AeroPress Original Coffee and Espresso-Style Coffee Maker with Tote Bag, Barista Level Portable Coffee Maker with Chamber, Plunger, and Filters, Quick Espresso-Style and Coffee Maker, Made in USA

This is quite simply the best cup of coffee I've ever had. I was at a coffee roaster about a week ago and the owner of the shop told me that if I really wanted to get the best flavor out of the beans I was buying, I needed to try an AeroPress. He seemed like he'd been around coffee for his whole life, so I took his word for it and ordered one as soon as I got home. He wasn't lying. The first cup of coffee I made was a really dark roast espresso, and it was the smoothest espresso I've ever had.To operate the AeroPress is incredibly simple, and it cuts several minutes out of my morning routine because of how fast it is. The genius behind the AeroPress is that the coffee grounds are only in contact with hot water for a matter of 10 seconds. You just drop your grounds in, then pour in some hot (but not boiling) water, stir for 10 seconds, and press the plunger to force the water through the paper filter. It's that simple. The pressure generated by the plunger allows the water to soak up all the wonderful coffee flavors without heating them to the point of getting a bitter cup.Cleanup is a breeze as well. You just unscrew the filter casing at the bottom and push out a cake of grounds into the garbage or your compost pile. Nothing needs to go in the dishwasher, cleanup took me all of 15 seconds.Beware, this may turn you into a coffee nerd. You may find yourself wanting to buy other tools after you experiment with the AeroPress. For instance, I started grinding my own beans so that I could really take advantage of the AeroPress' versatility. I'm also planning on getting a pour over kettle with a built-in thermometer, so that I can heat my water to the exact temperature rather than going too hot and scalding the beans.Bottom line is that the AeroPress is far and away the best bang for your buck when it comes to making a coffee-house quality cup. You could spend a few thousand dollars on some fancy Italian machine, or buy the AeroPress for a tenth the cost and just as high quality.

I've always loved making coffee.First of all, please excuse this long long post, but it's well worth the read if you're looking to purchase something portable, easy to clean, versatile, and fun to experiment with (Yes, I'm still talking about the AeroPress).The French press gives you fantastic coffee and should never be undervalued. But the French press also takes more time waiting than I would prefer, and gives very little room for error to achieve a good brew. Keep your coffee in the press for an extra minute, and all of a sudden you've got an over-extracted coffee. In a hurry and need to run to work? French press doesn't care. French press waits for no one, and takes its time - like an entitled French bulldog.If you're a fan of the Chemex or other pour-over methods, I was never on that bandwagon, but I can appreciate the "go do your thing while it does its thing" mentality - you pour your grounds and your water in the pour-over receptacle, and just let it work its magic while you go brush your teeth or walk your Golden Retriever (open the front door and wait for that telltale scratch to open it again). That's exactly what the Chemex is - A Golden Retriever. You open your front door, aka pour the grounds and water, and walk away until it's ready to be opened again in the case of the door, and drank in the case of the coffee.This baby here, however, is no entitled French Press/Bulldog, needing constant and persistent attention, nor is it a Golden Chemex/Retriever, doing its thing while you do yours (with consistent but relatively mediocre results).The AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker (frankly it's no espresso maker if you want to drink the shot as an espresso - more on that in a minute) is a well rounded easy to use versatile machine that I can only compare to a bred and "born trained" German Shepherd.The recommended dosage you get with the AeroPress is good on its own, but is no word of god. Think of it as a starting block to initiate you to your journey of amateur artisanal home coffee-making.While you are technically able to make an espresso shot with the AeroPress, it does not give you the same results one would expect in a real espresso shot from an espresso machine; ie: no creamy delicious texture with foamy coffee hug floating on top.You CAN, however, make the espresso shot you need for the base of many drink such as cappuccino, or cafe latte (basically the same thing, but the latter is missing the prior's custom made milk mustache we all used to love doing as children).You can also make a normal American coffee similar to pour overs (but oh so much more heavenly and delicious) by adding hot water to the espresso shots.Suggested dosage:I personally like using espresso ground coffee (or even turkish, depending on my mood), and pouring 2.5 hefty teaspoons into the AeroPress INVERTED (filter side up, with the filter plug-in removed).I then bring 12 oz of water to an early-simmer, or around 93-95*C, and fill the AeroPress to the max, right before the filter line.I then proceed to paddle my way through the coffee grounds, stirring for 10 to 12 seconds, then top the AeroPress with the filter and press firmly. It should all pour into the mug in about 7 to 10 seconds.I then top my mug with the leftover water from the 12oz, which should be about the same amount as you poured into the AeroPress (6oz into the press, 6oz into the mug).This yields a not too strong, but definitely not average strength cup of coffee.If you want a Cafe latte, like my girlfriend does (and so does my mother as a matter of fact), then fill the AeroPress with 2 to 4oz (depending on the resired strength or final color) of hot water, and press it firmly into a mug.Next, microwave 8-10oz of milk (don't need to be exact) with a half teaspoon of honey (or 1tsp sugar if you want to be unhealthy) for about 1-1.5 minutes depending on how hot she likes it (most women don't like it too hot, but hotter than warm. If it's warm, it's not warm enough. If it's hot, it's too warm. Once you've mastered the temperature skill for your significant other, congratulations! you've mastered 5% of what her emotional roller-coaster seems to be from a man's perspective). I digress.Once you've warmed your milk, look up a few million youtube videos on how to make a heart shape or a flower, etc... which is what I did to try to be romantic and creative.Or skip that step and pour the milk into the coffee - Let's face it, you're not going to succeed at making that heart! But the flavor, I can guarantee, will be mind-boggling!Cheers guys, happy crafting!EDIT: The best feature of this little baby is how easy it is to clean. Takes about 3 seconds flat. Cheers.