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  • Review: Aerobie Aeropress Espresso Maker

    Review: Aerobie Aeropress Espresso Maker

    Coffee is probably an addiction for me. I may or may not have 3-4 cups a day when I’m plastered to my computer in an office environment. When I’m bike touring, I may or may not ride faster as I get closer to a cafe. I may or may not lick my lips when my coffee is near ready. I may or may not take the deepest breath that I can when I’m around freshly ground coffee beans. I may or may not check endlessly at my cup to ensure that all remnants of liquid coffee are down my gullet and not left wasted in my cup.

    Sometimes I consider that I could live without it, but for what point? Who am I kidding, I am addicted and I love it.

    To feed my addiction, one of my favourite travel companions (apart from Kat!) is the Aerobie Aeropress. The Aeropress is a simple coffee strainer that relies on paper filters to deliver a smooth and pure brew to your cup. The best part is that you don’t need an engineering degree to use it! I recommend the use of an Aeropress in conjunction with a Hario Mini Mill Slim (see my review).

    Aeropress in action + all of the accessories that it comes with.

    Aerobie Aeropress
    Price: $50 AUD
    Weight: 273g (Aeropress, Stirrer, Filters)
    Length and Width: 14cm and 9.5cm

    I’ve used the Aeropress for over 300 coffees now. It is a delight to take on trips where the coffee is either non-existent or of a poor standard.

    Functionality:

    The Aeropress is dead easy to use. You start off by placing a paper filter into the black filter cup. The cup then screws on the bottom of the Aeropress unit and awaits some fresh grinds. Once you’ve put your grinds in, you fill up to your desired level and then press the water through the paper filter in an even and smooth manner over 10-30 seconds. Some people will prefer a shot, others like to add milk and others prefer an americano. There are so many different ways to do it, check out some methods from the Aeropress World Championships! I’d recommend reading directions from Aerobie first.

    The Aeropress is so simple to clean! Once you’ve extracted your coffee, unscrew the filter cup and eject the spent-beans into a compost or regular bin. Give the bottom a wipe and you’re done!

    If you have environmental concerns about using paper filters, Aerobie claim that 2000 filters equal the average newspaper. If you’re drinking coffee once a day, that is six years of coffee!

    Taste:

    The taste of the coffee that is produce is always going to be dependent on the coffee beans that you use and how fresh your grind is. Using good quality beans I can guarantee a smooth and rich flavour with no bitterness and low acidity. What you won’t get is a thick crema, and coffee shots might be a bit watery for the coffee connoisseur.

    A slightly more glamourous shot of the Aeropress.

    My Favourite Cup:

    1. Set the kettle to boil.
    2. Freshly grind one level scoop of higher-end coffee beans which are purchased from a reputable dealer (ie. beans often priced over $15 per 250g).
    3. Put grind into the Aeropress and wait ~2 minutes for the boiling water to cool from 100 degrees to around 80 degrees.
    4. First, lightly wet the grind and then ensure that the Aeropress is filled in an even manner with the hot water.
    5. Fill to the first level (1) on the Aeropress.
    6. Stir ~4 times.
    7. Extract over 10 seconds in a smooth and even manner.
    8. Add a drop of milk to cool the coffee slightly, and drink!

    Conclusion:

    The Aeropress is a really simple bit of kit. It delivers a coffee which isn’t far off what a household machine can produce. It is very easy to clean and is reasonably light weight for travel. I am keen to get my hands on, and review the Handpresso and Airspresso; both of which could arguably produce a better coffee shot due to their extracting technique. Update: We got our hands on an Airspresso – click the link to read our review!

    Aeropress
    Pros:     Cheap, light, quick, easy to clean, durable, grit-free coffee, suits a variety of coffee drinking styles, cheaper than two weeks of lattes at a cafe, makes up to four shots of coffee at once.
    Cons: Paper filters need to be protected from water/damage, lack of crema, a little watery, takes up a bit of space (how good would a smaller, single-shot specific Aeropress be!)

    After travelling with no coffee equipment in the wilderness or purchasing mediocre coffees all over the place, I wouldn’t travel without my Aeropress again! It is a fantastic way to keep coffee addicts who are bike touring (not me – clearly) from breaking down on the side of the road.

     

  • Review: Hario Travel Coffee Grinders

    Review: Hario Travel Coffee Grinders

    If you, like me, enjoy a coffee to start your day, let me introduce to you the best travel coffee grinders that I’ve come across! Both are small enough and are able to grind fine enough to produce a coffee better than most cafes, wherever you are. I use these small hand grinders daily to induce a beautiful aroma in the kitchen and allow for my first, but not final coffee hit to do its thing. When touring, I use an Aerobie Aeropress espresso maker to obtain the smoothest, richest, purist and fastest cup of coffee. More on the Aeropress in another this post…

    Hario are a Japanese company known more famously for producing glassware for tea and coffee drinkers, however their range these days extends to food containers, condiment cruets and sake coolers. Amongst coffee geeks, Hario is a brand that producers exceptional quality coffee syphons, drips, kettles and grinders.

    There are two Hario grinder models which I have owned and tried, and that I am happy to recommend.

    Mini Mill Slim
    Price: $55 AUD
    Weight: 247g
    Length and Width: 18cm and 5cm

     

    Skerton Hand Grinder
    Price: $65 AUD
    Weight: 463g
    Length and Width: 18cm and 7cm

    I started off with the Skerton hand grinder a few years ago. I was immediately drawn to how fine the ceramic, conical burrs were able to grind my coffee beans. This small coffee grinder was the real deal! I was able to take it camping or to towns that I knew wouldn’t be able to give me the flavour I was after.

    The Mini Mill Slim is a new addition to the kitchen. It wasn’t a product of the Hario range when the Skerton was purchased. The Slim seemed like the perfect travel grinder when I saw it in a prominent cafe in Melbourne, with its slim plastic body, easily removable handle and lid. I had been looking for something smaller and lighter than the Skerton for the World trip…

    Functionality:

    Both grinders work in the same manner. The beans get dumped in the top, they feed through the ceramic, conical burrs and end up as a nice grind. Both grinders are adjustable; you can make your grind everything down to espresso-fine. They seem to grind at similar speeds, with the Skerton moving the beans through just a tad quicker. The Skerton also has the extra capacity to grind more beans without re-filling, making the Skerton the better grinder for at home.

    I have had no issues with the fact that the handle on the Mini Mill Slim does not permanently connect to the grinder. Once pressure is loaded on the handle, it is not moving.

    The Mini Mill Slim tends to work better in your hands. Its slimmer profile allows you to get a good grip on the cup. The Skerton is definitely a bench top grinder, relying on a space where you can gain the assistance of your body weight to grind.

    Best Uses:

    Mini Mill Slim – Travel, as a handhold grinder, smaller grinding quantities
    Skerton – Home, as a benchtop grinder, larger grinding quantities

    Conclusion:

    The Mini Mill Slim is my preference between the two. Being a better grinder to hold than the Skerton, the Mini Mill able to grind your beans into a very fine coffee for excellent results with various coffee filters, wherever you are. The handle does not attach onto the grinding cup, resulting in a fast, packable product. The plastic container (as opposed to glass) is both lighter weight and smaller than the Skerton. The coffee grind is just as fine and consistent on both products.

    The Skerton is great for grinding at home, as you can plant it to your bench and grind larger quantities at a time. From a travel perspective however, I will only be making 1-2 cups at a time, meaning that the Skerton is a bit of overkill.

    If you’re looking at making the smoothest, most flavoursome coffee you can whilst cycling about, look no further than the Hario Mini Mill Slim for use as your coffee grinder.