Have you heard of the AeroPress coffee maker? I hadn’t. But when I got an email from Aerobie asking if I wanted to try it out, I happened to be reading it out loud in my living room. Chris was in the room and literally jumped up off the couch. “THEY WANT TO SEND YOU AN AEROPRESS!! OMG OMG CAN I HAVE IT?!” Woah. I wrote right back telling them I’d love to try it out. Chris was still asking if he could have it. “Could you let me try it first, please?!” I finally responded. Clearly, he was a tad bit excited.
And how could I not be excited to try it out after hearing his reaction? So, I received the product and opened up the box. My first reaction was that it was a bit complicated. But no, Chris assured me it would be a breeze to use and agreed to help demonstrate it.
Here are all the pieces of the AeroPress set out, along with our coffee of choice, water, and our favorite Bodum double-wall glasses. We can talk more about those later. Swoon.
We decided to use one of my favorite coffees from Starbucks fall line; their Italian Roast (which Starbucks lovingly sent me!). Everyone knows you need to start the coffee-making process with a good high-quality coffee…
But not everyone knows that the method in which you make the coffee is also extremely important. But after they use the AeroPress, they will!
Chris kindly demonstrated the various parts. Including the cute little microfilters that keep your coffee particle-free.
You simply place your microfilter in the bottom cap and twist it closed.
Place two scoops of coffee (with the lovely Aeropress scoop) into the chamber.
And then stand the chamber on your mug and and pour hot (175 degree-ish) water into the chamber.
This takes a lot of concentration.
Now, stir the water for about 10 seconds. And insert the plunger into the chamber.
Gently press down about a quarter of an inch for about 20 to 30 seconds, maintaining the same amount of pressure.
And watch in wonder as your coffee slowly drips into your glass or mug.
And then sip away and enjoy some of the cleanest-tasting coffee you’ve ever had. This coffee was seriously strong and awesome. I was literally stunned by how much better this tasted than the coffee we make in our drip coffee maker (and we have a really nice coffee maker!). Oh, and you can also make a pretty fantastic espresso with this, too.
So, why is the AeropPess better than other coffee makers? For lots of reasons! Here are a few: All of the coffee grounds contact the same water temperature and the brewing process is short and sweet. This means no bitterness is extracted from the coffee grounds.
Also, I always notice if I’m making coffee in my drip maker and I want a cup quickly and pour it before it’s done brewing, the coffee is SO strong. But the coffee that brews at the end of the process is incredibly weak. The AeroPress uses total immersion, which means all of the grounds come into contact with the same water temperature and the brewing process is super short. AND furthermore, the pressure from the AeroPress extracts extra flavor from the coffee grounds. Perfection!
Clearly, I am a fan. The other amazing thing? The AeroPress is SUPER easy to clean, unlike a typical French press. To see more about the wonders of the AeroPress, check out their Amazon page. And their rave reviews! Many claim it’s the best cup of coffee they’ve EVER had! In the meantime, I should tell you I’m also obsessed with our Bodum Double Wall Glasses. They keep coffee hot (and cold drinks cold!), but because they’re double walled, they don’t burn your hand at all. Even better, they don’t sweat! Which means Chris can stop anxiously following me around our apartment with a coaster. Also, they’re pretty. And I’m pretty sure I now need them in every shape and size.
After we made our coffee, Chris asked me about a thousand times if he could bring the AeroPress to work. But, you know, I want to be able to make good coffee in our home, too. So I purchased a 2nd AeroPress right away and included it in his already coffee-oriented birthday present (his birthday was yesterday!). And today at work? He took this photo:
Yes, that is his desk at work. And no, he does not work at a coffee shop. Clearly, I’m marrying someone who loves a good cup of coffee as much as I do. Life is good.
AeroPress Giveaway!
So, now that you’ve heard me rave and have seen how amazing the AeroPress is, you probably want one for yourself, right? I mean, think about how much brighter your mornings could be! You could even have a desk set-up like Chris’s if you’re really obsessed. I’ll be picking one lucky winner to receive an AeroPress of their own! All you have to do is leave a comment on this email letting me know your idea of the perfect cup of coffee by Tuesday November 22 at 11:59 p.m.
For an extra entry, follow us on Twitter. And for another one, tweet about this giveaway! Make sure you come back to leave another comment letting us know.
Good luck!! And if you don’t win? The AeroPress is only $25.95 on Amazon, which is a small price to pay for the best coffee maker ever (think about how much a good drip maker costs!). And I speak from experience when I say the AeroPress makes a very good gift. And the holidays are coming up! 
