AeroPress

Lore & Background

The AeroPress was invented by retired Stanford engineering lecturer Alan Adler, who had previously patented and sold the Aerobie flying ring in the 1980s. Adler began prototyping the AeroPress in his garage in 2004, with the intention of reducing acidity and bitterness in his daily cup of coffee. He expressed dissatisfaction with espresso machines, pour-over, and the French press, and wanted greater control over parameters such as brew time, water temperature, and grind size. The device was officially unveiled in November 2005, at the CoffeeFest trade show in Seattle.

The brewer consists of a translucent cylindrical chamber, and a plunger with an airtight silicone seal, similar to a syringe. A filter cap is screwed onto the end of the chamber, to hold a small round paper filter in place. The chamber and plunger are made of translucent plastic. Early AeroPress models used clear polycarbonate, but in 2009 switched to BPA-free copolyester, then in 2014 to polypropylene. In 2023, the company released new clear models made of Tritan. The base model includes a scoop for ground coffee, a stirring paddle, and a pack of paper filters.

In the years after its release, it gained a cult following among coffee enthusiasts, who praised it for its low cost, flexibility, and consistency in brewing. The World AeroPress Championship, an international fan-led brewing competition, was first held in Oslo, Norway, in 2008, with only three competitors, but grew in popularity each year after. The 2018 competition attracted 3,157 competitors from 61 countries.

Reader's Guide

The AeroPress is significant as a manual coffeemaker that introduced pressure-based extraction to home brewing, offering a versatile alternative to espresso machines, pour-over, and French press. Its design allows users to control brew time, water temperature, and grind size, producing coffee with reportedly lower acidity than drip or French press methods. The device's cult following and the growth of the World AeroPress Championship highlight its impact on coffee culture, fostering a community of enthusiasts who experiment with techniques such as the inverted brewing method. Over time, AeroPress Inc. released several variants, including the travel-sized AeroPress Go (2019), the double-capacity AeroPress XL, and premium models with glass or metal chambers. The company changed ownership multiple times: in 2017, Spin Master purchased the rights to the Aerobie, and the company was renamed to AeroPress, Inc.; in August 2021, Canadian holding company Tiny Capital bought a controlling stake. The AeroPress remains a widely recognized tool for home and competition coffee brewing.

Did You Know?

• The AeroPress was invented by Alan Adler, who previously invented the Aerobie flying ring.
• The World AeroPress Championship began in 2008 in Oslo, Norway, with only three competitors.
• In 2017, the manufacturer recommended against using metal mesh filters, claiming paper filters improved taste.
• The AeroPress can brew highly concentrated coffee comparable to espresso, as well as filter-strength coffee and cold brew.