I hope that she won’t mind my mentioning it, but one of my daughters-in-law is even more of a gadget connoisseur than I am. It was she who recommended the Aeropress coffee maker. It also comes highly recommended by Has Bean coffee.
Now you can’t go to France on a camping holiday and drink instant coffee, can you? So I had every excuse to buy one to produce our breakfast café au lait.
It also does a very nice grand crème and a fabulous Americano.
Here’s how it works:
Stand the Aeropress upside down, wet the filter paper, and grind 20g of coffee.
Add hot but not boiling water to wet the coffee, and stir for 10 seconds.
Fill with hot water, and screw on the filter holder. Brew for half a minute. Meanwhile heat two mugs.
Invert the Aeropress onto a mug, and press gently but firmly. Air pressure expresses the coffee through the filter.
Remove the filter holder and the used filter paper and puck of coffee grounds press straight into the rubbish without any mess.
And you’re left with enough smooth tasty strong coffee for two.
In summary, I love this machine. It’s extremely quick and easy to use, mess-free and easy to rinse clean, and produces one or two shots of dark rich smooth coffee, stronger than a French press or filter, not quite as strong as an espresso.
Do I have a criticism? Just a couple. I love my espresso, and if anything the Aeropress takes away that edge of bitterness that makes espresso so addictive. But maybe that just me being a Philistine.
And there are too many bits. OK, the basic machine is just two halves and a filter holder, but there’s a stirrer and a scoop, and a filter paper holder, and the pack of papers, and a funnel as well. You can get a bag to keep it all in. If you’re as disorganised as I am, that’s essential!
And the little coffee grinder? It’s a Hario Ceramic Slim, and is just the right size to match the Aeropress. It too is highly recommended.
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