Am I right in thinking you can make four ‘espressos’ at once?

yep

I want one for our camping trip.. my wife is resisting.. 🙁

Yep 4 “espressos” there is nothing to resist.

I take it backpacking as my luxury

yep, simple & easy

I use it more at home than camping, threw my stove top espresso maker in the camping kit instead. You can get them in the Maxx for under a tenner on occasion, hopefully your purchase review limit is over that 😉

4 shots – really? so four scoops of coffee? brew for how long?

Yup 4 scoops. I usually let it brew for about a minute ie as long as it takes me to faff.

I’ve never quite got the Aeropress adulation thing. I’ve got one at work which I use every day and it does an adequate job, the grounds don’t flush up the side of the gauze like they do in a Cafetiere. But it doesn’t perform miracles or anything. Don’t quite get the reverence which some people bestow on it.
It’s a fairly simple solution to a fairly simple problem.

It’s a fairly simple solution to a fairly simple problem.

So they’re cheap, simple and effective – is that not exactly why people like them?

I got the missus one as a backup when the espresso maker went in for a service. Quality seems good enough. It will be going in for camping/travelling as it’s much easier quicker and cleaner than any of the other options.

I’ve never quite got the Aeropress adulation thing.

What he said. However, I will throw my sleeping bag overboard to make space for my http://www.handpresso.com/

Ah.. handpresso are better? Prohibitively expensive in this case though I think.

Handpresso actually makes espresso, and not just some strong filter coffee. Downsides are:
a) expensive
b) uses Illy ESE pads(*), which are expensive and bulky but make great coffee
c) heavy
d) only makes one at a time

Despite all that, I love it 🙂

(*) EDIT – you can get one that uses normal ground coffee

It’s a fairly simple solution to a fairly simple problem.

It’s a fairly simple solution to the problem of making a single cup of filter coffee, and I would say it’s better at that (cleaner brew, less clearing up) than a cafetiere, but it is not in any way an espresso maker.

(and yes I have tried it using proper espresso grind and proper espresso water volume, it just really is not the same thing)

I’ve played with a handpresso (a mate has one). It makes something much closer to espresso than an aeropress, but an aeropress makes a better quality filter coffee than a handpresso makes espresso, if that makes sense…

but an aeropress makes a better quality filter coffee than a handpresso makes espresso, if that makes sense…

Yes, but if espresso is what you want … 🙂

What I want is good coffee whilst camping. Aeropress seems to fit the bill. Other option is a stove-top pot, which I already have, but it seems to be far slower than using an Aeropress.

I’ve got both the Aeropress for home and the Handpresso for work and occasionally at home. The Aeropress is definitely the quickest and easiest, and makes better coffee than a caffetiere, however the Handpresso makes the best shot though. If you go for the Handpresso wild it’ll also take ground coffee aswell as the pods.

To get the best out of an Aeropress you need to grind your own beans too. Supermarket “for all” grinds are too coarse and their espresso grinds too fine, although the latter is probably best of the two.

At places such as Artisan Roast you can buy an Aeropress specific grind. This is something I’ve been trying to replicate with my hand grinder, just about there I think….

I agree with Aeropress ? Espresso. But it’s better than a cafetiere and maybe a Moka pot in my opinion.

I’d vote Aeropress for camping

I got one to take camping a couple of weeks ago. Once I’d got over the initial “twenty quid for a few bits of plastic” shocker, it’s actually remarkably good.

There may well be better ways of brewing coffee, no doubt for “proper” coffee I really need beans passed through a stoat and then ground between the thighs of an Eastern European pole dancer, brewed in a genuine pre-war Italian espresso machine using polar spring water dripped off the nose of Chris Bonnington, but I tell you what; in terms of faff-free, mess-free making of fresh coffee the Aeropress is hard to beat.

Nescafe freeze dried instant or supermarket equivalent, problem sorted unless you love the pretentiousness, which is why I’m guessing these things are so popular?

I hate instant coffee and love actual coffee.

Why carry something I hate?

I could carry smash for carbs but I don’t does that also make me prentious?

Nescafe freeze dried instant or supermarket equivalent, problem sorted unless you love the pretentiousness, which is why I’m guessing these things are so popular?

No it’s because instant is horrible and real coffee is nice.

Took mine to Yorkshire whilst camping and had some admiring comments from the waft of my coffee so best thing I packed. On using the Aeropress I use the inverted method myself and find one and a half scoops of fresh ground is enough courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/providero

Inverted method?

Actually, that’s a point.

The gadget itself is ace, but the instructions were pish. What’s the point of the 1-2-3-4 graduation markings on the plunger, can anyone enlighten me?

Cougar inversion method… Turn it upside down with plunger in. Add cofee and water, fix filter on then turn over into cup. Benifits… Its not pouring through.

I think the plunger graduations might be to portion said espresssos.

What’s the point of the 1-2-3-4 graduation markings on the plunger, can anyone enlighten me?

Number of shots I thought. One scoop of grounds per shot, top up with water to the mark.

Aeropress is not espresso, just looks vaguely similar written down. Makes a nice shot of coffee though, and that’s all I ask of it.

The 4 marker is where I fill it to using normal method or where I put the plunger using inverted method

I generally follow this – http://vimeo.com/63530954
but without using scales or a timer. Did it a few times weighing everything and timing, then just guess now. I know where 15g of beans comes to in the grinder hopper, I know where the amount of water comes to in the press, around 4.

Benifits… Its not pouring through.

Ah! Cunning, ta.

I think the plunger graduations might be to portion said espresssos.

This is my “unconvinced” face.

I think cougar is reffering to the extra numbers on the plunger.

The 4 marker is where I fill it to using normal method or where I put the plunger using inverted method

… on the body of the outside bit, yes. I’m talking about similar markings on the plunger itself.

I am not ver convinced either but its the best i couldcome up with.

on the body of the outside bit, yes. I’m talking about similar markings on the plunger itself.

You have to make them line up otherwise the coffee won’t be as good 😀

Whats the longest you have used a filter for?

2weeks for me. Use, rinse, dry.

Is that a bit tight?

Is that a bit tight?

I’m going with yes.

I’ve got a stainless steel filter for mine, so I don’t have to carry around the paper filters.

I keep intending to get one of the metal filters, where did you source yours?

You pour kettle water into the plunger up to your shot number. Dip thermometer in and wait to hit your target before pouring it onto the grounds. I’ve always done this its in the instructions?

Aren’t these just a variation on the French press, only with the added ‘benefit’ of a paper filter?

joshvegas, on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Filter-AeroPress-Ultra-Stainless-Coffee/dp/B00A1GVVMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404743840&sr=8-1&keywords=aeropress+steel+filter

However, given your paper filter strategy, it’s probably going to be around 2048 before you run out of the ones they supplied you in the box.