AeroPress Original Coffee and Espresso-style Maker, Barista Level Portable Coffee Maker with Chamber, Plunger, & Filters, Quick Coffee and Espresso Maker

I am starting to get older and the energy is starting to dwindle. I always hated going to those trendy coffee places to spend $4.73 for a latte. I am not a huge fan of coffee, but I have found myself loving cafe mochas. I don't love the price of them. I was shopping for something else when I saw this and clicked on it. I was kind of skeptical and don't usually buy fad stuff. I don't usually buy many things period. I must say though that I am extremely pleased with this purchase. The parts are very simple. 1. Coffee filter holder 2. Coffee stirer 3. Plunger 4. Filter piece 5. Coffee and liquid holding tube 6. Funnel 7. Measuing spoon I went to Costco and bought some decent whole bean dark roast Cameroon coffee for $10 for 2 pounds. I already own a coffee grinder. My recommendations for required items to make a good espresso and lattes: 1. Buy the filters on Amazon. They are cheap and work quite well. 2. Thermometer. I prefer a digital thermometer. Ideal water temperature should be 175 degrees. 3. Something that boils water. A simple pot will do. 4. Optional: something to whip the milk. A stick blender works good and a regular blender will work nice. You can also get one of those batter powered milk frothers. If you want a hot latte you will need to steam and froth the milk. 5. Optional: Chocolate syrup or cocoa powder and sugar to make your own if you want a cafe mocha. 6. A mug I grinded the coffee pretty finely. I used a basic electric grinder for 45 seconds. At the same time, I started to boil filtered water and placed the programmed themometer to beep when it hit 170 so i had enough time to get to it. I prepped the mug measured out one of the provided cups of coffee. It was about 1 tablespoon. I prepped the tube and plunger. I poured the hot 175 degree water in the tube and stirred for 10 seconds. I then inserted the plunger and slowly pushed down. As soon as you insert the plunger, air is forced down on the coffee and the filter and espresso comes out. You should aim to have the entire plunger pushed down so that it is on top of the coffee in 45 seconds (like I said...slowly). Bingo! I had my shot of espresso. I simply topped it off with about a cup of cold milk and I added some chocolate syrup and stirred. Wow, the latte (cafe mocha) was fantastic. It was so good that I made myself another and had a fantastic buzz that kept me up past midnight. Consistency wise, it was not the same as a coffee shop. I would suggest whipping the milk and pouring the mix over ice. The taste was superior to a coffee shop. It was not one of those close enough deals. It was clearly superior. The overall cost was about 60 cents including the chocolate syrup, milk, and coffee by volume. The total prep time was about 10 minutes from out of the box, washing, water boiling, etc. My second run took me about 3 minutes of prep and cleanup not counting the water heating time. I simply watch tv, read, or go online while the water warms. Overall, this is a fantastic product that is easy to use and clean and it is cheap to operate. I would not spend $300 plus on a espresso maker unless you are an elite coffee snob. I also would not waste money on comparable cheap espresso makers that cost $25 as those work horribly. I do not work for this company. Look elsewhere if you cannot follow directions. If you cannot follow directions, no coffee maker will offer coffee shop like experiences to you. Just go to your local coffee shop. After 7 cafe mochas, my device has paid for itself. Another bonus is that you can control everything. Soy milk anyone? Super low cal chocolate syrup made from scratch anyone? Cafe Mocha with calories I made? 5 for coffee, 120 for milk, 5 for chocolate syrup = 130. Simply awesome. Half the calories and one-eighth the price.

With the coffee amount & blend adjusted to my taste, I find that this AeroPress makes consistently delicious coffee. It's easy to use & clean. If you must have a good cup of coffee, as I must every morning, give it a try!

