The AeroPress Go coffeemaker is somewhat of an anomaly when it comes to great manual coffee brewing equipment. It isn't exceedingly attractive, shiny, or gear-lust-worthy. It wasn't invented by a Japanese craftsman or a World Barista Champion, and its original intended use isn't really how anyone uses it these days. So, what's all the fuss about anyway? The secret lies in its portability and versatility.
Gizmos and gadgets a-plenty
Remember that part in The Little Mermaid when Ariel sang about all the human trinkets she had collected?
"I've got gizmos and gadgets a-plenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty! But who cares? No big deal, I want more."
Well, the deeper we fall in love with coffee, the easier it becomes to amass quite the collection of coffee gear. Before you know it, your kitchen counters (and cabinets, and drawers) can to look like Ariel's cluttered underwater keepsakes cavern.
Trust me, I'm drawn to shiny new toys as much as anyone (especially if they brew coffee), but when I'm out of the house for travel, camping, or just visiting the in-laws, it just isn't practical to bring all my "thingamabobs" with me. Nor are many home coffee brewing tools easy to use in the woods, beach, or hotel room.
What if there were one brewing device you could take with you wherever you go and excels at producing just about any kind of coffee you'd want to brew? There is, and it's called the AeroPress Go.
What is an AeroPress?
The AeroPress has as unlikely of an origin story as any coffee-related product on the market. AeroPress is the brainchild of inventor Alan Adler, best known for his previous work with Aerobie, a manufacturer of frisbees among other sports toys - yeah, that Aerobie. Originally released in 2005, AeroPress was conceived as a simple and affordable way to brew espresso-like coffee beverages. A small, tube-shaped brewing vessel is matched with a tight fitting, rubber-ended plunger to mimic the process of espresso extraction. Think of it as an oversized syringe without the needle and you get the picture.
Mr. Adler, a tinkerer and inventor who holds 40 patents, wanted to find a way to brew a good cup of coffee with reduced bitterness and a quicker brew time. He found that a full-immersion brewing technique like a French Press created a fuller, more rounded flavor profile while the high pressure extraction from a plunger pushing the water through coffee in closed chamber could speed up the brew.
Suffice to say, the coffee industry didn't immediately embrace the strange looking plastic coffee maker from an inventor of toys. Over time, however, this started to change. As Adler and his team demonstrated the AeroPress at trade shows, the proof was in the cup and word began to spread.
As coffee geeks are wont to do, people began experimenting with the AeroPress, finding new and creative ways to use it to brew. In 2008, the first World AeroPress Championship was held in Oslo, and continues to grow in popularity every year. In 2018, our nearby friends at Ren Tao Roasting even held a well-attended regional AeroPress competition in Sedona!
Recently, AeroPress released the "AeroPress Go" model, which in the opinion of this writer, is the best AeroPress yet. The entire product - complete with paper filters, cup, stirrer, and brewing device - nests within itself for a singular, easy to carry item, making AeroPress a truly portable all-in-one solution for brewing great coffee on the go.
What does AeroPress coffee taste like?
AeroPress is a hybrid brewing technique - part immersion brewing and part high pressure extraction, with a paper filter for a clean cup. What does that taste like? Well, unlike a French Press that will always produce full bodied and rich coffee, or a pour over that will typically highlight a coffee's brightness and acidity, AeroPress brewing techniques can be adjusted to result in just about any type of cup profile. In fact, the AeroPress can even brew outstanding iced coffee!
If all this sounds complicated, don't worry - it's not. Brewing coffee with AeroPress can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be, and with just a few simple steps anyone can brew a high quality cup.
How to brew AeroPress coffee
Ironically, AeroPress was originally designed to brew espresso, but to be honest, that's not what it does best. Most coffee lovers and baristas these days use a variation of one of two AeroPress brewing methods: Standard and Inverted (upside down). We've got a section of our site entirely dedicated to coffee brewing guides, and we'll be continually updating our site with AeroPress brewing recipes, so be sure to check out our tips and tricks for AeroPress brewing, as well as our other favorite techniques. To get started, however, here's a great simple recipe to get you started from legendary Norweigan coffee roaster, Tim Wendelboe:
- Rinse the paper filter with running tap water for a few seconds.
- Use 14 grams of freshly fine filter ground coffee
- Pour 200g of water at boiling temperature over the coffee.
- Stir 3 times.
- Place the plunger on the Aeropress in order to prevent the water from draining through the filter and let the coffee steep for 60 seconds.
- After 60 seconds of steeping time, take the plunger off and stir 3 times back to front.
- Then place the plunger on top of the Aeropress and press the contents into a large cup or pitcher by using your body weight. (Don’t over press)