[Sues]
A steamy cup of strong black coffee on a cold winter morning before the kiddos wake up! I love the flavors in coffee so I have taken mine black for many years. I have thought about investing in french press for a long time!
i love my coffee with a dash of french vanilla creamer and two (small) teaspoons of sugar! Especially on cold day when I need some motivation to get me out of the house
My perfect cup of coffee is Ritual coffee (a local roaster) made with a manual drip cone. I prefer their Ethiopian beans.
Super dark coffee. I like intellegensia brand.
I love a rich, bold coffee – italian or french roast. It’s the only thing that gets me out of bed on a cold morning.
i only recently started drinking coffee. i drink it for flavor more than for caffeine. but i really like black coffee! or with a little bit of milk… i don’t really know much about coffees yet, because mostly i drink it when other people make it haha
following you on twitter!
tweeted you too https://twitter.com/#!/isahrangme/status/137398728641351680
Being easy to clean is so important!! I totally want a cup. Ifeal coffee cup is coffee with soy and stevia
I love medium roasts with a splash of cream.
I want this! I recently tried a french press and am loving that! My perfet cup is strong but not bitter, no aftertaste, a little milk and some truvia!
I’m taking myself out of the running because I love just pressing the brew button on my Keurig (although I’m sure tasting a rich pure cup of coffee would change me for the better), but I think our households are a lot alike because Gus jumps up and down when Nintendo sends me anything!
Medium roast is my favorite, and I take it black.
my perfect cup of coffee is fresh, fair-trade coffee with vanilla soy milk!
My fave cup of coffee is flavored and creamy
I like my coffee black and hot – preferably on a lazy morning without work!
I also follow you on Twitter! (@sarahweddle)
Twitter follower
Tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/marciebeth/status/137516819119489024
you have an awesome blog here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my blog?
I love flavored coffees with a tiny dash of cream, no sugar.
Also, I follow you on Twitter (@ahealthyjd)
My perfect cup is hot and strong with a little milk and sugar sitting at the table reading with the morning sun shining on me.
Following
My perfect cup of coffee is a very strong french roast with a touch of cream, sugar and cinnamon. Delicious!
I have a super long commute so I definitely need a great coffee maker!!
love Peet’s French Roast…still take it with cream, but hoping to one day go to straight black!
My favorite coffee is Einstein’s pumpkin coffee with a splash of half & half-YUM!!! Fall in a mug!!!
I’m totally intrigued! My perfect cup is hazelnut black. I have a Bruegger’s bottomless cup membership for the year for all you can drink hot or iced coffee, tea, fountain soda…I get my money’s worth
My favorite cup of coffee is hot and dark with a splash of cream, preferably on the weekends with my husband and dogs. I’ve come a long way since my grandparents used to make me “coffee milk” (basically milk, lots of sugar and a splash of coffee) as a 5 year old!
I guess it’s the cup I always request at Starbucks: grande Pike’s Place roast with nonfat milk and one and a half (not one, not two) Equals. Perfect amount of strength and sweetness!
I love a Red Eye — strong coffee with a shot of espresso!
My perfect cup of coffee is strong, flavorful, has a splash of cream, and is made by someone else!
This would be the perfect accessory for my desk! I currently own a Keurig at home but find it too costly to buy coffee everyday at 3pm when that headache sets in. I would definitely make people jealous with my own brewing system!
Plus, it would be a sweet birthday gift.
A cup of warm hot coffee with a not so strong but not too week flavor and a bit of cream and sugar with a hint of vanilla flavoring sometimes or just plain when I really need to get going.
My perfect cup of coffee?? The first one of the day! Some days, the thought of that first cup of coffee in the morning is the only thing that gets my butt out of bed and into the office!
Also, I follow you on twitter! @natties10
I love coffee on a Saturday morning with a little sugar and a whole bunch of cream.
and I already follow you on twitter.
Tweeted
I love a nice strong cup of pumpkin spice with skim milk on a fall day!
This is amazing! Amazing that you can have a fresh ground cup of coffee every morning at work!
and of course I follow you lovely ladies on Twitter
Thank you!
I love pumpkin spice, so this is my fave time of year
Definitely a hot cup of dark Italian roast with a little Sugar…sooooo awesome! And a great way to start the day!
My favorite way to enjoy a cup of coffee is with my best friends on a fall day on the Charles River bike path in Waltham, MA. (We don’t bike, we just like to walk along and enjoy the changing leaf colors and the water.
Sunday morning, hot cup of coffee at my parents house, overlooking the water and the sheep fields, Sunday New York Times. The best!
I already follow you on twitter and tweeted about this giveaway too!
l love my coffee hot, dark, and strong YUM!
The perfect cup of coffee is the one that’s made for you while you’re still in bed.