Wow! This is fabulous! Great espresso= great cappuccino. It is fast and easy,that's what I NEED. BACKGROUND: So I bought a small espresso maker with a milk steamer attachment 2 years ago and it is worthless. It takes too long, you have to stand there and manage your maker the whole time and you get one cup. We drink a 10 pot in a blink of Columbian coffee so it is just not worth the effort for one cappuccino,no matter if it's yummy,it's a rarity. Lucky it was a cheap machine relatively speaking. I am not lazy, I have major health problems and I have to put my "good time" to its best use, I have few treats and cappuccino is one of them, it makes me happy. But I cannot drive at the moment and it is costly to buy cappuccino or two, it's a budget killer. This press is 4-8 cappuccino's, cost wise. Add a hot frother and if you skip your fancy coffees for a couple weeks (for normal people who buy a lot of them), you can have them everyday. This is Fast, easy,accurate, consistent and makes great espresso. 1. Follow directions once and it is simple to remember,even for people who never made press coffee before,like me. Place filter,add espresso, shake or tap a bit, place on cup,pour boiling water into it,stir,place plunger in and push down slowly until completely empty. 2 minutes after you do it once, probably less than that. I use a cheap, large, electric kettle to have enough boiling water on hand to make several cups. 2. Taste- I am very particular about coffee. I buy the same brand pot repeatedly for $40, the same Columbian coffee for years and years, the same 1 1/4 cups for a 10 pot of strong coffee. I tried other pots and Coffee and always end up back with my favorites, and drink it black so I want my espresso to always taste the same, I want my cappuccino to taste the same every time. I am not flexible with coffee. This taste is consistently the same every single cup,depending on the brand, which is the main thing the changes the taste. The amount of water will certainly changes the taste but fill to #1,2,or 3, the same every time and is is consistently delicious. A coffee press? Who knew? I always thought it would be similar to instant coffee Yuk!!! But it tastes like coffee house espresso. I am shocked, still...25 cups later, I am still happy, not a single bad cup. 3. Easy to clean,simple parts. No tiny, intricate parts that make life difficult, just a plunger, an outer chamber, a filter chamber. There are other pieces but they are not necessary, they are preference based- scoop (perfect amount of grounds in my opinion), leveler (not needed), piece to place over the chamber when pouring coffee/water to avoid spills (not needed), filter storage tower (filters are small and stick together so the tower isn't needed because you still end up taking out a stack of filters and pulling them apparent). My only request would be that they make an additional chamber for the plunger with a wider edge so you can place it on a big wide short cappuccino cup (soup bowl looking kind) and one that has a narrower chamber edge for little espresso cups. However, it's really not needed, I make the max amount and press it into a regular coffee cup and then pour it into a cappuccino or espresso cup depending on what I am making. But these attachments would be a great replacement for the the filter storage, leveled, and even the shield/ funnel thing which I don't use either. Best money spent since my last regular coffee maker!

So far, this coffee maker has lived up to expectations and then some. I already own two drip machines (had one and got another as a gift), and I'm not a big coffee drinker, so I had mixed feelings about buying another. But I liked the thought of it being so easy to use and clean, not to mention making a better cup of coffee, one without the grinds in the bottom of the cup. I can't really speak to the quality of the coffee since, again, I'm not a big coffee drinker, and I have been using a bag of "expired," pre-ground, basic coffee. But it certainly does keep the crud out of the cup. Another thing I've noticed is that it is much easier on my stomach. Typically whenever I drink coffee, my stomach is upset the next day. I have yet to experience this when using the AeroPress. It's likely due to it removing so much of the acids from the coffee, but whatever the reason, it's great. I suspect caffeine itself is also to blame, as I've also had the issue with energy drinks, but not as often and, again, not with this. Another reason I decided to get this was for using it for traveling and camping. It's great for that, since it packs up fairly compact and all you need is your coffee and when you're ready to have some coffee you just heat up some water. I also like the idea I read in another review about making it really strong (which you can't do with a drip maker) and using it as concentrate, diluting it with hot water later to heat it back up and turn a thermos-full into several cups of coffee. I don't use the measuring cup or the stirrer (I just use a spoon, and you could even gently shake it), and I can't figure out what the top center piece in the picture is even for, so all I take with me when I go somewhere is the main unit and the funnel. They just fit, along with my coffee, into a gallon-sized ziploc bag. You can even stick the coffee into the center of the plunger piece to save room. I just wish they would make the funnel shorter (1/2 to 2/3 the depth) so it would stow away better. If they made the main part snap into the funnel, it would make the whole setup more secure when using and would allow the funnel to be shortened, I think, without negatively impacting it's performance. An oval version would also be great, allowing it to be packed flatter/better. That might require a removable round adapter to better fit a mug, or better yet make the top of the funnel oval, so in the flatter dimension it would be the same width, but it would pack flat and still work just as well. One thing I've learned is that you don't want to press all the way to the grounds. This seems to make them stick to the plunger so they don't fall out when opening the bottom over the trash. If you leave about 1-2mm of space between the plunger and the top of the grounds, they dump right into the trash as a solid chunk. Which is another great thing about this thing: no more trying to shake out the grounds from a drip maker filter then having to rinse the rest out in the sink, which isn't good for the disposal or septic and can cause clogs, not to mention is a pain. One final note. For those concerned about BPA, there are some things to keep in mind: - BPA has often been replaced with BPS, which is thought to be many times worse - The water is only in contact with the plastic for less than half a minute, so not much leeching will occur (though to be fair, it is hot water, and heat is what causes leeching) - Most, if not all, coffee makers have plastic parts which contact the water, and many even have reservoirs where the water sits for (relatively) long periods (again, to be fair, at least this is cold/lukewarm water) - Many homes have plastic water supply hoses that the water sits in while waiting to be used (again, cold water) That all said, a stainless (or better still, titanium) version of this would be great.

