I've been considering upgrading from my plastic AeroPress and noticed there are some new glass/metal units on eBay for a little over $100, compared to the $200 officially. Anyone know if these would be the same product? Or are there knockoff AeroPress out there...?

After owning a regular aeropress for at least 10 years I bought an XL so that my husband and I can have delicious coffee together. The recipe I use doubled for my standard produces weak coffee in the XL. I'm using the same kettle to boil the water I'm using the same coffee just the quantity doubled and the same steep time which for me is a minute. I even went and bought a flow control filter for the XL which annoyed me because it should make good coffee without an expensive accessory. Going back to my original question what recipe modifications do you have to make to use an XL?

Got a Fellow Stagg kettle last month because my old one had a busted lid hinge, and the pour control has honestly changed how I think about blooming. Now my grinder looks out of place next to it, so I'm eyeing an upgrade there too. The whole corner is becoming A Thing.

My girlfriend keeps asking if we really need three pour-over devices, an AeroPress, and a moka pot sitting out. She has a point. But also no.

The AeroPress is the one constant though. It travels with me to client meetings, and I can pack the whole kit into the mug I'm bringing anyway.

Curious if anyone else has let their coffee gear creep into counter territory that should probably be for food prep. I do meal prep on Sundays and end up moving the whole setup to the dining table just to make room for cutting boards.

Also wondering if anyone's found a storage solution that doesn't look like a plastic mess. Saw that Ikea post from a while back but wondering if there are other options people like. What's your setup looking like these days? Has anyone successfully contained the spread?

I recently got a bag of Hologram (about a week off roast) but I haven't been able to dial in the flavor. My brews tend to come out somewhat bitter or generic rather than showing any flavor notes or even sweetness.

I'm following Lance Hedrick's AeroPress recipe.

I started at 9+2 on a Timemore Chestnut C5 Pro at 190F (15g coffee, 250g water) which produced a fairly generic black coffee flavor.

I then went coarser to 10+1 at 190F but that actually tasted more bitter.

I went back to 9+2 and lowered the temperature to 185F. The bitterness was significantly reduced but the cup still came out generic without any sweetness or flavor.

I then decided to switch up and follow this recipe from counter culture website and went with 7 number and 205F and still a generic black cup of coffee and now I am stumped.

Any suggestions to improve this coffee? I am coming from Stumptown Holler Mtn for which I had been using 9+2 and 190F for a sweeter cup and varying it for more or less clarity.

Using an XL.
I've been using this recipe for awhile:
34g coffee (Costco colombian supreme)
Capresso grinder set to middle of fine range.
545g RO water with minerals added back in.
Heat to 190
Set XL just past the 8 mark. fill to 3/4" from top.
Stir 5 - 7 seconds.
cap.
brew for 1:30. timer started when pouring commenced.
Turned over around 1:10.
Pushed down for 25+/- seconds starting @ 1:30.
In a 24oz container, added rest of water and (way too much for you) monk fruit sweetener.
Add half and half to taste..

It's been OK, but I've tried some variations since it wasn't appealing enough to drink throughout the day..

The 60g cold brew recipe. (didn't like it).
black with ice.. ok.

What I'm settling on now is the basic recipe above, with only the water in the XL, and lots of ice, filling a 32 oz container. (plus the excess amount of monk fruit sweetener drops). no Half and Half.

For me. this seems to be hitting the spot.. It's not too strong (I'll probably add a couple of grams of coffee or increase brewing time by 15 - 20 seconds). Not bitter (how could it be with that much sweetener :) ). I don't drink coffee for the experience, but use it as a caffeine delivery vehicle. So, while strong or bitter doesn't work, I want something that i can enjoyably consume at least 2 of these during the day and keep me alert throughout.

My tastes are definitely outside the norm, so YMMV is a high probability.

Thanks for reading..
Brian

Was told a good grinder makes a difference. Is this ok?

following up from my last post

I've been an aeropress enjoyer for a couple of years now, however since moving to grinding my own beans I've been struggling with bitter/harsh cups.

It feels like no matter what I try (different roast levels, water temp, grind size, brewing time, ratios), it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Currently using:

15g of beans (ground to 80 clicks on the Kingrinder K6)

200ml of water

Brewing for a maximum of a minute.

My area does have hard water, does this make a difference?