I love the darkest, strongest coffee I can find.
right now it’s an eggnog latte!
great water is a must folks!
I like Green Mountain’s Coconut with a bit of cinnamon.
Oh and I tweeted.
Something that smells good, hazelnut or french vanilla!
My perfect cup is the one I can drink at home, on my couch, while reading the paper or catching up on blogs!
we’ve had our aeropress for a year now– you’re right! it’s the best coffee EVER. (i disqualify myself from any winnings, haha– someone else needs that coffee maker!)
Oooo I’m a coffee addict, but my favorite has to be cafe a lait with a sprinkle of cinnamon. YUM!
I also tweeted about your giveaway: )
Starbucks French Roast with foamed skim milk!
From a scienc-y perspective it definitely sounds like a better cup of coffee, but I have to admit, I am the laziest coffee maker so I’m not sure I’d do all of this in real life. I’d be curious to see how this compares to french press.
My favorite coffee…drinking it from a big bowl like mug while on vacation.
Best coffee….pressed pot of Kona at the Poly Resort at WDW.
My perfect cup is Dunkin donuts that I don’t have to make myself!
I’ve never heard of this method and I’m curious to try it out! Also, I like your sweater.
My perfect cup of coffee would be a medium roast, vanilla spice coffee with milk foam on top.
I already follow you on Twitter, so I tweeted about the giveaway.
My perfect cup is mroe about the atmosphere…I love having my coffee by myself, early-ish, on a weekend morning before my husband wakes up and its just sunny and so quiet
I follow you on twitter too!
We have a Bunn at home and it works pretty well, but I’ve never been as excited about it as Chris was about the Aeropress, so maybe I’m missing something. I actually love getting coffee from Dunkin Donuts. Somehow they always put the right amount of cream in the coffee.
Oh, I wanted to mention that I like your sweater too. =)
Perfect cup of coffee = Starbucks Cafe Verona, medium fresh grind, in a French Press, no cream, no sugar (Although now that I know about this, I might have to throw the French Press to the Side!)
My perfect cup of coffee is at Sant’Eustachio in Rome. But I don’t get to have it very often often.
I would love to own this!! We are in the middle of no-where and this would really step us up in the world!!!! Love your blog!!!
Coffee with a splash of half and half and a bit of honey….yes I said honey!
Starbucks Cafe Verona with half & half and one sugar. Mmmmmmmm
My perfect cup…the cup I have with my Husband’s family in the morning. Any meal with family is the best.
Perfect cup of coffee is when it is well needed and purely enjoyed! I love the smell of fresh grounds and just wrapping your hands around the hot mug. I digress. Half spoon of real sugar and a splash of creamer (flavored if it’s regualr coffee or regular creamer if it’s flavored coffee). Repeat!
A cup of Illy medium roast coffee. Yum.
I love Chris’ reaction
I’ve never heard of the Aeropress either but love a good cup of coffee in the morning with a little fat free half & half.
Wow, this sounds very interesting! I love french press coffee so I would love to try the Aeropress out!!
I love my coffee strong (I usually use a french press) with just a bit of half and half. I’d love to try this!
I love a dark dark roasted coffee out of my french press but i recently broke the spout and have been pouring my coffee thru a sieve in order to avoid the (admittedly slim) possibility of glass shards in my cup-a
the perfect cup of coffee is when my husband makes it
I like a dark or medium roast with organic half and half and a couple teaspoons of raw sugar. Although if it’s really good coffee I can sometimes do without the sugar. I’ve wanted to try French press for awhile but I haven’t purchased one.
I love the coffee I got from coffee farmers in Honduras while on a mission trip there, with a little bit of milk and about 2 teaspoons of sugar!
I’m following you on Twitter
Oooh I’m drinking coffee right now! Starbucks kcup- I put some high quality dark chocolate in the bottle of my mug to make it even better. Love our keurig, but our french press is pretty awesome. I was falling asleep at 5pm so I decided to splurge
I have been drinking cold brew iced coffee and have not switched over to hot – too lazy to bring out the coffee pot! I don’t like clutter on my counter and if it’s not being used – it’s not out.
Starbucks’ Pike’s Place with steamed soy and 1 Sugar in the Raw, please. Yum.
My perfect cup of coffee is super strong, hot, and with just a touch of cream.
Following on twitter!
Dark coffee with a little sugar and a little frothed milk is my fave. I have to say this would be my ideal birthday gift since my birthday is the 22nd
Love those double wall glasses! My perfect cup of coffee is decaf these days (yes, I gave up caffeine). I still make coffee because I love the whole ritual, though. Some milk and maybe some caramel or hazelnut syrup is perfect!