I am primarily an instant coffee drinker. But, I have, of course, had the pleasure of drinking ground coffee...and it does taste better than instant. I had also heard rave reviews for French-Press coffee makers, that they produced the best-tasting brewed coffee -- AND most of them are NOT electric, so this can save on both your electric bill, and the environment! After falling for one of those, "get a free laptop" ads, (I wanted to get one for my sister, who has no computer, at all, of her own right now), I found myself with an obligation to buy 2 shipments of ground coffee. (I know I could have returned the introductory shipment unopened, and not had this obligation...but curiosity, as always, killed the cat -- and the 20 or so 2-ounce samples of different grinds proved irresistable. So, I didn't return them.) But -- not having a coffee-maker to make this ground coffee in, I had to search for one.... I saw the "Aeropress" on Amazon, and it looked like a good deal, at a good price..... Well, there are good things and bad things about this coffee maker. I had never had a French Press machine before, (any ground coffee my parents made -- for special occasions, only -- was perked), and so I found the "tight fit" between the two main parts of the "Aeropress" something which I couldn't handle. I realized the tight fit was necessary, to get all the coffee flavour out -- but the two pieces are about half-a-millimeter in circumference difference, and too much pressure could easily lead, (at least when I made the coffee), to the whole assembly liable to fall over, and wasting the coffee, and my time. (This never happened to me, because I found another way, listed below, to make the coffee. However, I have always used the Aeropress Coffee maker IN THE SINK....so that, if any spills do occur in the future, at least I won't have to clean them up from the floor or table.) When I realized I couldn't use the Aero-press as it was meant to be used, I looked around for a substitute for the "plunger" part of the Aeropress, which, as I have mentioned, was far too tight a fit for me to push it easily through. The small, lattice-screen, on which one is to place a paper filter, and the assembly of which, one was to put on the bottom part of the Areopress, was OK, but this part is supposed to sit on top of "any" cup....yet I found the bottom was either too big, or two small, for the circumference of cups I tried to place it on when I tried to put it on. Realizing, though, that most manufactured items do seem to fit certain, pre-manufactured sizes, (as in the fact that the plastic top for "Sunsweet Prune Juice", also fits the plastic jug-jar for "TweeSweet Apple Juice", from different manufacturers), I looked around for SOME kind of cup or glass, into which the Areo-press latice-and-filter assembly would fit nicely.... After looking for about an hour, and beginning to despair of ever finding a receptical with exactly the right circumference into which my Aeropress lattice-and-filter assembly could comfortably nest....I finally found such a recepticle! It is the 14-ounce container given with the TRIBEST Blender, (which I have found to be a very good blender....see my review of same if you wish), which I had bought on Amazon about a year earlier, but which, sadly, does not appear to be sold on Amazon at this writing. (You can always go to [...], if you wish to purchase this fine little blender. And the 14-ounce container, by itself, IS still available on Amazon.) Anyway, the Aeropress lattice-and-filter "pod", fitted perfectly into the top of the Tribest 14 ounce container! After I had found that these two oieces fit together, the rest was relatively easy. First, I put the paper filter on the lattice "pod" piece. Then I put the lattice-and-filter combination on top of the Tribest container. Then, I gently placed the BOTTOM part of the Aeropress coffee maker, on top of this assembly, and then carefully added the ground coffee. When my water had just come to boiling, (but not overly boiled, as per the Aeropress instructions), I more carefully still, poured water through this top "tube" part of the Aeropress -- doing this still in the kitchen sink, of course, to make any accidental spill, (which I have yet to have), easily cleaned. THEN, INSTEAD OF USING THE TOP 'PLUNGER' PART, GIVEN WITH THE AEROPRESS, I SIMPLY STIRRED THE RESULTING LIQUID VIGOUROUS WITH A SPOON, AND PRESSED IT DOWN, WHEN THE WATER HAD DRIPPED THROUGH. I find this method makes a satisfying cup of ground coffee, and is easy to clean up! (I also rinse the filter immediately after disguarding the grounds....and find that, once dried, it can actually be used once or twice again!) The "Areopress" comes with a plasic storage piece for filters. I have not used it as such....but, upside-down it does make a dandy replica of the top, head-protection part, of a medieval knight's suit of armor! The coffee scoop, a long-handled affair with a round "bowl" type scoop, can, similarly, be used as an aid to the imagination. Besides looking like what it is....an Aeropress coffee scoop, I have also easily been able to picture it as a corn-cob pipe, a puppet of a Pilgrim lady going to church, (the deep, and rounded, black bowl makes this easy to see!), an American colonial-era cook-pot, a pendulum from a "grandfather", or longcase clock, (when held by the top of the handle, and swung back and forth), a Viking helmet, with one horn either knocked off or forgotten to be forged by the blacksmith.....and even, (if held with the bowl upside-down, and picturing the bowl as a head), Pinocchio -- who tried to escape into the Middle-Ages, and have a suit of armour made for him, but he couldn't hide who he was, even then!) So, this is not only a coffee-maker! It also is "an imagination stimulator"! (I mentioned how I had used it as such to my nephew, who teaches at a Montressori school. He was impressed by my idea, and told me he had decided to as his students to in other everyday objects, and give at least 3 alternate ideas on what, (if sized differently), they could also be. (So far, a pencil has been an Egyptian obelisk, a tree about to be felled, (upside down), and a basic piece from which Martian locksmiths make keys!) Good coffee....good imagination! Even if I couldn't use the Aeropress at first, I adapted it as I could....and got at least double my money's worth from it! : )

