AeroPress Coffee Maker Review
Compare prices at 2 resellers Pros: Amazing flavor, versatile, very portable, simple cleanup
Cons: A lot of little pieces to keep track of, on the heavy side for backpacking
Manufacturer: Aeropress, Inc.
Our Verdict
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 This Product
AeroPress Coffee Maker | |||||
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| Price | $29.95 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $9 List | $9.67 at Amazon | $64.90 at Amazon | $39.95 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Pros | Amazing flavor, versatile, very portable, simple cleanup | Gourmet flavor, well-conceived design, ceramic version available for home use | No filter needed, tiny and light, consistently good taste | Super tasty espresso with impressive crema, compact, fairly straightforward to use | Excellent clean flavor, double-filtered to eliminate sediment, press completely stops extraction, vessel can be used as a leakproof travel mug |
| Cons | A lot of little pieces to keep track of, on the heavy side for backpacking | Special shaped filters are harder to find, expensive for a plastic dripper, heavier than other brands | Must lift filter out of most cups to avoid steeping, poor for large group | Spendy, lots of little parts, somewhat difficult to clean, time-consuming to produce more than one shot of espresso | Lots of pieces to keep track of, heavy, on the pricier side |
| Bottom Line | While this unique brewer has a bit of a learning curve, the final flavor is the best in our test suite | Great taste, easy to use, and lightweight - we love this plastic iteration of the classic glass and ceramic versions | Durable, light, and compact, this is a fantastic option for backpacking trips or any kind of light travel | Expert-level espresso maker that requires minimal expertise, but comes with tons of tiny parts | The superfine double filter and extraction-stopping plunger of this press make for a very excellent brew |
| Rating Categories | AeroPress Coffee Maker | Hario V60 Plastic Dripper | Primula Coffee Brew Buddy | Wacaco Nanopresso | Espro Travel Press |
| Taste (40%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (25%) | |||||
| Group Cooking (15%) | |||||
| Portability (10%) | |||||
| Weight (10%) | |||||
| Specs | AeroPress Coffee... | Hario V60 Plastic... | Primula Coffee... | Wacaco Nanopresso | Espro Travel Press |
| Weight | Press alone: 7.98 oz Press + spoon + stirrer: 9.39 oz |
Dripper alone: 2.95 oz Dripper + scoop: 3.37 oz |
1.1 oz | Press alone: 11.02 oz Press + cup + brush + scoop + bag: 12.35 oz |
12.3 oz |
| Brew Type | Pour Over/Press Hybrid | Pour Over | Pour Over | Espresso pump/press | French Press/ Pour Over |
| Main Material | BPA-free polypropylene | Hard plastic | Nylon filter | BPA-free plastic | Stainless steel |
| Filter needed? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Notable Features | Easy to clean, re-usable filter | Cone shape, large hole, ribs along side | Rests on any mug | High powered espresso maker, compact, comes with stuff sack for storage | Can be used as french press, pour over, or for tea |
| Notes | Eliminates bitterness while keeping a good flavor | Makes strong, smooth coffee | Filter hangs in coffee for most cups | Makes fantastic espresso with perfect crema, easy to use once you learn how each piece works together. Fairly portable, somewhat heavy. | Brews a really clean cup, keeps liquids nice and hot |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The AeroPress is a versatile brewer that can offer the full-bodied flavor and richness of a French press or the clean clarity and brightness of a pour-over. It's durable and easy to clean, making it a fantastic option for car-camping, glamping, van-living, road trips, and traveling; though you may love it enough to use it as your homebrewer too.
Performance Comparison
Brew Features
This unique coffee maker facilitates total immersion of your coffee grounds, followed by consistent but rapid filtering. Depending on your mood, you can alter your brewing style to achieve a stronger, more full-bodied flavor or a cleaner and brighter one (more info and resources on this below). Say goodbye to bitterness and muddiness and hello to a consistently delicious cup. Whether you're new to craft coffee or an experienced veteran, the AeroPress is a great brewing method, regardless of your kitchen locale.
Taste
Properly brewed coffee from the AeroPress has no bitterness and an extremely clean, rich taste. In our taste tests, when used correctly, this device easily outperformed all the others.
The AeroPress has captured the heart of novices and professionals alike, to the point that there are now national competitions. The brewing process is delicate but forgiving and provides enough versatility to tweak the final flavor and consistency. There are a plethora of online resources and tips on how to properly use your AeroPress and hone your technique to achieve your desired flavor profile.
Ease of Use
This brewer involves a more elaborate process than many other coffee makers, though once you learn how to use it, it is fairly straightforward.
There are many ways to use this device, and detailed information comes with your purchase or can be found on the Aeropress website. It can be used in both an upright or an inverted manner and is able to produce everything from a clean full cup to a smaller, stronger brew resembling espresso. Lots of options abound, and they're all delicious.
The only reason the AeroPress does not score higher for ease of use is that it does require some finesse to develop the proper technique. However, you will love how easy it is to clean this little buddy: simply remove the bottom filter and push the coffee puck out of the bottom of the chamber. Best-case scenario you won't have any grounds on the plunger, and worst-case, you'll need to wipe off the plunger with a dry rag. Either way, it's super easy.
Group Cooking
This isn't really an ideal brewer for large groups, though you can serve 1-3 people fairly efficiently.
Since the AeroPress is ridiculously easy to clean, the turn around time between cups is pretty dang fast. If you prefer to use the technique to make an espresso-like brew, then brew time is less than a minute, and your crew can split the coffee from one pressing and add water or milk for an Americano or latte-style beverage.
Portability
This brewer isn't large, heavy, or awkwardly shaped, so it's definitely portable. It doesn't earn top marks in this category, though, simply because it does come with several small parts, and it is on the heavier side.
To make transporting your AeroPress a little easier, you may find that you don't need the funnel, scoop, or large stirrer that it comes with. You may, additionally, decide to ditch the paper filters for a reusable stainless steel filter, in which case you won't need to keep track of a stack of paper filters either.
Weight
The AeroPress without the added accouterments weighs 7.98 ounces, which isn't exactly featherweight. If you include only a few of the more vital accessories, like the spoon and stirrer, then it weighs 9.39 ounces. If you leave behind the unnecessary stirrer and the spoon, the AeroPress still is not the ideal choice for a gram-counting backpacker but could make the cut as a luxury backpacking item. Better yet, it is an ideal option for a car-camper or van-lifer craving a gourmet cup of coffee.
Value
The Aeropress is a little bit of an investment, but nothing outrageous. There are certainly cheaper options, but this unique device is versatile, highly durable, and produces one of the most flavorful cups available. It does require a filter, but your initial purchase comes with a package of 350, enough to keep you going for a hot minute before having to re-purchase. Once you burn through all of your filters, you can buy a reusable cotton or a reusable stainless steel filter if you'd like to ditch the paper. Be fair-warned, many folks prefer the flavor produced with paper filters, over other options. Beyond just the press, your purchase of the Aeropress will also include a funnel for easy filling, a stirrer, and a scoop. When you consider all of that, the price is actually kind of a bargain.
Conclusion
This press is so wonderful that several of our reviewers use it for making coffee every day at home. It also works superbly for car-camping, glamping, or traveling, but is not our go-to for backpacking, as it is on the heavier/bulkier side. While the AeroPress is pricier than many other options in our review, we love how versatile, durable, and easy to clean it is, and the taste just can't be beaten. This is our reigning Top Pick for Gourmet Taste several years running and with good reason.
— Mary Witlacil and Penney Garrett