
The Invention of the AeroPress (2014) - hunterloftis
https://priceonomics.com/the-invention-of-the-aeropress/
======
Steltek
I'm the only coffee drinker in the house and I love my AeroPress:

* It's fast

* It's foolproof

* It makes good quality coffee

* It's camping friendly

All of the tedium and unforced errors of pour over coffee disappears:
"blooming", meticulous pouring technique, realtime measuring of water/coffee
ratio. The hardest part is I use a hand grinder but even that isn't so bad.

~~~
notechback
I don't understand the Aeropress love. I have a good full espresso machine for
home. For the office I've tried: electric "mocha express" style Italian
espresso maker (great coffee but colleagues complained about the strong smell)
and a kettle with both a decent French press or Aeropress.

While I don't mind the Aeropress I have a much better experience with a good
old French press - much less chance of mess (stands well, no need to stir with
the paddle/a spoon, no risk of putting too much pressure and something falls
over).

Tastewise I've tried it with both metal and paper filters and regular and
reverse method, as well as different types and grains of coffee - there's no
tangible difference to a decent French press. And of course both are far far
far away from a proper espresso as you'd expect in a proper Italian or
Portuguese café.

The only upside I see is that it's light, so if you do carry something else to
boil water it might be a good choice for campaign - but a small french press
also is not heavy either. And of course if you go camping with a group a good
mocha express to put on the fire makes you the hero of any journey (at the
cost of an extra kg).

~~~
joshvm
Depends on who you speak to. My French colleagues look at Italian "fast"
coffee in horror - they think it's tantamount to abuse of the grounds.

> much less chance of mess

French presses are much more annoying to clean afterwards though. It's nigh
impossible to get all of them out of the press without eventually getting some
in the sink. I really like that you can just pop the puck of grounds out of
the aeropress straight into the compost bin, and what's left on the plunger is
almost a paste that can be rinsed off.

~~~
froh
The key French press cleaning trick is a _fine_ kitchen sieve, not too small,
at least 3" wide:

Pull out the French press plunger, add water and drain the resulting mud
through the sieve.

A normal small 2" coffee sieve is too small in diameter, it will clog.

The 3" (4" is better, especially for the larger 1L press) allows the water to
pass in a fast pour. And make sure it's a fine sieve, so the grinds stay in.

The grinds mud then goes from the sieve straight to trash.

In store the sieve at the sink with the other cleaning utensils. In direct
access storage, so to speak, a local cache even.

~~~
joshvm
Well if there's one thing I hate cleaning more than a French press it's a
sieve! Or do you have a sieve specifically for the press? That seems like a
good idea.

------
mangoman
Different brewing methods taste different. French press tastes different than
a pourover. An Aeropress tastes different than a moka pot. I couldn't help but
groan at the idea that a tool 'brews the best cup of coffee in the world' .
The coffee the various tools produce simply taste different and they have
different usecases. Not better or worse, just different.

~~~
alharith
To brew "the best" which means really to get the best extraction out of the
bean for which the flavor profile the drinker enjoys the most (too much
extraction results in a acidic, heavy taste, too little extraction results in
the dreaded "mud water" light taste)

I've tried them all. The aeropress simply enables you to brew the most
consistent cup to your liking, plus all the other benefits Steltek pointed
out.

~~~
notechback
A mocha express style Italian coffee maker is super consistent in quality and
(for my taste) gives much better flavour. The steam method takes out much of
the bitterness compared to a poured coffee like Aeropress.

~~~
jdashg
I think that depends more on the beans. Good light roast beans don't need to
worry so much about masking bitterness. If modern craft light roast is not
your preference, you will need to care more about bitterness. (NB: Not all
coffee labeled light roast is)

~~~
Talanes
And if you really want the flavor of a naturally bitter roast without the
bitterness, there's always Chemex. Never my first choice for brewing coffee I
actually like, but I have gotten a decent cup out of roasts I usually find
unpalatable.

