Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Aerobie 80R08 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
Customer Review: best single cup coffee maker ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used this for about 3 months now and I have to say it always makes a great cup of coffee. I have tried every other method of making coffee and this is the best I've found so far. Probably the next best is a coffee press.
You can read all the other reviews about how wonderful it is, yeah it's all that.
I would like to comment on two issues that people have complained about:
1) it uses too much coffee: yes, if you follow the directions exactly, it does but you don't have to use that much. Experiment/customize to suit your taste. I love Starbucks coffee which is considered very strong (even their mild, so I am told). I find I need much less than the prescribed amount of coffee to suit my taste. The key is grinding the beans very fine. (Get a burr grinder and grind the beans yourself to suit you! Yes, I get Starbucks beans). Also, use filtered water, a Brita filter will do. For real convenience, add a Hot Water dispenser to your sink and put an undersink filter in front of it. It sounds like a lot to get great coffee but after skipping Starbucks for a few months, it will pay for itself :-) I still go to Starbucks but it isn't as good as your own custom brew...
2) the other complaint I have read is how hard it is to push down the plunger. Yes it is very hard at first but it gets easier with use. Another tip is to be patient. It is ok if it take 30-40 seconds to push all the way down. If you push slowly, you don't have to push real hard (especially after it has be used a bit). You can also keep your arm still and lean your body into it if you really need to. If you have limited arm function, you may have problems but for I would expect most people can do it easily after it is broke-in and/or if they lean into it and push slowly.
Customer Review: Great for iced coffee and iced mochas.
Summary: 5 Stars
For reasons beyond the scope of this review, the Aeropress does not make espresso. However, it does make incredible coffee with ease.
The Aeropress' inability to make espresso is also the reason that it makes exceptionally good coffee: The oils and acids in coffee are trapped in the grounds that remain in the bottom of the Aeropress, instead of your cup. As a result, the Aeropress produces very low acid coffee that is smooth, clean and easy to drink black.
The Aeropress makes coffee that is roughly four times the strength of an automatic drip machine, so it is perfect for making iced coffee and iced mochas. Because of the increased concentration, I brew directly into a tall glass containing cocoa powder and Equal. Brew into glass, stir, fill with ice and milk, stir again, drink. The concentration of the Aeropress coffee offsets the dilution from the ice, and allows you to have a fresh-brewed iced mocha, instead of making one with stale, cold coffee. Beware, once you make fresh coffee mochas, you will never be able to go back.
For best results, buy good coffee beans and grind them immediately before brewing. If (with freshly ground, high quality coffee beans) your Aeropress coffee tastes flat, increase the temperature of the water to 190 F, and be sure to use good tasting water. If your Aeropress coffee tastes bitter, you are brewing it too long and the coffee is getting over-extracted. If the brewed coffee is too strong (Dad), simply dilute it per the included instructions.
The Aeropress makes great coffee, is fast and easy to use, is easy to clean and is made in the United States. On top of all that, it is a great value. I cannot recommend the Aeropress more highly - but it still doesn't make espresso.
Customer Review: The best solution for brewing a single cup
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned the AeroPress for over two years and, judging by the number of filters I have used so far, I have brewed about 600 cups of coffee with it. It has become an essential part of my daily routine. It is fast, easy, and the grounds just pop out into the trash or compost. But all this has already been covered in these reviews. Here are a few additional points worth considering:
-It can brew a few cups of coffee in just a few minutes and make each cup as weak or as strong as my guest wants.
-If you are expecting the coffee to taste like espresso or like French-pressed coffee, remember that the AeroPress uses a paper filter. It filters out much of the oil that would otherwise be present. I prefer my coffee this way but others may not. Think of it as the best drip coffee maker in the world.
-Unlike an espresso machine or a French press, you can grind the coffee in a basic blade grinder because a consistent grind isn't necessary. In a French press, your coffee will have too much silt and the bottom of your cup will be sludge.
-With a little practice, you'll soon be able to customize your coffee exactly how you like it. Adjust acidity with water temperature and steep time. Adjust strength with the grind and the coffee-to-water ratio.
-When I lost a piece of my AeroPress, Aerobie sent me a replacement for just a couple of dollars. They were easy to contact, helpful, and friendly. This is a great product made by an excellent little company.
This is the first time I've decided to review a product online. If you found this helpful, click the little box below. And if there is anything else you'd like to know, please click "comment" and ask me.
Customer Review: Amazing difference!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Aeropress after reading great reviews on several different websites. It is ridiculously easy to use, and making four cups of coffee takes no longer than making one. It's unbelievable that such good coffee can be so fast and easy to make - I love the included coffee scoop and markings right on the Aeropress tube that make it simple to get measurements right even before you have your morning caffeine.
I tested the Aeropress head-to-head against a regular drip coffeemaker today, making only one cup in each. First, I loaded the drip maker and turned it on. Before it was even done brewing a single cup, I had assembled the Aeropress, added the coffee, heated the water, pressed the concentrated coffee, and diluted it to Americano strength. Including boiling the water in the microwave, the whole Aeropress process took about three minutes. (Disclaimer: I live at very high altitude, so water boils more quickly and at a lower temp - I don't bother trying to hit the exact temp Aeropress recommends, which likely requires more attention.)
One sip of each was all it took. The Aeropress coffee was smooth and mild-tasting, even with a dark roast. The drip coffee was unbelievably bitter - no wonder I usually need to add tons of sugar and milk. Needless to say, the drip coffee went straight down the drain.
The price is right, too - it's tough to find even a poor-quality drip coffeemaker for much less. And it's portable, so you can use it in the office, while traveling, camping - anywhere you can get hot water. And for those who hate having to wait for drip coffee to brew just so they can have a single cup, I can tell you this is an impatient person's dream!
Customer Review: Go Green, Save Space, Drink Good Coffee
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Aerobie Aeropress about a year ago and have thoroughly enjoyed using it as our primary coffee-making device. I'm an accomplished cook, but in our space-thrifty and small carbon-footprint home, the convenience food-prep items take up precious real estate on the kitchen counters and inside cabinets. Lugging our drip coffee/espresso maker out of the cabinets was getting old...and it would sit all day waiting to be cleaned, hindering prep space later. Now, I just rinse the 3 small parts in running water and even reuse the paper filters 2-3 times before composting them.
Initially I didn't want to take the plunge b/c I didn't want the small appliance we already had to end up in a landfill, but the professional reviews and acclaim swayed me. I could suddenly taste the burnt, acidy, and bitter flavors of coffee that has stewed too long in boiling hot water from conventional machines. Coffee has always bothered my stomach--but now I can get all the healthy antioxidant benefits of coffee and not feel yucky afterwards. I can make a large cup of coffee or a petite cup of espresso (minus the crema...but it's not so bad) in 1.5 minutes. And even with a house-full of guests, they all enjoyed trying our fun little contraption that wastes neither space nor electricity. In fact, when the power went out, I heated water on our gas stove w/ a match in a glass kettle and had hot coffee to drink in minutes. It's the best way to "Go Green" when it comes to your morning cup of Joe. It was a relatively small investment and a huge payoff. I have now moved my manmouth dual drip coffee maker and espressor/milk frothing machine to the garage in prep for Freecycling.