Side by Side Comparison of: AeroPress vs Altura

I was looking at big espresso machines, but ordered this, took a little while to get the hang of it. Now it is all I use, so quick, so easy to make coffee and clean up. Use cheap Pillion or Publix espresso and it tastes great, strong with no bite or acid. Started out buying expensive beans and grinding them daily, maybe that is why it only got 4 stars before. Now that I have eliminated that step because I think the pre-ground tastes just as good. I really like this gadget and ordered a second one.

This is an amazing little device that makes the best coffee I have ever had at home, and that's saying something, as I am very picky about my coffee. I initially bought one of these to take when I travel, because I got tired of being stuck with crappy hotel-room coffee. The Aeropress is very good for this, since it has no electronics and is made of apparently indestructible plastic, so it holds up well to being knocked around in a suitcase. But I ended up using it at home every day as well. I love the simplicity of the Aeropress (no electronics and not really any moving parts, unless you count the two separate pieces of the unit) and again, the quality of the coffee is just outstanding.One thing you need to know is that the rubber seal on the plunger part doesn't last forever. I am buying my second one, because either the seal is breaking down or perhaps the receiving end of the Aeropress is slowly widening in diameter --- either way the seal isn't tight anymore, and it spits hot coffee out while plunging. Running the rubber under hot water for 2-3 minutes expands the rubber and makes the seal tight, but honestly when it gets to that point, just buy a new one. I think it took me about two years of daily use to get to that point, so that's not too bad.Also, the "inverted Aeropress" method is way better for brewing than the manufacturer's instructions

We've had this for about a week and love it! Still experimenting to get the best results, but every cup so far has been vastly superior to our old drip coffeemaker: consistently sweet and full-flavored. We use the economical Kirkland whole-bean coffee from Costco--roasted by Starbucks--and grind fresh every morning; and the hot water dispenser from our office water cooler, so it's quite convenient. We're using the paper filters that came with it, but we've ordered the Able brewing disk (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E58P7ME/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3TCZLR69GTVRW ), as we tend to like a little more body in our brew. We'll be trying the inverted method with that, and I'll update when we have the process down. (Type "aeropress inverted method" into YouTube's search window for how-to videos.)UPDATE: We've been using this now twice a day for six months. Holding up beautifully, and still makes a great cup of coffee. My spouse likes the paper filters better, and I'm using the Able disk, which allows for more sediment in your cup (which doesn't bother me, as I like coffee I can chew. :-)

After years of trying multiple coffee makers and brewers, my search is over. The Aeropress plus my Melitta kettle are a match made in heaven. The press fits every mug I own, which has not always been the case. Easy to clean: dump the grounds/mini filter into the compost bucket, a quick rinse, and it's ready to go back to its small footprint on my counter. I'm sure travel will be equally breezy. The coffee flavor is excellent, surpassing even pour-over, probably due to being retaining more heat during the process. Other methods left me with a warm cup, but even after the quick equipment rinse, my coffee was a nice hot, perfect drinking temperature. I found the funnel and scoop to be superfluous, but will find other uses for them in my kitchen. Thanks, Santa!

I will just quote FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper and say that this makes "a damn fine cup of coffee".This pairs well with the reasonably priced Handground Precision Coffee Grinder: Manual Ceramic Burr Mill as you can easily select the size of your grind. There's something nice and meditative about the time it takes to hand-grind and then Aeropress; clean.

