Aeropress Coffee Maker

Alan Adler, a Stanford engineering professor who has since retired, developed the AeroPress. He started working on the brewer in 2004 in order to make his morning cup of coffee less acidic and harsh. Using an espresso machine, pour-over brewer, and french press were all options explored by Adler, but he was disappointed by the little control he had over variables like brew time, water temperature, and coffee grind size. In his garage, he started making first prototypes of the AeroPress.

The brewer resembles a syringe in design, with a transparent cylindrical chamber and a plunger sealed with impermeable silicone. A tiny circular filter (made of paper or metal) is fitted onto the end of the tube and secured with a filter cap. A scoop and funnel for adding ground coffee, a stirring paddle, a tote bag, and a plastic container for filter papers are all included in the box.

Translucent plastic is used for the chamber and plunger, and it's coloured a grey colour for aesthetic purposes. Polycarbonate was the original material for AeroPress models until 2009, when they moved to BPA-free copolyester. In 2014, they switched to polypropylene. There was no BPA leached into the brewed coffee, according to the company's tests. The colour of the writing varied throughout time, but the overall look remained the same. A travel-sized AeroPress variant featuring a lower chamber capacity, smaller accessories, and a built-in travel cup was launched in 2019 by AeroPress, Inc.

Is Aeropress same as French Press?

One cup of coffee can be made at a time using an Aeropress, so it's great if everyone in your household wants a different flavour or if you simply prefer a portable manual approach.

A French press doesn't utilise pressure to extract flavour as an Aeropress does, thus it's more comparable to an espresso machine. Aeropresses work best with fine grinds and only take one and a half to two minutes to brew.

To get started, you will need to buy the Aeropress starter kit, which includes a brewing chamber, plunger, paper filters, and a lid for the filter. Coffee is put into the chamber, the filter cover is placed over the cup, and hot water is poured in.