, not taste, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
i find that using an wide top elecric kettle (a chef's choice 675) it's easy to watch the water and tell when it's at 175-180 (it's when bigger bubbles start forming). my raytek laser infrared thermometer (under fifty bucks at amazon) can confirm the temp. while the water's boiling, i grind the 27g of beans (i use a gaggia mdf) to a #5 grind and dump them in the aeropress.
after pouring in hot water to within a half-inch of the top, i stir it for 10 to 15 seconds and then insert the plunger. moderate pressure pushes all the water through the grounds in 30 seconds or so. i then dilute the result in my mug to get a total of about 12 oz of the best coffee i've ever had.
reusing the paper filter is easy. i just rinse it, put it on the folded towel i keep under my mug when pushing on the plunger (prevents slipping) and squoosh it with the flat stirrer. that gets it pretty dry, and i then put it in the base on top of the rest of the filters. one filter will last indefinitely. i just rinse the aeropress and return everything onto the base, where it all stacks neatly.
one hint - be sure to push the plunger *completely* through the outer cylinder, and keep the perforated filter cover in the funnel with the spoon and stirrer. that way the rubber plunger re-expands to its full size, which helps it stay airtight to allow the air to be pushed through, giving you some "crema."
if you value a great cup of coffee, you will not be disappointed with the aeropress.
Customer Review: Look No Further
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, there are plenty of other reviews to tell you how to use this thing.
Let me tell you what I started using it for - motorcycle travel. But now I use it everyday, even at home.
Its indestructable, fast, and a breeze to clean. If you can source (1) ground coffee and (2) boiling water, you're good to go. If you like to go camping, this is the holy grail of coffee makers.
Note that you don't use boiling water with this, but since you need to use water at slightly less than boiling - about 175, you have to have a way to get it that hot. When I'm on the road in Mexico, I use a JetBoil.
I don't like hotel coffee or their coffee makers, so I throw my Aerobie into my carryon bag. I buy Starbucks breakfast blend whole bean and grind it myself using a burr grinder (more on that somewhere else, I found the best in the world here on Amazon).
The best thing about the aerobie is not to get wound up about being precise. I don't measure the coffee or the temperature of the water, or how long I press down (they say about 20 seconds) - just play around with it and get it "in the ballpark", and you'll be fine.
As I type this, I am sipping a cup of coffee made with the aerobie. I get up, put the pot on the stove, and grind some whole bean. With a few scoops placed into the press, I wait until I hear the water in the pot stir to life, but before it makes the pot whistle. I pour a little out of the pot into the sink to observe how steaming hot the water is, and then I fill the tube on the aerobie. Honestly, I dont pay attention to the markings on the press, as I said, I do this all by the "pinch of this, pinch of that" style of kitchen management.
Once you press your coffee into your cup (and it better be a strong cup, since you will wail down on the plunger) you'll have a few ounces of really strong european style coffee - just add more water to fill your cup to your likeing/strength. Once again, I do this all at 90 miles an hour, so to speak, and I don't fret about getting the measurements the same every time.
Hands down, this method will be anything you can buy in the store, hotel, interstate truck stop, airport, or even your use-to-be favorite coffee percolator.
Customer Review: Pretty darn foolproof way to get a delicious cup of coffee
Summary: 5 Stars
Update:
I tried this press with some Cafe Mam Tango blend (ground on #4 of their rating system) this morning. Oh, My, God. This was one of the best cups of coffee I have ever had.
After a few weeks of use of this, I have found that I can use water that came to a boil & cooled a bit, I don't measure the temperature. I also found that I can just stir the coffee & water slurry around until it feel like its done, I don't count 20 seconds out. But, I do find that I need to stick with their recommendation of how much coffee to use and how much water to use. Any deviations there made a not-as-good, but still decent, cup of coffee.
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I probably read about 500 different reviews on this product before buying it because I could not believe that something as simple looking as this could really make a good cup of coffee. It does, it definitely does.
I have had only two cups of coffee with this so far an I am very impressed. It is as easy to use as the directions say. I am using a hazelnut flavored store-brand coffee that I ground at the store, extra fine but not espresso fine. For the first cup I made, I used the exact temperature for the water that was recommended, and a bit less coffee than it said because I thought it sounded like a lot of coffee. I also didn't stir the water around for very long because I couldn't quite believe it wasn't going to make a too-strong cup of coffee. My cup was weak, but still tasty.
