There is a new way to make coffee that combines the best points of filter coffee and french press. It is called the AeroPress, and its made by the same people that make the Aerobie flying ring toy thing.

A french press allows maximum contact between the water and the grounds, which gives good flavor extraction. Pushing the plunger forces water through the grounds which gets that little bit more flavor. The down side is that it also forces all the tiny coffee particles that are too small to be stopped by the plunger into a fine suspension. This causes a few problems. First of all, you get cloudy coffee with a layer of sludge at the bottom. This is primarily a cosmetic thing. Second, the water stays in contact with the grounds so the extraction process continues. This means that more of the bitter oils are extracted from the beans, leading to bitter coffee. Also, oils tend to float, so the first thing you pour into your cup are those bitter oils.

Drip or filter systems have other problems. Few, if any, electric coffee makers get the water hot enough for good flavor extraction (it should be about 190 degrees Fahrenheit, NOT boiling.) Also, the water rarely stays in contact with the coffee for the recommended 4 minutes before it drips into the pot. These problems can be partially fixed by manually pouring hot water over coffee in a filter cone, but the timing problem remains. On the plus side, when the coffee drips into the pot, it is crystal clear because it has been filtered, and extraction is done.

The AeroPress looks like a giant (2 inches across!) syringe, with perforated black plate at one end. To use it, you first unscrew the black plate, insert a paper filter and replace it. It comes with 350 filters, and 350 more is only $4. Then, you stand it up on top of your mug, and add coffee grounds (a regular drip grind works best). Here is where things get weird, because you are about to break all the rules I just listed above. You pour in 170 degree water, and stir for 10 seconds with the included paddle. Thats too cold and not long enough, but trust me, it works. Next, you insert the plunger and push the coffee into your mug. You have just made between 1 and 4 shots of espresso, depending on the amount of water and coffee you used. The handy coffee scoop provided also holds a standard espresso shot if you want to divvy them up. I shoot all four into my mug, and top it off with hot water to make a giant americano. Cleanup is a matter of unscrewing the black perforated plate, going over to the trash, and pushing the plunger the rest of the way, which pops a coffee puck out. A quick rinse, and you are ready to brew again.

OK, so if it breaks the rules, why does it make good coffee? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First, you use a lot of coffee. This means you get good extraction of the flavor before you pull the bitter oils. Many people don't realize that using too little coffee grounds makes your coffee thin and bitter, because you end up pulling everything out rather than just the good flavors. Second, you push your coffee through a paper filter, so it clears and extraction stops. Finally, remember how I mentioned that the bitter oils that do get extracted float to the top? Coffee from an AeroPress drips out of the *bottom*. Any bitter oils end up back in the coffee puck after I push the plunger down, not in my cup.

There is a video showing it in use at the AeroPress website (google it!). They can also be purchased from Amazon, and MoreCoffee.com

Learn more about this author, Keith Anderson.
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