------
kashyapc
I used to swear by my French Press. Some two years ago I casually said to my
sibling that I wanted to try AeroPress to see what the fuss is all about. One
day it showed up as a present in my mailbox.

I opened it, ridiculing it, thinking I'll give it a single try, toss it in the
closet and get back to my French Press.

Fast forward two years: Almost _every_ weekday morning I start with a full
AeroPress. And each morning I used to shake my head with the same surprise as
I ground the beans[+]: "I still can't believe this plastic thing can produce
such good coffee." It's the French Press now that's gathering dust in the
closet.

To my brain, AeroPress == French Press minus the "fine sludge".

[+] FWIW, I use "Mano Mano" by the Belgian coffee roaster, Café Liégeois (not
associated with them, just a happy user)—[https://cafe-
liegeois.com/en/cafes/mano-mano-puissant](https://cafe-
liegeois.com/en/cafes/mano-mano-puissant)

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
AeroPress doesn't really scale for company, though. I remember trying to make
several cups in a row for family and by the time cup #3 was finished, cup #1
was cold.

I _do_ still whip out my AeroPress from time to time if I'm making a really
fruity coffee, because I feel like the AP method is better at extracting those
flavors. But for my usual morning cup for myself and my significant other,
French Press is king.

> To my brain, AeroPress == French Press minus the "fine sludge".

I haven't really noticed "the sludge" in my FP since I invested in a Barata
Encore canonical burr grinder. It's able to grind the beans coarsely and
evenly enough that you don't get the sludge (which is usually the unevenly-
ground fines that slip past the mesh filter). Additionally, paper filters trap
the coffee bean fines, but they also trap the oil, which is desirable in your
coffee.

But I will concede that the AP is probably the most affordable option for a
good cup of coffee. You can pair it with a cheap blade grinder and still get a
decent cup out of it, while poorly-ground coffee in a FP can make for a
"sludgy" cup.

~~~
kashyapc
I hear you, on not scaling it for a family. I make it for one or two people at
most (a full AeroPress can be shared for two, unless you're a Real Guzzler).

I mulled about the burr grinder in the past, but then I already _had_ the
Bosch blade grinder[+]. It does the job spectacularly well for most use cases.
I live in a small apartment; and minimize 'nice-to-have' devices. (And given
the predicament we're immersed in, I feel even more disinclined to buy more
'things' that I don't really need. One day, I might get the burr grinder as a
'reward' for all the discipline I show in most aspects, or some other
justification that I can coax myself with. :-))

As for coarseness, I'm living with a "workaround": 12 pulses (manual on-and-
off; yeah, annoying) with the blade grinder to get the right coarseness for
French Press, which is now a "weekend delight".

[+] [https://www.bosch-home.com/ne/product-list/coffee-
machines/c...](https://www.bosch-home.com/ne/product-list/coffee-
machines/coffee-grinders/TSM6A013B)

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
If you're gonna go for the pulse method with a blade grinder, the
recommendation is that you should also shake the grinder between pulses. See
below:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS8igZyhNFw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS8igZyhNFw)

~~~
kashyapc
Oh, thanks for bothering to give that pointer; didn't know that.

------
dang
Related from a few weeks ago:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22493376](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22493376)

OP discussed in 2018:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474815](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474815)

OP discussed at the time:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7615399](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7615399)

Related from 2015:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9381315](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9381315)

Also 2015:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9214571](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9214571)

I think that covers the major AeroPress bases.

------
thebean11
Plastic + hot liquids still make me nervous

~~~
kashyapc
I was worried about that initially, but the plastic is sufficiently robust (I
have to say, my AeroPress got a bit chipped at the top when it fell from my
hand as I was cleaning).

I'm still wondering if a glass-based, non-plastic variant of AeroPress will
show up any time soon.

