AeroPress Original Coffee Press – 3 In 1 Brew Method Combines French Press, Espresso, Full Bodied Coffee Without Grit or Bitterness, Small Portable Coffee Maker for Camping & Travel

First thing is first. I am a coffee snob.I have edited this review a few times. After a few years, I have come to the conclusion that this is a really good product. I'm leaving the review intact because it kind of shows the evolution and the learning curve that exists with this product.Typically, I find that most "bad" coffee is simply stale coffee. When I grind my own beans, I find that after a few days, they start losing their flavor. And after a week, they have started to pick up a card-board like flavor.I taste tested this product in a couple of ways. I just had a buddy over, and we had a coffee taste-test party.I typically prepare my coffee one of two ways. I either use the do-it-yourself coffee pod that you can get from Keurig or, if I have company, I will use a french press. For the purpose of this taste test, we did it both ways, And then we made some with this contraption in two different ways. I used a fine grind (just shy of an espresso grind) for one, and we used my preferred coarser grind for the other. In all, we tasted four different cups of coffee.1. French Press2. Keurig Machine3. Aeropress with fine grind4. Aeropress with coarse grindWe used my favorite coffee bean for this test. I was going to use a commercial bean (Illy). I will explain why we ended up not using Illy at the end of my review. The bean we used was a freshly roasted grade 1 Ethiopian Yrgacheffe.I made sure I made a couple of cups of coffee using the Aeropress before we began this test to make sure I had gotten the hang of it. My conclusion based on these two cups of coffee was that 1) I needed to add a little bit of water (Americano) to the Aeropressed coffee to achieve my desired strength and 2) I needed to use a more robust bean in order to achieve any kind of flavor (hence the reason I didn't use the Illy beans).Now don't get me wrong. Illy makes a good coffee bean, and I usually get my cans of Illy coffee still relatively fresh. They are, in my opinion, one of the best mass produced coffee beans on the market.I brewed one cup of coffee in each of the four methods. I then poured a small amount into an espresso mug and labeled them 1, 2, 3, and 4. I wrote down what each one was on a separate piece of paper so that it would be a blind taste test. My buddy did the same for me. And then we sat down and tasted them.My preferences, in order:1. The french press. I had actually never done a bind taste test with the french press before, but there may have been some bias here because I could immediately tell that it was french pressed. It had all of the vaguely sweet, earthy tones that I love so much about Ethiopian Yrgacheffe coffee. It was pure bliss. Ten out of ten.2. The Keurig. There is a pretty big gap in flavor between the french press and the Keurig, but the Keurig still retained much of the flavors that I love about Ethiopian Yrgacheffe. They were just more faint. Eight out of ten.3. Aeropress Course Grind. I will submit that the result was a very strong yet mellow coffee, but it was missing all of the character. The earthy tones were missing. It tasted like a generic cup of coffee. It was good, but it was nothing to write home about. Six out of ten.4. Aeropress Fine Grind. Definitely over-extracted. Very bitter. I stirred for about 10 seconds, so it did not steep too long. To be truthful, most espressos taste over extracted to me, so this was not a surprise. It's the reason why I prefer a coarser grind. This cup of coffee tasted like someone put cardboard shavings into the grounds prior to pressing. I would not call this undrinkable, but if someone served it to me in a restaurant, I'd ask for water instead. Three out of ten.I'm not yet concluding that this was a waste of money. I think there is a high likelihood that the paper filter could be the reason why there was a serious lack of flavor using this contraption, so I'm going to try to order a metal filter for it. I can't think of any other reason, logically speaking, why the coffee would have turned out so bad other than the fact that it uses a paper filter. The only time I ever use a paper filter is on the rare occasions where I use a pre-made Keurig pod, and I typically don't like the flavor of them. I always figured that it was because the grounds were stale, but I have not ruled the paper out as a possible culprit.If I find out that the metal filter changes the flavor for the better, I will come back and update my review. However, at this point, I have to recommend a french press if someone wants a good cup of coffee. It's not any harder to use, and it's just as easy to clean.EDITI purchased one of the wire mesh screens to see if that would improve the flavor of the coffee. It did make a significant difference; however, I still don't think that the cup of coffee I made was as good as a traditional french press.The one big disadvantage with a french press is that there is sediment at the bottom of your cup. This turns a lot of people off, and I will submit that it takes some getting used to. However, there is nothing on this planet that I have yet discovered that compares with the flavor of a french pressed bean that has been freshly roasted.I used a medium-course grind, and I steep for about twice as long as the 10 seconds recommended by the instruction manual. I make sure not to push out the very last of the water because that's likely where all of the overextracted bitterness lies. The end result was a good cup of very strong coffee. I'll even go so far as to say that when using the wire mesh screen instead of the paper, what comes out is good enough to drink without adding water.It's still not as good as the french press, though. I submit that it's about equal to the Keurig machine, though the flavors are much different. The Keurig machine is far easier to use. Plus, the cost of this thing with the additional $10 I had to spend on the wire mesh screen costs almost as much as a low-end Keurig. Therefore, I can't give it more than three stars.ANOTHER UPDATE:I'm providing another update an adding another star. The reason why is because once I learned that you cannot let your coffee steep for the ten seconds that the instruction manual recommends, I was able to produce some pretty good cups of coffee. It's still not as good as a french press, though. Plus, the price tag once you factor in $30 for the kit and another $10 for a metal screen is very steep. One can almost buy a Keurig machine for that price, and my french press, which makes better coffee, cost less than $15 even after I upgraded to a polycarbonate carafe.YET ANOTHER UPDATE:A couple of years have gone by, and I am finding myself using this more and more. Over time, I have gotten better at making a good cup of coffee with it. In fact, I got to the point where I was using this more than any of my other machines. Now, I have gotten to the point where a cup of coffee made with this is nearly as good or possibly even just as good as one that I French press. A big bonus for a lot of folks is that there is no sediment on the bottom of my cup.So, yes. I have gradually moved on and decided that this is an excellent product. I've increased my star total to 5 because it deserves it. The learning curve is difficult, but the eventual results are quite good.

