Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/06/01/how-the-appearance-of-the-aero.html
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It’s the only way I’ll make coffee. Coffee made with a French Press is bitter in comparison.
My method is:
- wet the installed filter paper,
- pour in 1 scoop of grounds,
- add just enough water to let the grounds bloom,
- add water to top,
- stir for 20 seconds,
- press the plunger all the way down.
It’s as fast as making any other single cup method and tastes too good. I want another cup for that flavour too soon and end up wired by lunchtime.
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I’ve had mine for 5-6 years and it’s starting to show lots of “micro” cracks along the cylinder. It’s probably fine but I’ll be replacing it soon just to have a nice new one.
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10/2005 to 3/2007? Have I had this thing that long? It’s till in daily use. We’ve had to replace the gasket on the plunger and buy more filters, but it’s still fine. Glad to see that it’s not leaching any BPA out.
@Carbonman my routine is a bit different.
Put filter in and cover with grounds. Add water while stiring until full. Continue stirring for 10 seconds. Use more hot water to rinse off stirrer. Put in plunger to seal main chamber and stop it dripping. Leave for 2-3 minutes or more. Plunge and serve. Cleanup is just some hot water from the faucet and into the drying rack it goes. I reuse the filter as well. They seem to last quite a while.
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My original ('05-07) version is still plugging along. I used it daily for a couple of years and then tapered off (sheer laziness and free K cups at work) to random use, a few times a month. I bought a newer version because my rubber (or whatever elastomer it is) plunger got slightly looser, maybe also bit more rigid, and I anticipated failure but it has not gotten any worse.
I started rinsing and re-using filters until I felt silly <looks over at bag of 300 pre-cut filters>. Filters seemed to re-use just fine at least three or four times. I also tried one of the laser-perforated steel filters. Works okay. Results are not quite identical to paper but the difference is subtle.
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I think mine’s the old clear one; it’s certainly still in great shape and shows no signs of damage.
My favored method:
- Place on counter, plunger on bottom. Pour in grounds.
- Bloom the grounds.
- Add water to top, stir, wait about a minute.
- Screw the filter on. I use a reusable metal mesh filter.
- Flip! Place on mug, plunge.
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Hmmm, didn’t realize my old gen 2 has BPA in it. Where can I find that gen 3 model?? I really don’t like how dark the new ones are.
You make it upside down? Shall we call this the Australian method? I always make mine into a big mug, so the extra that I get by doing it the other way around is welcome. I can see how doing it into a smaller container would make your method much prefered.
You can get replacement parts. Just get a new rubber bit for the plunger! 
Yup, when I first got one, it was driving me nuts because I’d put the grounds in and then the water, and it’d immediately start seeping through the filter and dripping into the mug before I pressed it. I looked online and some people were advocating for the “flip method”, and it’s worked for me ever since.
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You put it in the MICROWAVE?!!
Surely you just put recently boiled water in it?
I have a kettle that has a magic button that will hold water at 90 degrees until you need it. Perfect for coffee, no microwaves.
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I’ve had an aeropress for ages. Can’t even remember – it’s been so long, the first one might’ve been made of stone with a bamboo plunger. Anyway, it’s one of the few things that I use that I can’t think of a way to improve. The hexagonal shape of the base so it won’t roll away on the countertop, the flare of the plunger top so it doesn’t hurt your palm when you press it down, a zillion other details.
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Do you store it with the plunger in the cylinder? I had one that I routinely kept like that (I’m so lazy) and it developed crazing on the inside of the cylinder after a few years. I chalked it up to the sideward pressure exerted by the plunger gasket on the cylinder over extended time. It also compressed the edges of the gasket slightly, leading to air whooshing past the gasket when I would press it down on the coffee. Whether that’s true or not, I store my new one completely disassembled and I’ve had no such issues.
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I know! I thought the same thing…might work well when you’re traveling though. At home, we use one of those electric kettles set on 175.
Actually I store it disassembled as well. My wonderful girlfriend bought me a handy AeroPress storage rack a few years ago. https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Horse-Caddy-AeroPress-Coffee/dp/B01EKWLF7K
Copolyester aka Tritan by Eastman
One of the most popular BPA-free options, especially among companies catering to families and health-conscious consumers, was Tritan, a clear, sturdy, heat-resistant plastic that Eastman rolled out in 2007. (Eastman also produces the chemical that sullied the drinking water of 300,000 West Virginians in January.) A company founded by alternative medicine guru Dr. Andrew Weil launched a line of Weil Baby bottles made from Tritan, which it touted as “revolutionary” and “ultra-safe” material. Thermos began churning out Tritan sippy cups, decorated with Barbie and Batman. With more and more consumers demanding BPA-free products, Nalgene, CamelBack, Evenflo, Cuisinart, Tupperware, Rubbermaid, and many other companies also worked Tritan into their production lines.
Eastman, a $7 billion company that was spun off from Eastman Kodak in the 1990s, assured its corporate customers that it had done extensive safety testing on Tritan. But its methods were questionable. According to internal Eastman documents, in 2008 Eastman signed a two-year contract with Sciences International, another product defense firm that had played a key role in the tobacco industry’s scientific misinformation campaign. On Sciences’ advice, Eastman then commissioned a study that used computer modeling to predict whether a substance contains synthetic estrogens, based on its chemical structure. The model suggested that one of Tritan’s ingredients—triphenyl phosphate, or TPP—was more estrogenic than BPA.
Eastman, which never disclosed these findings to its customers, later commissioned another study, this one involving breast cancer cells. Again, the initial results appeared positive for estrogenic activity. In an email to colleagues, Eastman’s senior toxicologist, James Deyo, called this an “oh shit moment.”
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My first one was the 2011 tinted model. At some point, I was concerned the rubber was stiffening or shrinking, so I bought a new one, but the old one still works. It’s great having two, because I’ve spent hours doing side-by-side A/B testing. I’ve tested out various ratios and temperatures and times, upside-down vs right side up, wetting the filter or no, and of course several varieties of coffees. It’s important to note that different coffees benefit from different techniques. For me, the sweet spot in price and convenience is Trader Joes shade grown Ethiopian, not too finely ground, right side up, 175° blah blah blah. For a primo cup, my favorite Kona bean and a higher temp and less water and a longer dwell time. I’ve never found any benefit to inverting, wetting a filter, or blooming, but I tend to buy beans of a certain profile I guess, and I don’t roast my own beans. Somebody who likes dark roast Guatamalan beans or blonde Brazilians or whatever may find it makes a difference for their brew.
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Another long-time user. Replaced micro-cracked one. Gave many as presents.
I use the inverted method w/ a stainless steel S Filter to let those oils through. Good stuff!
Get used to it. My Aeropress is the original clear version. Was clear. After nine years of use, the brewing cylinder has a rich gradient of coffee staining.
Which I suspect is why they now make them in almost that exact color.
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I ain’t got time for all this. I take two spoonfuls of instant coffee and washed it down with hot water straight from the kettle.
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