4.8
March 24, 2013

Press a Cup for Love: AeroPress Coffee Maker Review. ~ Ali Geiser

The AeroPress technique takes a minute to master, but boy is it fun. Here, the author caffeinates her fellow rock climbers in Joshua Tree National Park, California

When you make someone their first coffee of the day, you say “I love you.”

Oh how many fond morning memories to be found in that first sip of coffee, wild with heat, bright as the sun, softening the breaking day by extending the luxury of night. Now today you may have bedecked the altar of love with a muddy cup of percolated espresso obfuscated in sweetened condensed milk, or a copious bowl of watery drip, but imagine you could provide an offering near as perfect as that crafted by the handsome local barista—without investing in his machinery? Any time, any place, in about two minutes?

Meet the AeroPress Coffee Maker. This strange-looking little device makes coffee so smooth and rich, that I’ve sent several people racing to Amazon while enjoying their first cup. The method—created by Aerobie (yes, the flying disk) inventor Alan Adler and now the star of its own iPhone application—is designed to create ideal brewing conditions without heavy machinery.

The fine grind, lower water temperature, and short brew time required with the AeroPress result in a complex cup low in bitterness and excess acidity and free from grit. It’s as easy to make one serving as four, there is little clean up, and the paper filters are tiny, making for very minimal (and 100 percent compostable) waste. A reusable off-brand metal filter is also available. Perhaps the (BPA-free) plastic housing of the AeroPress is a little off-putting, but keep in mind that your coffee is only in there for about 40 seconds. As someone who takes their coffee-making accoutrements virtually everywhere, I admit I appreciate the AeroPress’ tough, light construction. In fact, it’s the best on-the-road brew method I’ve yet to encounter.

In response to the question of how to make love stay, Tom Robbins wrote:

“… Wake love up in the middle of the night. Tell it the world is on fire. Dash to the bedroom window and pee out of it. Casually return to bed and assure love that everything is going to be all right. Fall asleep. Love will be there in the morning.”

I’d like to offer an alternative: Let love sleep in. Tell it that you’re going to press pause on time. Tiptoe off to the kitchen and brew a cup of strong, dark coffee. Casually return to bed and wave it under love’s nose. Hand the cup over and slip back under the sheets. Love will be beside you tomorrow morning.

Note: elephantjournal.com received this AeroPress for free, in return for a guarantee that we would review it. That said, we say what we want—good and bad, happy and sad.

 

I’m a poet and a troublemaker, and I’ve sought and told many a fortune. Some call me a Renaissance woman, some call me crazy; I prefer the term gypsy. Roaming free through star-warmed mountains and dark-lit city streets is how I find my thorny bliss, and I won’t complain about a heavy pack or empty belly as long as wild winds scented with love or pine or soul-taut whispers are tickling my skin. While honing my gypsy skills, I’ve served as managing editor for Westcliffe Publishers, helped eco-magazine elephantjournal go national, worked for Martha Stewart, documented an illegal humanitarian aid mission to Cuba, and claimed a Guinness world record with Carmen Electra. I’ve got a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder, I’m a Notary Public for the fine state of Colorado, CPR and First Aid certified, and an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. Once, I baked a wedding cake to serve 200 people, and it was damn good. Take the metaphorical peek inside my underwear drawer at novapops.com.

Feature photo by Susanica Tam. Check her website.

 

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Asst. Editor: Edith Lazenby/Ed: Kate Bartolotta

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