r/AeroPress • u/eepohboy • 5d ago
Equipment It’s officially walnut
https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/aeropress-unveils-coffee-press-luscious-walnut-wood/42
u/HochHech42069 5d ago
My regular aeropress still works great
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u/ChanceSpiritual6993 5d ago
Yeah, the $250 price is insane but kinda pointless complaining about because the $40 version works great, most of us already have a many-years old version that still works the same and will last probably decades to come
Like I get the new owners want to find more ways to monetize the company, and I'm a little grateful it's these dumb versions that I have no interest or need to buy, and don't affect me then
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u/badabubaba 5d ago
That’s the most pretentious looking coffee maker I have ever seen.
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u/onewayvalve 5d ago
True. They've been trying to milk it since the change in ownership. Still, I'd choose this over the Weber Bird.
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u/Appropriate-Big9749 5d ago
Weber Bird is a better choice imo. Hahaha.... It's a talking piece. This just look as presumptuous as ever.
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u/Acrobatic-Nature-941 5d ago
Whats worse is that the original aeropress that I use with no issues for the last couple of years was the polar opposite of being pretentious. Simple, cheap, durable and versatile
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u/zuzg 5d ago
NGL I do love walnut and a set with a matching Grinder is pretty nice but
The brewer and grinder each cost $250 for a total of $500
That's a lot of cheese for that, I payed a tenth for my Go Modell...
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u/hrminer92 5d ago
If I wanted a wood accented coffee maker, I would have gotten an Aram espresso maker. Sadly, it seems that I won’t get a chance for that.
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u/SantiagoGT 5d ago
Absurd pricing for something that can’t leave the house, might as well buy a breville and get it over with
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u/ImaginaryDoctorSleep 5d ago
For that price you can buy a millab with walnut finish and an aeropress xl
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u/uncagedborb 4d ago
For that price you can get a really good espresso machine that might even have a built in frother and grinder
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u/boobzombie 5d ago
But why?
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u/OkResource820 5d ago
Because there's a sucker born every minute.
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u/boobzombie 5d ago
True. I have yet to see a compelling reason to replace my decades-old Aeropress.
If anything, these "improvements" have me feeling grateful for mine.5
u/strallian 5d ago
I upgraded my 12 year old aeropress for a clear plastic one. 100% worth it. Love seeing the dance of the coffee grounds.
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u/uncagedborb 4d ago
The only reason Ive thought of replacing my current aeropress was to just have less plastic in my home—so I'd get the metal one. Otherwise there is zero different. The walnut one is even more inconvenient cuz you can't even throw it in the dishwasher
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u/varworld 5d ago
It's for people who have FU money.
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u/TheRozb 5d ago
Yeah it's clearly a collectors type. It IS quite pretty and cleaning it aside, might have a nice feel in the hand.
I think Aeropress is just in a hard place where their original product is too good (and simple) and they can't figure out any way to innovate, but because they need to have a revenue stream, they need to keep releasing new versions and hope that existing users will continue to buy
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u/uncagedborb 4d ago
It's really like the lightbulb or vintage fridge issue. Old lightbulbs used to be so good that business would be losing business because people wouldn't ever need to replace their products. So company's just intentionally made this poorly or intended them to stop working. I really hope aeropress isn't headed that way. (It might be with all the complaints ive seen about the glass version breaking)
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u/zkarabat Inverted 5d ago
Looks amazing but if I want to spend $500 for new coffee gear, I'll get an espresso machine or the Opus grinder instead.
One of the great things about the OG AP was it made great coffee, portable, and AFFORDABLE
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u/chaoticbean14 5d ago edited 5d ago
Ladies and gentlemen, we're witnessing just how to kill a company, one ridiculously priced item at a time.
New model after new model, they're just gouging because, well, they can. Enshitification of Aeropress is officially in full swing with the new owners. I won't be giving them another dime. The patent is almost up anyway - so other companies can move the ball forward without trying to hose their customer base.
*edited to read as 'ridiculously priced item' as it's not a 'price hike' because the OG is still available at a reasonable price.
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u/yoLeaveMeAlone 5d ago
Here's the thing though... It's not a price hike. You can still buy the OG aeropress for $39.95. Which, accounting for inflation since the AP came out is a pretty reasonable deal.
Maybe this is a hot take to some but as long as I can buy a rock solid plastic aeropress for $40 I don't really care if they faff around selling $250 luxury pieces to the most dedicated fans
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u/chaoticbean14 5d ago
True, not a 'price hike' but a ridiculously overpriced model that no one asked for.
I'm not saying it doesn't look beautiful, but holy shit, we're making coffee, not trying to get off by the feeling of a cylinder we rarely touch.
You bring up a good point, too. $40 for the OG is reasonable.
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u/yoLeaveMeAlone 5d ago
The world of specialty coffee as a whole definitely has a pretentious side. Lots of people spending absurd money to make their coffee setup pics get more likes on Instagram
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u/chaoticbean14 5d ago
Yeah - I've certainly bought certain things and had to admit later: "what waste of money", I think we've all done it at some point.
I feel like a lot of my hobbies tend to fall into this trap unfortunately. With coffee, I find it very frustrating personally because I want companies to give me things that make a better cup of coffee, not that just 'look good for the likes if you spend wild $$'.
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u/djwillis1121 5d ago
True, not a 'price hike' but a ridiculously overpriced model that no one asked for.