Makes an excellent americano style coffee, no bitter taste. Probably can make a decent espresso "style" shot. Not a real espresso as you won't get a true creama, but you won't get a true espresso from a K-cup either.I have an authentic espresso machine for a real espresso shot, but I don't have a convenient drip appliance for a single cup. I generally have a cappuccino daily and occasionally want a drip style cup. So I decided to try this for that.I immediately made a cup when it arrived. It is easy to do and easy to clean.The very first cup tasted great, smooth and full bodied. I then made a cup with the inverted method, and it was even better. If you want to make an espresso style shot, then the inverted method is the only way.The inverted method is better because; you can consistently get the precise amount of water, and the entire cup will be pushed through the filter with pressure. When you do the normal upright process, water will start dripping through the filter (unless you use a very coarse grind) while you are pouring the water in, making it hard to to avoid adding too much water. Also, the amount that drips through won't have pressure applied, preventing a full extraction of the beans.The inverted method is as it sounds, upside down. Put the plunger up to the "4" marker. While upside down, add the coffee, then the hot water and then secure the filter holder (make sure to wet the filter first). Then turn right-side up and press the plunger, dispensing coffee into your cup. It's that easy!An important note for brewing coffee. The ideal temperature is from 195 to 200 degrees (the instructions say 185, but that is too low). Water boils at 212 degrees. So, if you don't have a thermometer, then take the water off the flame just when little bubbles start for form (not a rolling boil), and let it sit for about 30 seconds.Bottom, quick and easy to use, quick and easy to clean, and makes an excellent brew.

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.

I'm entering my second half-century and have only just begun to drink coffee. I've been a tea drinker my entire life (and still drink more tea than coffee), but recently I've begun to appreciate the joys of coffee. The Aeropress has added to the conversion experience of this once-entrenched, never-coffee stalwart. Combined with a solid manual grinder and some fresh, local coffee - I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying the entire process of making a cup of coffee or near-espresso and even a quality latte for my wife (with a Breville milk frother).The Aeropress is such a simple machine, but it's durable, convenient, and compact - and offers the flexibility I'm looking for as I navigate this bizarre, new world I find myself in.