Cup #2 this morning: two scoops of coffee, and I let the water in my hot pot come to almost a boil, I didn't bother to check the temperature. Filled the chamber to the "2" and gave it a good stir for about 20 seconds or so. Push into cup, dilute with the rest of the hot water for my "americano" style, add my usual cream and sugar, and YUM! This cup was perfect. No bitterness, just the right strength.
Clean up is as easy as they say, too. And heck, I'm even re-using my paper filter for a few times, just because they said I could.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to make a very satisfying cup of coffee. It requires just about the same effort needed to set up a typical drip coffee maker to make a pot of coffee, and makes a far better cup.
Customer Review: Wholly impressed with this product!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a fairly skeptical consumer - especially of products that haven't hit the mainstream. However, after reading countless positive reviews of the quality and worth of this product and its coffee/espresso, I decided, for only $25, to give the aeropress a try.
Low Acid: I was looking for a product that would make a low-acid, rich, and quality coffee. Highly acidic coffee (e.g. Starbucks!) really wreaks havoc on my "system," if you know what I mean, so the low-acid brew that the aeropress makes was a huge selling point for me. And I can say that after 4 days (about 6oz coffee each day), it hasn't upset my stomach at all.
Flavor: While I am still experimenting to find the right water temperature (kettle method sans a thermometer) and concentration of grounds/water for coffee, I can honestly say that the flavor is much smoother and richer than anything I've had. And I am positive that the flavor will be better once I find the right concentrations and perfect my pressing method (not too quickly) and grounds texture (too fine vs. too coarse).
Method: SIMPLE. I'm starting law school in 4 weeks, so I'm excited about the fact that I can brew the espresso the night before, store it in the fridge, and then just add hot water the next day for coffee! Also, the actual method is super easy and fast. If I didn't pain myself to freshly grind the beans every time, it would literally take a minute to make - including clean-up! My clean up consists of rinsing off the materials. It's awesome.
The bottom line - this thing is amazing. It is exactly what it ascribes to be, and produces to the quality it advertises. any other product out there that is capable of making espresso/coffee/latte/mocha etc. is way too expensive for the quality of the brew when something like the Aeropress can do the same thing better for a fraction of the price - and trouble - and counter-space!
The only complaint, maybe, is that I wish I had a more efficient way to store all the pieces...I suppose I will just eventually get some kitchen utensil organizer or something.
Buy this produce and you will not regret it.
Customer Review: Best coffee on the go
Summary: 5 Stars
The AreoPress is a syringe looking type of mini press pot that uses a paper filter. Imagine a 5 inch tall clear plastic cylinder measuring 2.25 inches round with a screw on paper filter holding basket in the bottom end and a rubber ended plunger that goes in the top. (It looks just like a giant syringe, but with a filter at the end). It also comes with a funnel to aid in pouring coffee grinds into the 2.25 inch cylinder, a perfect length stirring paddle, and a filter storage holder... those little devils (filters) otherwise would soon scatter all over the place with out one. The funnel doubles as it fits securely on the bottom of the rim at the basket side- so that you can also attach the AreoPress directly into a thermos or other small necked container. Time to grind, we use 1/2 cup of beans per batch. Pouring out the pre-heat water from our thermos, we then fill it with hot milk at about 185 degrees F. Turn on the grinder to a fine grind just larger than espresso; Place the funnel in the top and dump the coffee inside. Now move the funnel to the neck of the thermos, secure the AreoPress on top of said funnel and fill with about 7 ounces of 200 degree water while quickly stirring and dispersing the thick mix of a lot of coffee grinds in a little water. Ten seconds or so later you place the syringe like plunger in the top and give it a firm push. Here I will note that finer grinds provide more resistance but a deeper flavor extraction while coarse grinds provide little resistance and slightly lighter flavor and oil extraction. I prefer the finer grind and I just expect to exert about 30 pounds of force, with slightly courser grinds this is totally unecessary/ an easiest pressing. Expect a pocket of air to be trapped between the water line and the plunger (unless you fill the water all the way to the top of the cylinder.) This air pocket is in fact the most important part of the extraction process as it expells all of the water out of the grinds and gets those sugars and oils that we want. COFFEE espresso strength in milk! Thats what I'm talking about. Now- unscrew the basket near the trash and plunge the grinds right into the can. Easy greesy!