Aeropress travails

[Tex]

Am I the only person who's had a cup break while pushing the AP's plunger? Don't use thin china.
Am I the only person who's tipped the cup over when pushing the AP's plunger? Use wide-based mugs, not tapered china cups.

I keep my AP with my storm gear; it, a vac pot, and a hand cranked grinder will get me through any extended power outages. But honestly, I wouldn't make this my go-to daily coffee brewer.

[milowebailey]

I broke a hotel cup in Korea with mine once...probably because the inside diameter of the cup was a few thousands smaller than the outside of the Aeropress, so there was undue radial pressure on the rim.... and it was very soft ceramic, kinda crumbled more than broke. otherwise never had an issue.

[Richdel]

I hate to answer "No" to your first question, since
Murphy's Law will come into play tomorrow morning.

No breakage or tippage here in exactly 1 year of daily multiple use.
Big thick ceramic mugs, and a steady hand.

[ecc]

I never broke a cup, but really didn't use it enough to have much risk of it.  To each their own, I never appreciated the faded americano taste.  I am just not a big fan of paper/poly filters, and the medical plastic aesthetic doesn't do much for me either.

That said, a Coava filter might be a big improvement, and should certainly reduce the amount of hand pressure needed.

[headchange4u]

Never broken a cup. I used the AP with paper coffee cups, styrofoam coffee cups, glass, Bodum double wall cups, ceramic, etc. and never had a problem. IMHO if you are pushing down hard enough to break a cup you need to adjust your grind. It shouldn't take all that much pressure to press the plunger. In the past I've used grinds that took so much force it probably would have broken some of the more delicate cups, but I've found that a slightly coarser grind works better and requires less force.

I have almost tipped a cup a couple of times, but I've never been past the point of no return.

I think I still rate the AP as probably the best all around brewer in my arsenal for several reasons:


First and foremost it produces a fantastic cup of coffee.
It's very forgiving with the grinder and grind being used.
Lightweight
Ultra-portable
Works with lower water temps.
Cleanup? Fugetaboutit.
Inexpensive
Versatile: makes lattes, americanos, & expresso (see video below for clarification)

Okay, I'll admit it's not the prettiest device in my arsenal, but still a pretty impressive resume if you ask me. Sometimes my AP sits used for long periods of time, but I always end up going back to it and it ends up impressing me all over again.

Aeropress: Looks awful. Works well.

[ecc]

Great, I just realized I have the BPA laden one.  Mine takes a bit of force regardless of grind, maybe the new ones are better.  It is an improvement if it doesn't say espresso maker on the packaging.

The aeropress uses short contact time, cooler water, and a paper filter to get all this nuance out of the cup.  I can't believe he didn't stir that after adding water to his cup!  A lot of people I respect continue to like this gadget, I must be in complete subjective denial...  

[YasBean]

I have never broken or tipped over cups, but have had several AP explosions when I thought of removing the plunger to add more water before having pressed enough water out.  Hotel room, office, and kitchen have had AP baths.

[rasqual]

Had an insane AP explosion once at work.

I can press into a paper cup, though.

If that sounds impossible, consider the first time you saw someone do an ollie on a skateboard.   

[rgrosz78]

I love the AeroPress for making iced coffee, and enjoyed it all summer. I did tip over a cup or two when I started using it ...

I recently had a hankering for iced coffee, even though it is freezing outside. I was dismayed to discover that I misplaced the big black "gasket" that screws onto the bottom of the AeroPress.