AeroPress Clear

I use this every day - 3 years and going. I also use it when I travel, as I wont use a coffee maker in a hotel room and the urn coffee in the lobby is not always a pleasant way to start the day. Easy to use, easy to clean- compact, durable and makes a decent cup of coffee IF you spent time to understand your brew times, coffee dosages, and clean it well after use. It is not espresso, but it is a very nice, strong cup of coffee. James Hoffman has a whole video series and a few recipes to start with. Love it for what it is and not for what it is not and you too will love this brewer.

I worked at a coffee shop for over five years and was a finalist in a number of regional barista competitions from California to Missouri.So I have a thing for good coffee, which starts with the roast and the purity and temperature of the water. But when it comes to extraction, very few, if any, brewing devices put so much control into the hands of the brewer.With this brewer, I have made some of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. You can achieve the quality of brewed coffee as with a classic pour-over but in a much more convenient and durable system.It's faster than a crappy Mr. Coffee, easier and more forgiving than a pour over like the Hario V60 and more durable than anything else I've ever used, besides of course a Turkish coffee brewing pot.Sometimes you're just too busy to brew a coffee everyday (even it is does only take 2-3 minutes from start to finish). Or perhaps you hate being stuck with the crappy coffee found at your office. The versatility to brew a regular cup of coffee or an "espresso extract" is awesome. On a busy week, I will brew a heavy concentrated brew of coffee and store in a vacuumed, air-free, glass Porto bottle. When I want to make a coffee, I simply pour a measure of the coffee extract into a cup, cut with either iced or hot water and enjoy my quick, dead simple brew.When traveling, this thing really shows off. If you travel and hate using hotel coffee and coffee makers, take this on your next trip, use the in-room coffee maker to heat up bottled water and use the Aerobie's coffee cavity to hold your coffee safe for travel. You can then brew the best cup of coffee you'll ever have at a hotel. This goes for camping, business travel or backpacking.The whole system breaks down to really only two parts, the plunger and the reservoir with filters. You can leave the rest behind (scoop, funnel, stirrer) if you want. Learn where your coffee grinds should reach vertically in the brewer and free pour your coffee, stir the brewing grinds with the spoons or straws made available in most hotel rooms.Cleaning the system is easy, just rinse and air-dry or wipe dry. I reuse my paper filters 2-4 times and see little to no difference in taste or consistency. This a company that makes permanent metal disk filters for this brewer that many people love. I am reluctant to use them as a metal disc will not remove any extra oils left in darker roast coffee but some people like the flavor of the oils so to each their own.Bottom line, this is the perfect brewer for the everyday coffee drinker, the business traveler, college guy/gal stuck in a dorm room, tiny New York apartment goer or backpacker. Get it, use it and love it.

I don't understand why it works so well but as very long time coffee drinker (I started off during the percolator era) but by far this best coffee maker I have e er used. I have tried drip coffee makers, French press, many different brands of k-cup machines, but I have never er had a better cup of coffee. The brew time is short. It only takes about 3 minutes. What you get is good express strength coffee, but it is easy to elite it so that you get what you want. To make additional cups you can make more (up to four) espresso strength cups or you take another three minutes and brew up go for more expression cups. Capacity is on problem. The taste is better than anything you can imagine. As advertised there is No acid taste; no matter how strong it is. .y only complaint about the clear model is that measuring guide numbers on the outside come of quickly. You are better off with the smoked plastic versions. It is the same device but the numbers last !longer. A!so it is worth buying the pressure. That way there are no problems with the size of the grounds. Finally the metal filters are very easy to clen. As with rest of the parts a quick rinse is all that is needed.

This is without a doubt the best coffee maker I've ever used. Every coffee brewing method produces different results: I've used french presses, espresso machines of various qualities, a moka pot, pour over cones with paper and gold filters, pour over phins, a few drip machines, etc etc. I'd say the Aeropress produces results most similar to a moka - approaching the strength of an espresso shot, but in slightly larger volume, and unable to exert the same pressure as an espresso machine. Alternatively you can compare it to the results of a french press, however the included paper filters are much more thorough than typical french press filters, so you don't have the same murkiness to the coffee, and it'll be a bit stronger. If you're after the murkiness there are a number of aftermarket metal filters for the Aeropress, one of which may or may not give you the results you're looking for.If you're looking for a substitute espresso, you'll have passable results, and certainly better than a budget espresso maker. Adding a bit of steamed milk will get you a delicious, if not really authentic, latte or cappuccino. Where the Aeropress really shines though is making coffee Americano style - adding hot water to your shot. This will result in what most of us would consider "a cup of coffee". The initial shot is concentrated enough that it takes a fair amount of water before you end up with watery coffee.What makes the Aeropress my go-to coffee making method is the speed and ease. We tend to stay in bed as long as possible, meaning there's a lot of multitasking in the kitchen before heading to work. The coffee takes about 30-60 seconds of attention once you're proficient at the Aeropress, only a little bit more than a K-Cup machine. You don't have the issue of continuously adding a bit more water as with a pour over, or the risk of adding too much and overflowing your cup. You only need about 30 seconds actual brewing time, much less than with a french press, and I've found that the margin for producing good results are much larger than with a french press. Your only wait time is for your water to heat, and that 30 seconds for brewing, much less than with a drip machine. Cleanup is quick and simple, unscrew the filter cap, push the plunger the last half inch to pop the puck of grounds and paper filter into the trash, pull out the plunger, rinse, set out to dry. No plastic trash like a K-Cup, the filter has less paper than a half dozen of any other filter I've seen.Personally I prefer the Inverted Method, rather than the one written in the included book. I find it easier and a bit less messy. If you're using the inverted method here's a tip: use the included funnel when adding grounds, if they get around where the filter cap screws in you'll have a hard time getting it all the way in. Also, if you're making the full capacity of the Aeropress add a little bit of water, stir, then add more water - otherwise you'll be trying to stir while the coffee blooms and making a mess.Now, for the few minor cons:- There is some variation in opacity of the plastic. Most marketing photos show clear or nearly clear. It seems like most people these days end up with dark, smoke colored plastic. This can make it difficult to see where your plunger is for measuring the amount of water you're adding unless you're in a brightly lit room. I haven't found this to be too much of an annoyance, but some do. You may be able to find a seller who's stock is the clear variety.- Amount of coffee. At the most the Aeropress produces enough coffee to fill a standard coffee mug most of the way. For a single person, if you're adding hot water, this will fill a travel mug or a large coffee cup. You can split one press between two people for two medium cups of coffee - I like to use the carafe from my french press for this. More then two people? Now you'll need to start making coffee in batches. This gets a little bit tedious, so I end up just reaching for the french press. If there were a Jumbo Aeropress, I'd be first in line to buy it.- You'll probably spill a little bit of coffee. The design of the filter cap means that coffee drips out of the bottom, and a little shoots off to the side. If your mug is only just wider than the filter cap, or has an uneven top, a few drops may splash over the side. The funnel can help with this. After you're done pressing, the Aeropress will probably still be dripping a little. Most coffee making methods have a possibility of slight spillage, so this isn't anything new, just don't make your coffee on top of important documents, and wipe the outside and bottom of your mug if necessary.