The AeroPress was first introduced to coffee drinkers 21 years ago, and it has remained a go-to choice of many at-home baristas due to its quick brewing time and portability, among other things. For those who have never seen or used one before, this portable hand brewer allows you to make a fresh cup of coffee right into your cup.
One barista and specialty coffee roaster, who recently placed second at the American AeroPress Championship, says the brewer also stands out for its versatility.
“It’s a fascinating tool,” says Sompetch “Pack” Katisomsakul, founder of Massachusetts-based specialty coffee roasting company Newbery Street Coffee. “To me, AeroPress is one of a kind. I don't know how they came up with it, but I think this is one of the best things that you can bring anywhere. You're not gonna get a bad cup of coffee with this.”
In Katisomsakul’s opinion, the AeroPress is a great choice for those who want to make several types of coffee drinks with one brewer.
“For example, you can do a pourover,” he says. “You can do French press style, you can do anything with AeroPress because of the design that is so, so well thought through that you can brew anything, anywhere, any time.”
One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll have to fine-tune your recipe to produce a good-tasting cup of coffee because there are multiple factors that can impact its quality, ranging from how fine your coffee grounds are to the mineral content of your water.
One of the benefits of the AeroPress’s design is that it’s an immersion brewer, meaning the coffee ground steep in hot water before being plunged into the cup.
“That means you can control the pressure, and this allows the AeroPress to be a tool that you can do anything with,” Katisomsakul says.
Although Katisomsakul fell just short of winning the American AeroPress Championship, it wasn’t a total loss for the Newberry Street Coffee founder. The first-place winner, Phillippe Akira Kato, also works at Newberry and will compete at the World AeroPress Championship.
