Impressions on the Aerobie Aeropress

On a lark, I recently picked up an Aerobie Aeropress Coffee & Espresso Maker ($30, shipped, Amazon).

I was skeptical at first, and to be honest, there is a knack to it. If you're making "American Coffee", you have to adjust the water to concentrate ratio to get it just right. Too much water and it tastes, well, watery. Too little and it tastes like some bad combination of drip and espresso - really horrid. Just right and the subtle complexities of the brew come out.

True to the advertising, it does brew a very low acid cup of coffee and this, combined with a low acid blend and a little milk or cream, should be very good for people with sensitive stomachs. The concentrate is also good for making iced coffee (pour concentrate over ice and let it melt it, add cold water to taste), and the ability to make single cups is very convenient (I want house blend, she wants hazelnut).

Speaking of flavored coffees, this is where this method really shines, allowing both the flavored syrup and the coffee to come through harmoniously. Liz was especially impressed, and I doubt she'll like flavored coffee any other way.

The filters are a fine paper microfilter and are all of $2 for 360. When making multiple cups at the same time, I reuse the old filter. If you really wanted to save them, you could. According to the site, it takes about as much paper to make 2000 of these filters as it does to make an average city newspaper, so the input costs are comparatively low. Output costs are nil, as worms love coffee and paper, so I throw them on the compost pile and the worms eat them up (unlike those horrible plastic K-Cups).

Further, the Aeropress light, sturdy and portable so you can use it to make coffee wherever you have ground beans and boiling water. I will likely take this on my next camping trip.

In conclusion:

Does this replace the drip coffeemaker? No. Sometimes, you want to make a lot of coffee in an unattended fashion. A good drip coffeemaker is still necessary. Further, it makes a different cup of coffee. Without saying better or worse, it is just different.
Does this replace the French press? No. After all, I still use that to brew tea. Further, the fine filter of the Aeropress allows for a very "clean" grind, where the French press gives a much more earthy, rich mouth feel. Once again, not better, but different.
Does this replace the espresso machine? Maybe. I happen to like the espresso my machine makes, and the Aeropress turns out a slightly weaker cup without as much of a nice crema as the espresso maker produces. Plus, I'd need to get a separate frother for lattes and such, so I should just keep what I have.
If I could only have one apparatus for making coffee and only coffee, what would it be? The Aeropress. However, if we remove the "and only coffee" restriction, I would go with the French press, as it makes tea as well.
How will this affect my use of the drip coffeemaker, French press and espresso machine? The drip coffeemaker will now probably only be used a handful of times a year, because if I want a single cup of coffee, I'm going to use the Aeropress. The French press will be used about the same as it is now, because I really like the rich complexity and mouth feel which the press produces. The espresso machine will be used about the same because it makes a cup of espresso I like more. I may, however, use the Aeropress with flavored coffees to make flavored concentrate to which I add steamed milk and/or foam to make flavored lattes and cappuccino.

Update: Impressions after a couple of months

Since I've had this rig, I don't think I've used the drip coffeemaker at all. I just make myself a single cup of whatever flavor I want, and it's hot and quite good. I also make it this way for company, so they can have what they want at whatever strength they want.

As anticipated, I have used the french press - for making tea.

I think we've used the espresso machine about the same as we used to - to make espresso and cappuccino.

I have also had some correspondence with folks at the Aerobie company. A gentleman named Alex has this to say:

Matt,
Thanks for reviewing the AeroPress. A couple thoughts you might find interesting. The AeroPress is used by many in an inverted position for brewing tea. Also I am always surprised reviews that cover the French press don't at least mention the bad effect French press brewed coffee has on your LDL (bad cholesterol). I realize many people don't worry about their cholesterol but many do. Also many that don't worry about cholesterol now will regret not taking more care as they grow older.
To learn about the cholesterol question, Google "cholesterol and coffee." The first link that will come up in your search is the following.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htm
All the best,
Alex Tennant
Aerobie, Inc.

I've heard about the link between French press usage and LDL - the basic gist of it is that the paper filter interacts with or otherwise absorbs or filters out the badness (I've heard a couple of different theories in it). Of course, I am relatively unconcerned about cholesterol, as I expect the zombies to get me first.

Additionally, the inventor of the AeroPress, Alan, writes and says:

PS I've discovered that I can make AeroPress concentrate even stronger than my espresso machine. I use three scoops of fine grind and less water than normal. A gentle slow pressing takes about a full minute to run through.

I can't say that I have tried this.

However, I have tried adding a shot of coffee concentrate to good hot cocoa (made on the stove with milk, sugar and cocoa) and it makes for a great mocha.