I worked at a coffee shop for over five years and was a finalist in a number of regional barista competitions from California to Missouri.So I have a thing for good coffee, which starts with the roast and the purity and temperature of the water. But when it comes to extraction, very few, if any, brewing devices put so much control into the hands of the brewer.With this brewer, I have made some of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. You can achieve the quality of brewed coffee as with a classic pour-over but in a much more convenient and durable system.It's faster than a crappy Mr. Coffee, easier and more forgiving than a pour over like the Hario V60 and more durable than anything else I've ever used, besides of course a Turkish coffee brewing pot.Sometimes you're just too busy to brew a coffee everyday (even it is does only take 2-3 minutes from start to finish). Or perhaps you hate being stuck with the crappy coffee found at your office. The versatility to brew a regular cup of coffee or an "espresso extract" is awesome. On a busy week, I will brew a heavy concentrated brew of coffee and store in a vacuumed, air-free, glass Porto bottle. When I want to make a coffee, I simply pour a measure of the coffee extract into a cup, cut with either iced or hot water and enjoy my quick, dead simple brew.When traveling, this thing really shows off. If you travel and hate using hotel coffee and coffee makers, take this on your next trip, use the in-room coffee maker to heat up bottled water and use the Aerobie's coffee cavity to hold your coffee safe for travel. You can then brew the best cup of coffee you'll ever have at a hotel. This goes for camping, business travel or backpacking.The whole system breaks down to really only two parts, the plunger and the reservoir with filters. You can leave the rest behind (scoop, funnel, stirrer) if you want. Learn where your coffee grinds should reach vertically in the brewer and free pour your coffee, stir the brewing grinds with the spoons or straws made available in most hotel rooms.Cleaning the system is easy, just rinse and air-dry or wipe dry. I reuse my paper filters 2-4 times and see little to no difference in taste or consistency. This a company that makes permanent metal disk filters for this brewer that many people love. I am reluctant to use them as a metal disc will not remove any extra oils left in darker roast coffee but some people like the flavor of the oils so to each their own.Bottom line, this is the perfect brewer for the everyday coffee drinker, the business traveler, college guy/gal stuck in a dorm room, tiny New York apartment goer or backpacker. Get it, use it and love it.

So far, I love this coffee maker. I have a fancy drip maker which also makes good coffee but I found myself throwing away too much coffee at the end of the day and I could never get it as strong as I wanted it.My only complaint -- and it's a significant one for me -- is that it's too small. I like a large, 16oz cup of coffee which I keep at my desk in a Thermos. The largest I can make with the Aeropress is 10oz, or 12oz with milk. To the manufacturer: please make a larger size. A lot of people do what I do, particularly in offices with busy break rooms. That's why Thermos and others make those 16oz mugs.I'd also recommend surfing the net for Aeropress "hacks" to learn alternate ways of using it.

I bought this to brew 1 mug of coffee in the mornings - I have since found the brewing process to be a real bother... too much doing and time just to get 1 mug.HOWEVER this little machine is a COLD BREW MASTER!! I just started cold-brewing in the fridge, as I like my morning coffee to be less-warm than what comes out of a coffee pot... This device is PERFECT for straining out the grounds from my cold-brew process. So, overall - it's a win!

Makes a good cup up to 12 oz. After that it gets complicated and I don't do complicated. One major flaw; the bottom plastic filter has holes on the side edge of the bottom and some coffee tends to run down the side of the cup. Someone wrote that it was messy and coffee grinds down the drain is not cool. Took me nearly 300 cups to realize all you need to do is hold the unit over the trash can (bottom down), remove the bottom and push the grinds into the garbage. For a single cup of coffee at a reasonable price, you can't beat it. And to think I almost bought one of those overpriced counter top machines with those overpriced little cups.

After watching how most users use this product, I opted to use the product in a reverse manner where I pour in the coffee grind and hot water while the device is flipped upside down before putting the cap with filter to get a more even distribution of the flavor.Each cup of espresso takes me about four minutes to make, and that includes the time to boil the water. I absolutely love it compare to slew of french press I went through. It does indeed lack crema, but that was expected considering it uses paper filter. But that can be overlooked since this device is incredibly easy to clean and maintain.I would definitely never go back to french press after using this device.