Well certainly the best coffee I've ever made myself! I'm amazed by the bad reviews - people obviously aren't taking the time to learn the easy steps involved. Yes, its more work than an auto drip and make less coffee than a French press but its worth it. Especially once you get the system down. Pure, smooth coffee love! The coffee produced by this device is the smoothest, most flavorful coffee I have ever produced in my house, and I've tried just about everything. Sure, it takes more time and effort than a auto drip but its well worth the effort. It is also slightly more work than the french press - but again I think the results speak for themselves. And an espresso maker? I can't see me ever pulling out that device again! Don't get me wrong, I still use my auto drip coffee maker but now I turn it on in the morning simply to make a pot of hot water that stays ready for my next cup. Things I've learned: 1) The best cup comes from good beans freshly ground in a burr grinder BUT you can make a really, really good cup even with pre-ground coffee. Yes, even Folgers tastes pretty good in the Aerobie. 2) My Melita FastBrew auto drip maker produces water just a little too hot for this process. So step #1 for me is to pour my water into my coffee cup, then measure out the grounds and set up the Aerobie. The 20 or so seconds I spend doing that is enough to get the water temp down to perfection (and it pre-heats the mug). 3) The directions say to use 2 scoops of coffee for each shot. That seamed like a lot so I tried less - once. You will use a LOT of coffee with this process but, again, it is completely worth it. I'm sure I'll at least double, maybe triple, my coffee expense but I will never have to settle for marginal coffee again. (and to think I used to think my coffee was terrific) 4) You can rinse off and re-use the filters a couple of times but after doing it I realized what a waste of time it was. The filters are dirt cheap - use a new one every time. Yes, if you drink a lot of coffee you'll go through a ton of them. But they come 350 to a pack - buy a few packs and you'll be set for a year. 5) If you want your coffee to taste like a cup from a french press then get the stainless steel filter. Personally, I think the taste with the paper filters is better. I bought the stainless steel filter because I read that the paper ones catch some of the flavor producing oils. Nonsense. I have noticed no difference in the taste. The only difference is that the steel filters let through some of the very fine grounds - producing a little (but very slightly) grittier coffee. Besides, the steel filters have to be rinsed after each use while the paper filters just POP right out - less work, quicker coffee drinking. 6) Cuban coffee fan? EXCELLENT CUBANO!!! One sugar packet in the cup and then push in one shot of espresso...perfection. 7) When measuring your water decide first how you are going to drink it. If you are making espresso, put 2 scoops of grounds in the chamber and add water directly into the chamber up to the "2" line. If you are making coffee then put your grounds in the the chamber but measure out 2 units of water in the plunger and then pour it into the chamber. NEVER use more than a 2 to 2 ratio - too much water in the chamber does start to pull some bitterness out of the grounds. For traditional american coffee just put hot water in your cup before or after you push the espresso in. 8) Recipe for the perfect start to the morning: 1 Cubano, 1 espresso, 1 (or 4) american coffee At $30 this has now become one of my new "go to" birthday/Christmas/graduation present for the coffee drinkers in my life. Get it, try it, love it! Just don't try to take mine!