~~~
notechback
Using a metal filter i quickly got visible fissures in the plastic. No actual
leakage yet.

~~~
wideasleep1
Years ago now, there were reports of visible fracturing like you describe, and
Alan said to call in to Aeropress and they will replace these versions. Worth
a try, even today.

------
darkteflon
If you’re an espresso drinker and are looking for something that makes a
frankly excellent little shot of coffee and is comparably (with the AeroPress)
low-fuss and low-maintenance, I bought a handpresso
([https://www.handpresso.com/en/](https://www.handpresso.com/en/)) a couple
months back for an overseas trip but was so happy with it that it’s now my
daily driver.

~~~
sien
That looks cool.

I have two nanopressos which are also very good. One for home and one for
work.

[https://www.wacaco.com/pages/nanopresso](https://www.wacaco.com/pages/nanopresso)

~~~
darkteflon
Yeah I cross-shopped that - it looks good too. The wacaco and the handpresso
seem to dominate the travel espresso segment.

A friend of mine - a fellow Melburnian - has the Rok espresso maker
([https://www.rok.coffee/](https://www.rok.coffee/)), which is a large-ish
countertop manual espresso device. He reckons he’s pulled over 10,000 shots
with it and swears by it. Also low-fuss, low-maintenance and just a couple
hundred bucks.

~~~
sien
Oh that's cool. Thanks for posting that.

------
zipperhead
I have an AeroPress, a french press, and a Clever Dripper.

While I like the AeroPress, I don't find it makes enough coffee in one go. The
Clever Dripper is basically a french press with a #4 filter, so you still get
a filtered cup - no sludge (you do miss out on the oils though). It's a
foolproof method to a great cup of coffee.

------
chadlavi
Were you inspired to post this after watching the Bon Appétit test kitchen
work-from-home coffee video?

------
TomMasz
When my last espresso machine died I switched to the AeroPress as a temporary
replacement. It didn't take long before I realized I didn't need to buy
another espresso machine.

~~~
ntsplnkv2
Curious what kind of espresso machine you had?

Aeropress is great but doesn't come anywhere near a good pulled espresso shot
for me - in any capacity.

------
manifoldgeo
Hey, I just made a 3d model / animation of an AeroPress in Blender! I put it
on GitHub under a Creative Commons License (obviously I didn't use the brand
name), so feel free to use it if you have a need for a model of an AeroPress
for some reason.

[https://github.com/bxbrenden/Blender-
CoffeePress](https://github.com/bxbrenden/Blender-CoffeePress)

------
whitlock
I recently watched the AeroPress Movie
([https://aeropressmovie.com/](https://aeropressmovie.com/)), which was a fun
look into the history and culture around the AeroPress. Something I enjoyed
about it was seeing the inventors workshop in his garage, as well as his
opinions on what constitutes a "good cup" of coffee.

~~~
llbeansandrice
Interesting. I've not watched the movie but I disagree with the inventor on
the type of coffee he tries to make with the Aeropress.

From what I recall he tries to make a more "espresso" style coffee and then
dilute it. I prefer to just go 15g coffee to 250g of water for a single normal
cup. No dilution.

~~~
bagacrap
yeah, he also doesn't steep, but I find that you need to steep for a few
minutes unless you want to under extract your beans.

I also greatly prefer a metal filter over paper as it lets more flavor
through, but people who don't like flavor call that "acidity" or "bitterness".
️

------
turbostyler
What happened to Priceonomics? They used to regularly publish great content
that I'd often see on the front page here. Is their business dying or are they
just no longer prioritizing content marketing (or maybe targeting different
people)?

~~~
kencausey
Did you notice that this article is from 2014?

~~~
kencausey
Maybe I misunderstood whether the OP was referring to this particular article
as 'content marketing'.

------
grafelic
I use my AeroPress for Yerba Mate exclusively. Two spoons of Yerba Mate for
one cup, add 90C° water, put in plunger on top and let it steep for 5 minutes.
It stretches the Yerba Mate and it is easy to clean.