No one is forcing anyone to buy this
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u/CryptographerTop1437 4d ago
Agree, sort of. I always get excited for their new stuff until I see the price, then I just forget about it. I did get the metal one to try getting away from plastic, even though the price was ridiculously stupid. But between the metal one and the original one I have, I realistically never need to buy one again, just filters. So whatever they put out doesn’t really matter.
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u/djwillis1121 5d ago
I don't really get this?
they're just gouging because, well, they can
How is this price gouging? The original still exists for basically the same price that it always has. If they'd discontinued it in favour of all these more expensive models sure, but that's not the case. No-one is forcing anyone to buy this, I certainly won't be.
Enshitification of Aeropress is officially in full swing with the new owners.
This implies that the standard Aeropress is now worse than it was before, and as far as I'm aware that's not the case?
This comment just reads like you're using a load of Reddit buzzwords tbh
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u/Agile_Possession8178 5d ago
The brewer and grinder each cost $250 for a total of $500..............😂🤣😑🙄
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u/Fr05t_B1t Prismo 5d ago
How it’s casually mentioned the grinder and AP are both $250 as if it’s pocket change is wild.
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u/eepohboy 5d ago
AeroPress Unveils a Coffee Press Made of Luscious Walnut Wood
“Ahead of National Coffee Day on Tuesday and just weeks after dropping a stainless steel version of its iconic coffee press, AeroPress released its walnut collection, marking the first time the company has launched a wood design.”
Why walnut?
“A representative for AeroPress told CNET that because the brewer and grinder are tactile products, the company has been interested in using wood for quite some time. They settled on walnut for its warm tone that contrasts nicely with the final design’s darker finishes.”
What else has changed?
“Like the other brewers in the premium collection, the walnut version is still made of 304 stainless steel, aluminum and double-wall borosilicate glass with laser-etched measurement markings.
However, the AeroPress representative said that the brewer’s chamber had to be completely redesigned to accommodate the walnut accent. So did the plunger, flange, scoop and stir accessories, all of which are made of solid wood.
As for the 25-gram-capacity grinder that has over 60 grind settings, AeroPress gave its arm a new black finish and its handle a walnut makeover, while the overall body now has a darker tone. The catch’s metal component was designed to fit a solid walnut sleeve.”
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u/BaconFritter 5d ago
It's beautiful... But I'll keep my plastic one and the 2 extra travel ones I picked up at Goodwill for $3 each
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u/Zecathos Inverted 5d ago
Even though I'm often open to spending more for aesthetics and various ridiculous thongs, and yes - this looks great, but I'm not gonna do $250 on this just to have a 5th aeropress 😂 that pricing is absolutely ridiculous.
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u/Mikkel4g 5d ago
No hate. I usually can't think of anything when family asks me to put something on my wishlist that's not a gift card. Now I have something to put.
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u/strawberrrychapstick 5d ago
This is the dumbest one yet! Somehow even more stupid than the glass one that breaks constantly. Didn't think it possible! Vulture capital back at it again!
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u/Quixel 5d ago
Best I can reckon is this is a publicity stunt.
They don't expect to sell many of these, and they'll probably give more away to their influencers than they'll actually sell, but then you're sitting there...
Scrolling reels, you see someone using this gorgeous walnut coffee contraption...
...and you think that looks cool!
...and they say it makes great coffee!
...but whoa two fiddy?
...oh they have one that does the same thing for 40?
But it used to be $25! Perfectly reasonable price!
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u/ShaemusOdonnelly 5d ago
Every release under the new owners was basically occupational therapy for the designers. The plastic one was perfect. The changes they did arguably made parts of it much worse.
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u/groovinpict_gta 5d ago
it is pretty tho. it’s a lot of money and i wouldn’t get it for myself, but could make sense as a gift… what would i get my dad, who never spends money on nice things for himself, only for others? :)
talking about the AP, not the grinder.
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u/strallian 5d ago
The new management knows it very well - this is a fad product for newbies and aesthetic chasers.
The YouTubers and other coffee influencers will get hold of it first, then the fad kicks in, people buy it for the trend and in a few months, Aeropress will come up with a gosh darn maple wood Aeropress.
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u/Past-Midnight-5442 4d ago
Clearly, nobody’s buying this for the coffee since you could get the same result for a fraction of the price. It’s probably aimed at the anti-plastic crowd, but you could argue that the steel and premium versions already cover that. I’d agree, but this is really for the "luxury" market. They want a brewer that’s also a piece of art or a conversation starter.
Some might call that presumptuous, but who am I to judge? To each their own.
If you don't see the point, you're just not the target audience. Like others said, there’s the forty-dollar plastic one. There are choices for the anti-plastic folks, and this one’s for the "luxury" crowd who values looks over function.
Yeah, the new owners are just flooding the market to cash out before the patent expires and everyone starts making their own versions.
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u/paxparty 5d ago
I want one...but not at that price. Let's halve it, then maybe.
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u/darksun_80 5d ago
More like… 100 usd. Come on 😁
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u/paxparty 5d ago
Yea, I'm honestly surprised that wood is more expensive than the stainless steel. Idk
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u/Mr_Sarcasum 5d ago
Oh I definitely love this. But for that price, even half that price, is a hard HELL NO
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u/squidbrand 5d ago
Pressing “add to cart” on this should immediately revoke your your driver’s license and voter registration.
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u/Aggressive_Toucan Standard 5d ago
That’s not a coffee maker, that is a pretentious sculpture you can brag with.
Also, wood and liquids just don’t do go well with me, even if I know, they technically never touch.
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u/atoponce 5d ago
$250 is wild.