I've owned two "prosumer" home espresso machines, but sold or gave them both away. They take up to much counter space, are expensive, and are fussy in the way of complex technology made cheaply. I've replaced them with a combination of this Aeropress and a "Bellmann Cappuccino" Moka-style pot. We've come to like the coffee from the Aeropress so much, that I only use the Bellmann pot for it's steam wand, using it to perfectly froth milk for latte's that are better than ones made by any coffee house barista. Make no mistake - the Aeropress doesn't make real espresso. But it does make perfect strong coffee for Americano's and latte's, which are the two my family drinks anyway. The coffee that the Aeropress produces is a delicious and as wonderful as the most favorable reviews imply. It can be as strong as you like it, without those coffee extractives from higher temperature extraction methods that cause the stomach distress and aftertaste. This coffee is strong and incredibly SMOOOOOTH. The Aeropress is calibrated in "shots". Grind one scoup of beans for each shot. Dump in the ground coffee. Add 175 degree water to the 1 or 2 or 3 mark, depending upon the number of shots you are making. Stir for ten seconds. Then press slowly with the plunger. I find no difficulty in pressing. No instability. No unreaonable effort. Now, pair this with the Bellmann Cappuccino, and you can make great latte. The Bellmann is not sold by Amazon, but you can buy it from Fantes.com. The Bellmann is a quality stainless steel Moka-pot that incorporates a steam want to let you perfectly froth milk. You can also use the Bellmann for making traditional Italian style Moka-pot espresso -- but with the Aeropress, I don't bother. My wife says my latte's are better than any she can buy in town. (She likes vanilla latte, and I make my own vanilla syrup with 1-1/2 C sugar, 1/2 C brown sugar, 1 C water, 1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract. This is a superior syrup because all commercial syrups are made from inferior corn syrup sweetener, which is used because it is cheaper than cane sugar.) The latte recipe is 1 to 2 shots of Aeropress "espresso", 8 ounces of 2% milk perfectly frothed using the Bellman steam wand, and 1/2 oz. to 1-1/2 oz. vanilla syrup depending upon desired sweetness. Vary the proportions to suit your own taste preference. 1 shot of coffee, and 1 oz of syrup is a good start. I have the Bellmann pot with the added pressure gauge. I recommend the pressure gauged model. The guage is a handy guide, and a nice reassurance of safety, but not mandatory if your budget is really tight, and especially if you are only going to use it to froth milk. Without the guage, simply heat until the steam just starts to bleed from the pressure relief valve, which on my unit happens at about 2.5 atmospheres, and which is well below the 3.5 atmosphere bottom of the red zone on the guage. The Aeropress and Bellman combo is not fast latte production, but we are a family of two, so we don't need high rates of production. Yes, this is a bit of a "fussy" approach in its own right, but at least it is low-tech fussy, and I now enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Even if you have a tight budget, the Aeropress is unbeatable as a economical way to make the best coffee you ever tasted. Plus, I think it is the best at any price. The Aeropress in combination with the Bellmann Cappuccino will let you make unsurpassable lattes, as well as passable espresso. I disagree with the folks that complain about the price. Being the owner of a manufacturing company, I can tell you that everything costs 3 to 5 times as much to produce as you would estimate. If you think it is so over-priced, just try to make one yourself in the garage. This is a well designed product and the manufacturer deserves to make a decent profit. I do agree with the suggestion to re-use the filters. When making breakfast for a big crew, I've used one filter a dozen times with perfect result. For less than $30, you should have no hesitation about buying the Aeropress. I also strongly recommend the Bellmann Cappuccino.