Stop what you're doing and make note of the date and time.Then, buy this.Your life will never be the same.I can't really think of anything to say that hasn't been said before, but this is basically the iPhone of the coffee world. It changes the game:1) Easy to use, easy to clean, doesn't require elaborate rituals2) Makes REALLY GOOD coffee, that can be easily adjusted to suit your taste3) It's FREAKING CHEAP compared to owning a whole counter full of coffee appliances (trust me, I've been there)4) It's portable. You can take it on trips, use it in hotels. You can take it camping, hunting, or fishing. You can take it to your office. In fact, I bought a second one for my office. This thing can make the best coffee anywhere you have boiling water.I'm going to keep this brief, because. Really. Just buy it already. The more time you spend reading this, the longer until Aeropress changes your life.UPDATED - Okay, it's been maybe 4 months since I bought my first Aeropress. I liked it so much I got another one for my office. The first Aeropress has had maybe 500 cups through it, the second maybe 100. The problem is, the seal on that first unit is totally, completely shot. You can't even really push down on it, or air burps past the plunger. Worse, sometimes hot coffee makes it past, and spurts out the top all over your hand. This started a few weeks ago and has gotten steadily worse.Googling, it looks like this does happen to people from time to time, and Aerobie do make a replacement part, but apparently you have to call and order it - it's not available on Amazon or Aerobee's website that I can find.I don't mind replacing a worn out part, but this thing is 4 months old. There's only two coffee drinkers in my house. Yeah, we both drink a lot of coffee, but there's two of us. Two people wearing out a coffee appliance in 3 or 4 months is kind of ridiculous. I don't know how much the seals cost, but I am probably going to ask for several. I'm not going to stop using this, and I do still believe it's the single best way to make coffee, but I am pretty disappointed. Hopefully this is an isolated incident. I'll report back in a few months when the second unit has a similar volume through it, or once the first one hits the next ~500 cups. In the meantime, I'm sadly deducting a star from my prior 5 star rating.UPDATED AGAIN - 6 months (roughly) later. The high-use unit at home is juuuuust starting to wear out again. It's been a little more robust this time but is still starting to wear. The lower-use unit at my office is still going strong on it's first rubber bit. It looks like the rubber part has a useful life of maybe 750-1,000 cups of coffee. For some people that's gonna be years maybe? For us, it's not very long. I still love this thing, I'm still gonna keep using it, but I'm still slightly disappointed. They should just bundle the rubber part with the filters. It's a little annoying to order, there is apparently one online source in Canada or you can call (yes, CALL on a phone - no online ordering) the manufacturer.Also, I want to share a useful tip. Once the rubber seal does start to wear, if you soak it in very hot water for a minute before use, it sometimes rejuvenates it and lets it seal. So, even once it's worn you can kind of still use it, but with an extra step that only works some of the time.

This is the third Aeropress I've bought for myself. I keep one at home and one at work which I bought in 2008 and had to replace because the rubber part of the piece that you push was no longer forming a tight seal. Eight years is ok I suppose but I wish I didn't have to replace the entire set of pieces.The seal on the new one isn't 100% airtight unfortunately. It doesn't leak liquid like the one it was replacing but it doesn't form a perfect seal.Aeropress is far and away my favourite coffee maker overall. I like a strong cup of coffee that isn't acidic and the Aeropress gives me that. I've never liked drip coffee and a French press takes too long, is messy to clean and has cooled down too much by the time the coffee is strong enough. The Aeropress is efficient and neat and makes the best coffee for the least effort and I'll replace them when they wear out again.

Arrived with a broken filter holder which made it more difficult to use. Tried it and found nothing special about the flavor of my favorite coffee. Requires more clean-up than my traditional coffee maker and takes more time to do it. Actually kept it a couple of months and then gave it away.

Very easy system to use, but the amount of coffee produced isn't enough for me. I usually mix with a bit of milk, but make sure you heat that up too, or otherwise it will cool off the small amount of espresso/coffee the Aeropress makes.

I sure would like to try this Aeropress I hear so much about, but mine came without a plunger cap.Update: After printing out a filter cap, I was able to use the press. Makes a pretty good cup of coffee. The paper filters have a tendency to filter out coffee oils, so I will order a metal filter. Otherwise, it makes a quick, tasty cup of coffee. Not sure it is quite as impressive as some reviews would lead you to believe.

This is not the first Aeropress for me.I purchased my first around 5 years ago and had no issues with it. The plunger does not have a good seal with the cylinder in the last two purchased. In spite of it's flaws it still makes a decent cup of coffee which is why I keep buying it. I will probably look for something else when the time comes to replace this one.