~~~
ineedasername
Apparently Mate might cause cancer:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate#Cancer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate#Cancer)

~~~
leviathant
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of mouth cancer, pharyngeal (upper throat)
cancer, oesophageal (food pipe) cancer, laryngeal (voice box) cancer, breast
cancer, bowel cancer and liver cancer.

But that doesn't really seem to slow anyone down.

~~~
ineedasername
Sure, but assuming the mate drinkers are also drinking alcohol, it may have a
synergistic effect and increase risk much beyond either alone, like tobacco
and alcohol do with each other. Pure speculation though.

------
ineedasername
I have an AeroPress. I have a few different french-press mugs. I have a disc
you place over a much, with a little fabric pouch in the middle for the
grounds, and then pour in the hot water. (They're all convenient in different
scenarios.)

I can honestly say that I never notice any taste difference (assuming I'm
using the same beans). I don't doubt many people can taste the difference, and
it's a big deal for them. But I also think there are many people who, like me,
honestly don't taste much of a difference.

------
alister
> _“What do you guys do when you just want one cup of coffee?” Adler had
> wondered this many times himself. He’d grown increasingly frustrated with
> his coffee maker, which yielded 6-8 cups per brew._

Why can’t you put just enough water and coffee in a standard coffee maker to
make only one cup? My coffee maker came with a manual that said, “Always make
a full pot”, but I never understood the reasoning behind that. (And admittedly
never tried making just one cup to see what happens.)

------
sesuximo
I love my aeropress but it is not even close to the best cup of coffee in the
world

~~~
randycupertino
What would you rank above it? I'm far from a coffee snob, however moving in
with someone who is one I've come to like our aeropress even though imo it's a
lot of work for a cup of joe.

~~~
notechback
In Europe most will bet on a proper espresso machine or else a mocha express
style espresso maker. Espresso has more flavour, less bitterness and a tiny
bit less caffeine; for me it brings out the pure coffee flavour in a small
punch. Served in good cafes with a glass of water.

~~~
krrrh
It’s fascinating how much this has to do with personal preferences and
cultural fashion. When I lived in Europe I would always make an effort to find
the third wave coffeehouses that focused on aeropress and pour over
preparations so I could enjoy the light-roasted subtleties and terroir of the
different beans. It made coffee more like wine or microbrews. These places
usually had a younger more international crowd and were frequently run by
Australians or Kiwis.

I find the dark espresso roasts produce a more consistent product but only
because a whole range of flavours is missing. But different strokes for
different folks.

~~~
ntsplnkv2
The best cup of coffee is the coffee you like!

There is a lot of "third wave" espresso out there now which you may like more,
not quite as traditional as what you may have found in Europe.

------
01100011
I am terribly lazy and have completely given up on quality coffee. I drink
medaglia d'oro instant espresso and find it does the job without consuming too
much time or counter space.

~~~
PascLeRasc
Why not just take caffeine pills at this point?

~~~
Talanes
As someone who enjoys good coffee, I still think cheap shitty coffee is better
than bad (here meaning anything I don't like) craft coffee. It tends toward
muted flavors rather than anything actively unenjoyable. If I don't like the
roast in a quality cup of coffee, all of those flavors I don't like will be
front and center.

------
chriselles
My wife has a super expensive espresso machine.

It makes her a great cup of coffee.

I use my aeropress, exclusively.

------
Zenbit_UX
Can anyone recommend an electric grinder for this thing? Tempted to try it.

~~~
hunterloftis
A bit late but I use the OXO brew conical burr on its "fine" setting. It looks
nice, works reliably, has good ergonomics, and doesn't get messy. Also runs
the full gamut of grind sizes so we can use it with our french press and
chemex too.

[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSKGLMM](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSKGLMM)

------
draw_down
I used one for a while years ago. Ultimately it's too fiddly to brew with, and
it doesn't make enough coffee for me (I like 12-16 oz). I settled on a french
press, even though the AeroPress does makes nicer coffee, and is easier to
clean. But the french press is much simpler, an important consideration in the
part of the morning when you pretty much by definition have not yet had any
coffee.

I don't own a Chemex or other pour-over brewer, but I would put them above the
AeroPress. They're less fiddly to brew with, can produce more coffee, the
quality is very similar (imo), and cleanup is not much worse.

