From the makers of plastic frisbees comes a giant leap forward in coffee brewing technology — the aerobie aeropress coffee maker.
I had read about this bad boy on the Internet earlier this year over on Boing Boing, and now it’s cool enough for the folks at Cool Hunting, so I guess it’s about time it percolated down to me.
Basically, it brews coffee similar to a french press, without all the mess. It takes less than two minutes and cuts down on the acidity so that people with weak stomachs like me can still appreciate an americano.
I just made an impulse purchase off of Amazon at midnight. It was a Pavlovian reaction to the fact that I’ve got to be at class before 11:00am for the first time all semester. And because I’ve drunk more tea than the Boston Harbor since school began.
This is most I’ve ever written about beverages in my life, but it’s an important milestone in my adulthood. My very first coffeemaker. I feel old already.
UPDATE 11/9/06:
Here’s my very own awkward instructional video!!!
5 responses so far ↓
1 -drm- // Nov 5, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Oo…oo…can’t wait for the obligatory update if it works well.
2 themarkpike // Nov 5, 2006 at 12:28 pm
For sure! I could’ve used it this morning… If only you could download coffeemakers instantly from the iTunes store.
3 Meghan // Nov 6, 2006 at 6:56 pm
The music in the video creeps me out. How is it less messy than a French press? It seems that all you do with either is rinse it when you’re done.
In any case, hapy caffeination.
4 themarkpike // Nov 6, 2006 at 11:31 pm
It came in the mail today! I’ll try to make a video that’s got better music and is a lot less creepy tomorrow.
(Oh, you think Aeropress vid is creepy?! Check this French Press one out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZN_d7dPAIaQ )
As for the question about the difference between the French Press; I think it has to do with the coffee gunk. It’s stuck at the bottom when you clean the French Press, but with this thing it just pops out like a hockey puck or something.
Though, I do find the propaganda on the Aeropress page much more compelling:
People see some similarities between the AEROPRESS and a French Press. Both use total immersion and pressure. But the similarities end there.
The filter in the French Press is at the top of the mixture. Because coffee floats, the floating grounds clog the filter and makes pressing and cleaning very difficult. Users are instructed to use only coarse ground coffee. But this reduces the amount of flavor that can be extracted from the coffee and necessitates long steeping times which extract bitterness.
Furthermore, even coarse ground coffee includes many fine particles. These small particles pass through and around the filter resulting in a bitter, gritty brew. The particles in the brew continue to leach out bitterness. Consequently French press users are advised to drink or decant the brew immediately. Also, some particles clog the filter screen making pressing and cleaning very difficult.
AEROPRESS coffee is micro-filtered. It so pure and particle-free that it can be stored for days as a concentrate. The concentrate can be drunk as espresso, mixed with milk for lattes, or diluted to make American coffee. French presses cannot make espresso or lattes.
Finally, cleaning the French press is quite a chore. The AEROPRESS chamber is self-cleaning. A ten-second rinse of the plunger is all that’s required.
5 Meghan // Nov 9, 2006 at 6:15 pm
chillis&fries was right, you didn’t look so thrilled at the end. However, I applaud your dedication to morning beverages and refer you to Jeffrey Steingarten’s essay on espresso machines in It Must’ve Been Something I Ate.
You might want to stick to 2 tbsp. per 8 oz., though.
I’ll keep my French press. The grit makes me stronger.
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