I picked this up after realizing my reuseable K-cup filters were basically giving me water no matter what I put into them. I like a strong cup of coffee, I brought home some Philz from a trip to San Francisco, and I was pretty disappointed to find that I got none of the flavor. Out of curiosity I created a terrible makeshift pour-over device to reproduce the way they made the coffee at the coffee shop, using a circular ziploc container with some holes drilled in the bottom. It was slow because there was no air to let the water flow out, but it turned out infinitely better than the K-cup machine. I was convinced I've been making coffee wrong, and a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of the Aeropress.The aeropress is very, very simple to operate. You put one of the circular filters in the grated cap, screw it onto the base, put coffee grounds in, and fill with hot water, stir it up, and then use the plunger to force scalding hot coffee through the filter. It creates a very rich cup of coffee fairly quickly, and you can fine-tune the fineness of the grounds you use and the amounts to suit your taste. I'd take it over a K-cup machine any day, as it definitely brings out the flavor much, much better.I -wouldn't- take it over the terrible makeshift pour-over device I made. The coffee filter in a plastic container, believe it or not, made a better cup of coffee than this.I attribute this mainly to some design flaws with the filter. What I found was that the press actually pushed a significant portion of coffee grounds into my cup, enough that the bottom becomes a thick, undrinkable sludge and I just don't want to finish my cup. I tried doubling up on the filters, but they basically get scrunched up by the pressure of the grounds being forced against them. They're really just circular discs, so it isn't like anything is holding them all that securely or preventing junk from working its way around the edges. The end product makes me feel silly, like I might as well have just tossed the grounds into the cup and mixed them with hot water. Of COURSE that makes it more flavorful, but it also gives me a mouthful of sediment with every drink.The terrible makeshift pour-over device, by comparison, takes a long time to drip coffee into the cup, but the flavor is produced by exposing the water to the grounds for a long time rather than exposing the grounds to my mouth. It's hard to describe, but having put it up to the "Pepsi challenge" against a cup brewed by the aeropress, it was a much better flavor -- a bit richer and a bit less bitter. All this given I think the next coffee maker I pick up is a Hario dripper instead. In the meantime, if I'm in a hurry, this one will do, and I'll keep experimenting to see if I can make it hold up a little better to my expectations for a good cup of coffee.

Nice idea but doesn't taste as good coffee from my french press. I even tried buying a SS filter so that I could have retained some of the oils from the coffee. It just doesn't taste as good. =/Pros:Nice design.Very quick cup of coffee.Easy clean up.Cons:Very noticeable difference in taste vs. a french press.

Something has changed with the Aeropress. This unit only lasted 2 months before the rubber plunger seal began to fail. The last one I had was almost 3 years old!Aeropress, if you're reading this - I will GLADLY pay $50 for a unit that will last longer than a year. Don't skimp on product quality!

The silicone on the plunger appears to be deteriorating. I can wash it and wash it. But it gets shiny and tacky in between uses. Also, if you get this device, be careful not to put too much pressure on the plunger when you're making coffee. It can handle quite a bit. But I pushed too hard once and coffee spewed out and got all over me and the cabinets. This was manageable. But the silicone plug deterioration was not.

as most reviewers have stated it is a fine device but keep in mind you will have to replace the seals every year or so depending on use. I was expecting to get at least two years before having to replace anything. I don't use this more than 3 times a week and then I stopped using it for a month. During that time, the rubber seal must have degraded as it was very sticky. I thought it was coffee oils at first, but was later convinced otherwise...so contacted customer service. they were responsive and suggested boiling the seal multiple times. This temporarily got rid of most of the stickiness. However, after the seal dried it became sticky again suggesting that the rubber itself was giving off the residue.I asked if it could be replaced under warranty but unfortunately they stated because I just passed the 1 year warranty (by a couple weeks) I was out of luck. FYI the replacements are available for $5 with shipping and $2 for ea additional.I was sort of hoping they would just replace it for free as goodwill since I felt the seal failed a bit prematurely, but i didn't want to argue over such a small amount.all in all i'm a bit disappointed because I i clean my aeropress with water after each use and don't leave it compressed in the chamber.

After a week or so of use, I have revised my opinion and seriously downgraded it. It makes great coffee but has some real issues all of which lead to an inconsistent cup of coffee.The press has several main working parts; what I will call the basic housing cylinder, a twist on bottom cap and a plunger.You start by placing a filter disk on the bottom cap, twisting it onto the cylinder and then using the scoop they supply to add the desired amount of coffee. After placing the unit on top of a cup (a critical step, you will be very embarrassed if you forget it) pour in the desired amount of hot water using the numbers printed on the cylinder as a guide.The picture shows a clear see through housing. What was delivered is a dark smoky gray housing with numbers printed on the outside. The smoky gray background makes the numbers show up very nicely; unfortunately, it also makes it very hard to see the water level through the gray cylinder.Once the coffee and water are loaded the instruction say to use their stirrer and stir for 10 seconds or so. One nice point is the stirrer nearly reaches to bottom, but cannot touch or damage the filter. Then place the plunger into the cylinder and slowly press it down (about 20-30 seconds).The pressure piston has a very good seal, in fact it is too good. You have to insert it into the sleeve after the coffee and hot water are loaded: the problem is the rubber seal on the plunger is very sticky and difficult to insert. Once it is, and you press on the plunger, the rubber is very grabby, first it is difficult to push, then it lets go and jumps forward until it grabs again, this is very unwieldy and potentially dangerous for a shorter or weaker person.The instructions say that you should push the plunger down slowly which is impossible. For my personal use, I lightly lubricate the seal with a very thin coating of coconut oil which allows very smooth motion. By the way, I get no coconut flavor from this so I don’t think much if any transfers into the coffee.All in all, I have figured out how to circumvent the Aeropress’s shortcomings and love the coffee it produces, the others in my household like the coffee as long as I make it, but will not deal with the hassles in order to do it themselves. In spite of pressures to return it, I will probably keep it.Update, I am trying to reach the company to discuss my issues, particularly the cylinder color, if I can't, I will return the unit.

