AeroPress- excellent coffee, right size for RVs

George has found the perfect coffee maker. It makes excellent coffee and is small so perfect for RVing. It's is the AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker. 

We were shopping at the food co-op in Mt. Vernon, WA. Upstairs, they had nonfood items like coffee makers. That's where George spotted it. This makes an excellent Americano and can also be used to make a latte. An Americano is made with espresso coffee to which water is added. I'm told that the caffeine is lower than a regular cup, plus making it with the AeroPress, you should heat the water to only 175 degrees, making it less bitter and acidic according to coffee aficionados.

The AeroPress has the three pieces, a scoop and a paddle. You will also need a cup. Beside the coffee cup is the main chamber. You unscrew the cap on the bottom, put in a filter, then add one scoop for a single espresso or 5 ounces of Americano. (You will use one ounce of espresso and add five more ounces of hot water.) To the left, the stand is used as a funnel to pour the coffee grounds into the chamber. You can use the stand later to set the chamber on. (See bottom photo)

Pour hot water slowly into the chamber up to the mark equivalent to the number of scoops of coffee grounds you put in. Stir the water and coffee with paddle (not shown) for about ten seconds.

The next step is to take the plunger, to the chamber's right in the top photo, wet the rubber seal and press down gently about a quarter of an inch and maintain that pressure for 20 to 30 seconds until the plunger bottoms on the coffee. "Gently" is important to get the best flavor.

If you have made more than one scoop, you'll want to take out about 1/4 cup of the brew to make an Americano. Put the syrup or brewed espresso in a cup, then add more hot water. Add a bit more syrup and hot water for a larger cup. Save the rest of the syrup for another cup. You can also make a latte by adding hot milk instead of water.

You can turn the chamber and plunger upside down and keep it on the stand while you enjoy your espresso or coffee. (below)

To cleanup, remove the cap, hold the plunger over the trash can or your compost container and press the plunger. Out comes a very neat "puck" of spent grounds. You can save the filter for reuse. Extra filters can be purchased from the company online or a store that carries the product.

You can see this coffee maker is small, compact and easy to use. The grounds pop right out into the trash, making cleanup easy. If you only want one cup of coffee or don't want to let it sit around, it is very convenient to brew just one, it only takes a few minutes. If you pull into a rest stop with your RV, you could easily go back to the kitchen, heat up a little water and have a quick cuppa. There are no glass parts so that is good for the RV lifestyle too. It's perfect for boondocking since there are no plugs; just heat water on your propane stove and you are ready to go. And, it takes little storage space. We recommend it! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Comments

[Denise from Ark]

So is this any different from a french press?

[Jaimie Hall Bruzenak]

Actually, yes, though there are a couple of similarities. First, you are making espresso concentrate. A French press makes coffee ready to go. Getting rid of the grounds is a lot messier in a French press- at least in mind. The AeroPress just pops out a dried plug right into the trash where I have to wipe out my French press.

The AeroPress is hard plastic and is much easier to store. My French press is glass so I continually worry about breaking it and store it in a box in the RV to keep it from breaking.

They both make good coffee. George thinks the AeroPress' Americanos are much better. I'd say they are better too, but both are better than Mr. Coffee.

Jaimie

[George Bruzenak]

I should add that I've tried about every type of coffee maker, from syphon makers (there's a couple on the market), the type that uses steam pressure to push the hot water up the tube and into the ground coffee, to just about every type of Mr. Coffee, all with varying results.

I enjoy coffee. The AeroPress is the first one where I can really taste the difference between coffees from around the world. And, there is a world of difference.

Also note: We, Jaimie and I, receive absolutely no compensation for writing about this coffee maker.