~~~
Steltek
There's no way pour over is less fiddly than an AeroPress. Timing blooms,
gooseneck kettle only so you can gently apply water evenly, and having to sit
the whole thing on a scale so you can measure how much water you've really
added.

~~~
mbrock
I make pour over the very first thing early in the morning, usually while an 8
month old baby is crawling around chaotically. I just put the ceramic dripper
on my mug, pour a bit of water for the bloom without "timing" it, then pour
some more like three times until the mug is full. Yeah I use a gooseneck
kettle (which btw also comes in handy for watering flowers and filling up the
clothes iron) but I'm not fussy about technique. Occasionally I just dump a
bunch of water in the filter at once and the coffee turns out fine if a bit
weak.

~~~
mistahenry
I have a Chemex three cup and I can make one or two cups with it without any
timer or scale. It tastes great to me and is really consistent. The need for
scientific exactness is overblown here (although using a scale and timer only
helps the result). Even a bad brew from my chemex with freshly roasted single
origin beans is far better than the terrible black coffee I drank at the
office for years (and still will drink if it’s all that’s available)

------
elchief
hot water + plastic = bad

~~~
Kirby64
Based on what? If the plastic has no BPA in it, what's the issue?

~~~
CptFribble
There's a lot more in our products, our packaging, in our food and water
supply that's potentially harmful but "technically unproven to cause harm." Do
some research into BPA and you'll find there are several other BPx's in use
now, each with their own problematic potential for endocrine disruption, that
still allow the manufacturers to say "BPA Free!!"

Also every thermal paper receipt you touch is covered in BPA.

------
fermienrico
IMO we shouldn't allow inventions such as AeroPress to have exclusive rights
to produce it by enforcing Patent laws. The idea of Patents was to encourage
entrepreneurs to invent, but the consumers get shafted by increased price and
no competition. AeroPress is an extremely simple invention, patented to the
brim and they spend a ton of money defending their patents. This expenditure
gets passed to the consumer with a $40 price tag for something that costs $2
to make.

Inventions are not special. Providing value to the user by out competing
others either by price, quality, customer service, etc. is a win for the
customer.

Products such as AeroPress, Frisbee, Rubik's cube, etc. leave a bad after
taste as a consumer. AeroPress has no incentive to improve their product
because of the lack of competition.

AeroPress should get a 2 year headstart. After the 2 years, their patent
expires and they gotta actually compete with others. What if the Chinese start
making these for $1.50? We should have a labor quotient - if country X imports
from country Y, country X should charge import duty that is proportional to
the labor quotient exactly to counter balance the higher labor cost in country
X.

I am interested in counter arguments, what are the benefits to the society as
a whole when we have exclusive production rights to inventions?

~~~
CosmicShadow
Just look at what already happens to people on Kickstarter, they spend years
and all this money, their own and others, designing, testing, figuring out the
market and ultimately manufacturing just to have the Chinese manufacturer or
another one steal the idea and sell it for cheaper, often before the actual
product is released. Now imagine this happening to every inventor in your
country.

But what about this import idea? How are you going to enforce it, figure it
out, and actually handle or stop people trying to go around it? You'd need
like 100k new government workers dealing with this.

~~~
Lio
There’s also an imbalance here in that China is not an open marker to firms in
the West.

Chinese copiers have the ability to sell into their own massive market and
then cross subsidise to dump cheaper products into the rest of the world.

No company in for example the West using, say, robots to reduce labour costs
could dump cheap imitations into the Chinese market to destroy their
manufacturing base.

Same goes for service companies.

~~~
fermienrico
This asymmetric aspect of Chinese trade has to stop.