So far I'm loving the versatility of the Aeropress. Let me start by saying, I used to HATE coffee about 2 years ago. I went on a business trip to Italy for a few weeks and I figured, when in Rome. So I decided to give espresso another chance in Italy. The difference was night and day. Even vending machine Espresso was light years better then what you could ever find at a Starbucks or any of the other chain shops. So I decided to give coffee another chance. Tried espresso at numerous locations. Small cafe's, etc. Most of the small cafe's and specialty places did a decent job but wasn't the same. Only one place came close and it's 4 hours from where I live. Enter my quest to make my own cup. Now I wasn't ready to drop a few grand to buy all the proper gear to make an amazing cup of espresso. I started out with a blade grinder as a gift, moved up to a handheld ceramic burr grinder, and now have a medium-low end electronic burr grinder which does a decent job. I've also limited myself to french press and such because once again, I don't want to spend a couple hundred on a poor excuse for an espresso machine. One day one of my glass french presses blew up on me (thankfully I had it in the sink as I've heard this could happen when pouring in the hot water) and was on a quest for another option since I had another single cup option since I had another large (though stainless steel) french press. Enter, the AeroPress. I've only had it for a few weeks and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. I love that you can make espresso strength coffee as well as a regular cup. The paper filter does catch the oils which does tend to subtract a bit from the aroma and taste but it's still a really good cup. I say espresso strength and not espresso, because this is NOT espresso. The flavor is there, the strength is there, but it doesn't have that velvety mouthfeel or the crema, which isn't a surprise considering that comes from the pressure that's created from a good espresso machine. Now I would say this is a great addition to having a french press if you're used to that type of coffee. The main reason I say that is because this is primarily a single serving brewer. You can possibly get away with brewing for two a couple of different ways. You could always brew espresso strength and add water to create two cups or brew servings back to back. But anything more than that and I definitely recommend other brewing methods. Pros: Cleanup is EASY, take off the filter basket/cap, push the plunger all the way through over the trashcan to eject the grinds, remove plunger, rinse, repeat. No glass to break and the plastic is free from all the scary stuff that people are usually worried about with plastics coming into contact with hot liquid. Makes a great cup of coffee for the price of the brewer Versatile - makes numerous types of coffee styles Lots of recipes-info online on ways to brew with the brewer Great for travel as there's nothing to break Cons: best used for single serving brews (only one size, and one style available) Often described as making espresso, but it's NOT espresso Uses disposable paper filters (although metal are available, and soon a flexible plastic one that can't get damaged during travel)

I absolutely love the aeropress. Very easy and intuitive to use. When I’m running short on time, this takes approximately 30s to brew and make a quick cup of coffee. The aeropress is also very easy to clean. Once you’re done with the brew, you can easily pop out the puck and rinse the press under water. The product comes with a few filter papers (I think about 30 sheets) but best to buy a top up! I bought this with the air flow control cap to make espressos with pseudo crema! Absolute game changer.

easy to use and hassle free. original product and very sturdy

It's great

Kahve gayet güzel, espresso americano tarzı kahve seviyorsanız tam size göre. Ben daha çok dripper tarzı kahveleri sevdiğimden tadı biraz acı geldi ancak kahvesinden ya da yaptığım çeşitten falan olabilir hala denemeler yapıyorum illa sevdiğim bir tarz bulacağım. Kahve ölçeğini şöyle anlatayım, normalde kahve öğütücü ile bir kişilik seçeneği seçip dripper ile kahve yapıyordum. Bunun ölçeğini doldurmak için 4 kişilik seçeneği seçmem gerekti.

I am a bit of a coffee snob and have spent the last few months getting better at it. I typically drink espresso or French press coffee, and decided to try AeroPress. I got good results straight out of the box using the included instructions, but if you google the AeroPress world championships you'll find a number of recipes / techniques that produce exceptional coffee. Basically, you brew strong (about 1:4 ratio coffee:water) using a coarse grind for a short time (about 2 min) using the inverted method and then dilute to taste with water or milk. For milk drinks using a finer grind and/or a one-minute longer infusion time produce more 'espresso-like' results that I find pleasing. I've had better results with paper filters than metal screens, but I don't notice much difference moving up to the premium Aesir filter disks. Total coffee production time, including boiling enough water, is probably five minutes, faster than espresso (at least considering my machine's heat-up time) or a French press. I have now more or less retired my French press, and only get the espresso machine out on weekends. Also: clean up is shockingly fast and easy, a big difference from espresso or French press (at least if you're like me and make some effort to clean the elements each time you use it). I've also been learning to do V60 pour-overs, but getting good results from a manual percolation method requires practice, whereas an infusion method like AeroPress is more forgiving and easier to master (even if you're careful about grind, coffee and water weight, etc.). So, if you want to improve your coffee experience at home (without buying or pulling out an espresso machine or spending a lot of time perfecting your pour-over technique), AeroPress seems to me the way to go.