I had really high expectations for the Aeropress coffee maker but have been very disappointed with it. My main gripe is the fact that they water/coffee leaks out through the filter and into the coffee mug the second you start pouring the water into the Aeropress. There is no way to stir the coffee for the recommended time before pressing, without at least half of the water dripping into the mug. This is using the filters that were provided along with the Aeropress.I also gave the inverted method a try, and while a little better, is still not ideal. Shouldn't need to turn the Aeropress upside down and deal with the leaking of hot water to make a single cup of coffee.I'll keep trying to make the most out of the Aeropress, as the inverted method did end up making a nice tasting cup of coffee after a few tries. But all in all, my expectations were a lot higher based on previous reviews.

It's not bad but there are easier ways to make drip coffee. After reading the reviews I was expecting amazing coffee similar to (or better than!) what comes from my french press. I was disappointed. It is really just a fairly cumbersome method to make drip coffee. If you like drip coffee a cone filter is a LOT easier. If you like french press coffee you will disappointed. All of the flavors that make french press coffee great are left behind in the beans.On the good side it didn't cost a fortune to try something new. And their marketing is excellent.

Tough review to write, since so many people rave about this exceptional coffee maker. Though I followed brewing instructions to the letter (using a kitchen thermometer to match the water temperature), my brew attempts resulted in a relatively cool cup of coffee that tasted slightly of plastic aroma. Product appearance also did not quite match the illustration on product page (more opaque than see-through), leading me to wonder if this production run might have used a different grade of plastic? I simply don't know. Regardless, I really, really wasn't a fan - with apologies to the many fine coffee connoisseurs who truly love this product.

This coffee maker is a mess. When the suction thing is removed, coffee grounds fly everywhere. If I'd kept the box it came in I would've returned it.

Everything is made from cheap looking plastic. There is no mention if these plastic are toxic free. Especially worrying when it is constantly used with very hot boiling water. I read that plastic releases chemical when it is subjected to high heat and immersed in boiling water as the coffee is being brewed for a period of time. I would suggest manufacturer replace it with Pyrex glass instead of such cheap plastic. At nearly $30 for a few plastic pieces is way over priced. Such high price plastic wares is grose and there is no warning if it will turn toxic in high heat application. I will be returning this.Dr.Patel, founder of the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, says heat can release cancer-causing toxins, which leak from plastic into water and even food.Plastic is an extremely common component in pollution today, demonstrated by the sad fact that 80% of ocean debris is plastic.1 No matter how high or how low its level of toxicity, all pollution causes harm and distress to natural systems and living creatures.

Not what I expected. For one It really doesn't make espresso and for regular brew the coffee needs to be very fine or you get no flavor. And forget about following instructions to push for 60 seconds. I have to let it sit for 3 min just like a French press and then push otherwise just get lightly colored no flavor water. Also, I have to put 3 of the filters otherwise the water just runs right through... So more light colored no flavor coffee. Very disappointed. I wish I bought the French press I was going to buy when I saw this thing and wasted my money.

i ordered this product two days back and have tried it to make several espressos and found the product to be really bad. As per the instruction manual once you fill the chamber with hot water you should wait for 10 secs for the water to soak the beans. Ironically every time I wait I have found that the water passes through the filter and there is nothing left to press and extract coffee.If I try to start pressing before 10 secs I found that the water compartment is not sufficiently air tight and the plunger wouldn't put the same pressure on the filter as is needed to really make good coffee.Save yourself some money and buy a real French press that works.

Unfortunately, haven't been able to do anything to avoid a bad aftertaste. Using Starbucks coffee (same as we were using in our drip maker) and like a dark/bold roast, but even after playing around with timing and quantities, it tastes good initially but there is always a strange bad aftertaste. The process is quick and easy and really wanted to love this to the point of scouring the internet for suggestions but nothing so far has helped:( (still willing to take ideas and re-rate if we can ever get it to taste good!)