The perfect cup of coffee has a little coconut milk and is sipped on the couch before anyone else in my apartment wakes up!
I love an Italian Roast like you. I was getting ready to buy my third Keurig (because two have stopped working!) until I read this. You have me really thinking about this little contraption. I have a french press, but I hate the grounds that end up in your cup.
My perfect cup of coffee is any kind of Rao’s coffee with Coconut Milk creamer and one Truvia. LOVE. Have it every morning too.
I follow @Wearenotmartha on Twitter!
I love a fresh cup of french vanilla with skim milk, sugar and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top!
tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/DeeGee13/status/138069098352492544
My perfect cup is fresh brewed with french vanilla creamer and sugar. Yum!
I follow on Twitter @MommaStaciA
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/MommaStaciA/status/138092071767646208 Thanks!
My perfect cup of coffee is french vanilla with a little splenda and 1% milk! Have it almost every day.
I also follow you on Twitter!
My perfect cup of coffee would be a a medium/ dark roast. No sugar, milk or cream, just the pure coffee taste.
I would have to say my perfect cup of coffee would have to be…..on a cool fall morning sitting on my deck (I live in Maine) bundled in a throw and enjoying the peace of it all…and yes I am a sap,lol. Oh and it has to be hazelnut starbucks. Fingers crossed
I have a coworker who has one of these and loves it! I actually don’t drink coffee (the horror!), but my Hubby loves coffee – hazelnut to be exact.
I love a strong cup of coffee. When I make it at home, I grind my own beans in the dry container of my vitamix. I use a similar single cup filter that sits atop a cup but it’s not as fancy as that aeropress! I dress my cup o’ joe up with some maple syrup to sweeten it and usually use some kind of nut milk. Sometimes, I’ll even stir in a spoon of cocoa for a homemade mocha. mmmm. coffeeeeee.
My perfect cup is a black cup of coffee with some milk
I love a nice hot cup of organic coffee with a splash of organic cream and a teaspoon of unrefined organic cane sugar.
Following on Twitter as @HappyMothering
Arabian Mocha Java, prepared in a french press, served black. Yum!
Susie – you are so flippin’ cute! Looking at a photo of you makes me feel so happy that I’ve known you for so long via the blog world. And look how successful you are! You rock, girl!
with good quality chocolate stirred in!
HOT coffee with vanilla creamer!
this looks like it makes amazing coffee like the Italians make!!
a hot cup of freshly ground medium roast coffee on a lazy weekend morning
My perfect cup of coffee is flavored and just the right strength – not too strong!
Following you on Twitter
(@LindsayInNYC)
Retweeted – https://twitter.com/#!/LindsayInNYC/status/138665067058167808
French roast!
the perfect cup of coffee is the one my husband makes for me and brings to me while i’m still in bed on a Sunday morning!
as always, following you on twitter! (@tatabex)
tweeted about your giveaway! http://twitter.com/#!/tatabex/status/138767064885239808
Black with some cinnamon sprinkled in!
I’m a fan of the french press, so I’m eager to try this…
I follow you guys on twitter!
My ideal cuppa coffee is w a shot of hot soy or almond milk on top and a little sprinkle of cinnamon
Thanks for the chance to win. 
With chocolate flavored creamer!!
Tweeted about the giveaway…!
Tweeted about the giveaway
Am now following you
Thanks & looking fwd to what you have to say.
I follow y’all on twitter
How did I miss this post and awesome giveaway!! If I don’t win, i totally need to buy one. I drink my coffee (dark blend, usually from the K cups at work) with one cream and one sugar!
I follow you on Twitter!
and I am about to tweet about the giveaway…
I love a great robust coffee, slightly sweetened!
I follow you on twitter
I tweeted!
Hot, strong and dark with a touch of cream, real cream. Even better if I bring it back to bed and curl up with my laptop or a book before starting the day. I follow you on Twitter too @ginaruiz
and I tweeted er rather, retweeted your giveaway
I think the perfect cup of coffee is a strong dark roast with a splash of whiskey (the perfect winter warmup!)
The perfect cup of coffee for me would be a medium roast with a shot of amaretto and skim milk in a hand warming mug!
pumpkin coffee, milk and 2 equals!
Dark roast, rich, sweet but not super sweet, a splash of milk. Thanks for this giveaway!
xo,
Margaret
For me a Hazel Nut coffee with a little cream and good company
My perfect cup involves some sort of cushy seating either indoors or outdoors with a challenging but ultimately doable crossword puzzle. The coffee is a dark roast with a splash of half-and-half. Oh and I’m probably wearing fuzzy socks and a cozy sweater.