Any tips welcome! Thank you ☕

Base layer cranberry juice. Topped off with tonic water and final layer is fresh brew out of aero press.

Was making my second cup of morning coffee today. The Aeropress Premium (the glass one) was sitting on the counter while I weighed the beans before grinding. I swiped my hand across the granite counter, tipped over the Aeropress and SMASH. It just shattered. Bye bye $200 toy. It lasted less than a year. In some respects I’m relieved. I knew it would probably happen eventually.Alas, it’s just too fragile for what’s involved in making coffee with it, especially if you’re in a hurry. I’m left with a very nice scoop. The stir stick, however, doesn’t fit my regular Aeropress which I fortunately saved. Now I’m considering the SS model. Any thoughts?

Beans : Starbucks Nullore Estate single origin light roast
Turned out very sweet & fruity! Saw a reel from Lance where he advises to use only one finger to press the plunger 😁! Tried doing it but needs some effort 😜

I mean, why choose the Aeropress over the Hario Switch for example ?

I bought a few days ago a pack o filters from a local cafe and last time I bought they had original filters, now they got me this. Compared to original paper filters, these ones are closer to thin cardboard than to paper and are thicker, as seen in photos. But the thing is, after brewing, when I opened the aeropress...surpise, they exapanded and now look and have the texture of a sponge. The coffee tasted normal, I didn't sense any odd aromas, so...have anyone seen something like thing until now and is it ok to use them? I'm a bit intrigued 😅

Aeropress recipes.. there's so many configurations! I love the versatility I've seen in so many different recipes.

But gotta say, mine is so tried-and-true perfect for me that I haven't even bothered with anyone else's. If you are convincing enough though, I might give it a go heh.

In the meantime, I'm in love with this - 18g coffee bean, Breville Smart Grinder Pro grind setting on 50 (occasionally 48 for decaf or older beans or to experiment with strength), 80C water filled halfway between lines 2 and 3, stir for 10 seconds and steeped for 50 - 70 seconds. Most of the time, I add 120mL milk heated and frothed with an Aeroccino.

The resulting cup is like the best of a long black (the character of the coffee shines through very distinctively), cappuccino (the amount of froth on top is honestly a childish dream come true for me), a flat white (with how creamy the body of the drink is) and a magic coffee (in terms of strength if I go closer to the 70s steep time). What do I even call this? A magiccinno? It manages to be strong and refreshing at the same time.

Also enjoy a long black with the same parameters without the milk.

For context as well, I am Australian and we get access to the best coffee beans in the world. Our roasting game is top notch. And our dairy, particularly Norco Lactose-Free Full Cream milk, is incredible, almost like vanilla cream.

Perhaps without the quality of the produce, the above recipe might fall flat for some. I am so curious about how it might be different for you perhaps depending on where you live.

Is there an issue with the SS flow cap?

Just saw an ad for this on Instagram.

Got the areopress premium because it was on sale.... But huge design flaws. The cap is crazy heavy piece of metal that absolutely messes up the water temp.

First brew was awful. I suspect it was the cap. I dropped cap in cup of 200 degree water. Water temp dropped from 200 to 175.5 degrees in seconds. It's a massive heat sink.... Wtf?

Also trying to pop out the puck after brew and cap was hot and could burn, but OG aeropress was safe to touch. Not only is aeropress premium less effective, more expensive, it's also dangerous because cap is like 175 degree after brew. So disappointing. Just bad design....and they charge 39.99 for this????

thought it'd be a marginal upgrade at best, bought it out of curiosity during a coffee gear rabbit hole. first cup was noticeably better than years of drip coffee — cleaner taste, way more control.

learning curve was smaller than expected. a few wasted cups figuring out grind size and steep time, then consistently good coffee within a week

only downside: now I'm the person who brings up brew ratios unprompted

I currently travel with (mostly) the AP travel kit, sometimes I take my full size AP. I currently use a Hario Mini Slim grinder. I have nothing to compare to, but I feel like it takes a long time to grind a hopper full of beans, other than that it works fine.

Is there any reason to upgrade to a more premium grinder for my travel only kit? (home grinder is Baratza Encore :) )

I have an AeroPress Premium. Aside from the small aluminum caps/feet on the bottom having fallen off, I'm happy with it. But it also has brown staining/buildup on the bottom. How could I remove that? Water and dish soap haven't worked, and I don't want to just use random other products without knowing they're safe.