There are a whole raft of ways to make coffee these days – bean to cup machine, cafetiere / french press, stovetop coffee maker, the list goes on. One of the relatively newer methods is the Aeropress by Aerobie. My initial thought when I heard the name was, “Hang on, isn’t an Aerobie an elaborate frisbee?” and actually it is indeed the same Aerobie company that makes both products. How manufacturing flying discs inspired a novel new way to make coffee, I’m not entirely sure, and that’s a matter for another day.
But the Aeropress has gained huge popularity since it’s launch in 2005 – to the extent that there are even Aeropress World Championships held – so there is clearly something in this little device worth checking out…
So what is an Aeropress?
Well, it is essentially a coffee filter formed of three parts:
- A plunger
- A chamber
- A filter
Your ground coffee goes into the chamber, and hot water is poured on top to brew the coffee. The plunger then pushes the coffee via air pressure, through the filter and straight into your waiting mug. Pretty simple really. If you want more details, we’ve put together a guide on how to make aeropress coffee here.
So is the Aeropress 801701 any good? Here’s the Review:
Aerobie Aeropress 801701 – approx £25
Produces great results in a very portable and compact design. Not a step up on a cafetiere in my opinion, but comparable coffee and definitely easier to clean, so will be a welcome addition to any coffee aficionado’s brewing arsenal. A worthy purchase.
What’s included:
In the box, you will find the 3 main components of the device itself – the plunger, brew chamber and filter cap. You will also find a bunch of paper filters, a measuring scoop, a stirring paddle, and a loading funnel. The loading funnel serves two purposes. The first is to help avoid spillages when adding the grounds to the brewing chamber. The second is to help funnel the brewed coffee into your mug, again, minimising any spillages. The product looks and feels very smart and high quality and all of the plastic components are BPA free, so you don’t get any plasticky taste in your coffee, which was one of my initial concerns. It is also very compact and I can see it being a staple in the rucksack of many campers or day-hikers.
The Aeropress in use:
It may not look it at first glance, but the Aeropress is actually very simple to use and is essentially the exact same process as using a cafetiere or french press. Coffee grounds go into the brew chamber, hot water is added and the slurry is stirred. Wait for a minute or so, before stirring again and finally plunging the coffee through the filter and straight into the mug.
One really nice thing about the Aeropress is that clean up is super simple. You can just remove the filter cap and pop the filter and the used grounds straight into the bin. Then rinse the plunger and chamber and you’re good to go again. If even that sounds like too much effort then you can just stick the components in the top rack of your dishwasher and they will happily go through a cycle and come out the other end spick and span.
In terms of the actual coffee produced (that’s why we’re here right?) the quality was very high and comparable to a cafetiere coffee. I compared the two side by side and although it’s hard to say that one was better or worse, I personally slightly preferred the Aeropress coffee as the paper filter did a perfect job of removing any of the grit that can sometimes make it through the filter of a cafetiere. You can separately purchase metal filters for the Aeropress if you prefer, but I was more than happy with the quality from the paper. The brewing time is relatively short when compared to a cafetiere and this resulted in a slightly less acidic and very pleasant coffee – but in truth, there is very little in it between the Aeropress and cafetiere for flavour from my point of view.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing as both produce great results and the Aeropress has some additional benefits over a french press, but if you are expecting a flavour revolution here, you may be disappointed.
Pro’s and cons:
Pros:
- High quality components and an excellent cup of coffee.
- Light and compact. Ideal for camping or hiking.
- Essentially mess-free and really easy to clean, either under the tap or in the top rack of a dishwasher.
- Very reasonably priced at around the £25 mark.
Cons:
- Essentially a single brew device. For multiple cups you will have to make multiple brews.
- While the coffee produced is good, it’s no better or worse than cafetiere coffee in my opinion.
- Having to ensure you always have a stock of paper filters may be a bit tiresome for some people.
Summary:
The Aeropress is a great device and provides some great benefits over a cafetiere, including a compact and portable design and a really easy clean up. The coffee produced is good but only on par with a cafetiere in my opinion. But this is definitely something that I am going to be keeping around and I can see it being used very regularly when I am just making coffee for myself.
4.5 Stars out of 5