Test Drive: AeroPress Premium

AeroPress Inc. has finally released the upgraded version of its beloved coffee press, the AeroPress Premium, constructed of glass, stainless steel and aluminum. We gave it a try.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos by Tanya Nanetti

I have been a big AeroPress fan since I bought my first one more than a decade ago on a trip to Los Angeles. It was the classic AeroPress, and after brewing my first coffee in a dingy motel room on Route 66, I immediately fell in love with it.

Three years ago, under the new ownership of AeroPress Inc., the company began releasing new AeroPress-branded upgrades and accessories, including clear and colored versions, an XL edition, the handy AeroPress Go Plus, and a filter cap for flow control.

New Product on the Horizon

But the product that created the most buzz was announced early last year: the AeroPress Premium. This new AeroPress—made entirely of glass, aluminum, and stainless steel—was created not just as a coffee press but as a true design object. It’s intended for coffee lovers ready to transform their routines into something more elegant (and what’s more, getting rid of the classic plastic material not loved by everyone).

Excited like many others about this release, I kept my ears open for a long time, waiting for some update on the Premium, until my curiosity was finally satisfied. Just in time for National Coffee Day on September 29, AeroPress Inc. finally unveiled and released the final version of the AeroPress Premium. It looked super cool, stylish, exciting, but also delicate compared to the press I had been using up to that point. Would it be more difficult to use?

I absolutely had to have one as soon as possible.

Waiting with Anticipation

I spent the days of waiting for my AeroPress Premium chatting with various coffee friends (also big fans of the classic coffee press), curious if they felt similar to me. Wendelien Van Bunnik, former Dutch barista champion, 2019 AeroPress World Champion, and a big fan of all things AeroPress for years, shared more or less my same thoughts.

“I can’t wait to try it and of course, as an AeroPress collector, I will add it to the family,”  Wendelien shared in a brief chat. She added that she was especially curious about how the glass will improve flavor quality and how scary it is to press it. “Call me old-fashioned,” she said, “but not being able to break my AeroPress has been one of my favorite aspects so far. But I am more than happy to be convinced otherwise!”

First Impressions

Finally, the AeroPress Premium was delivered. I couldn’t stop myself from immediately unpacking the huge box, revealing an innovative and elegant hexagonal package—already so different from the classic AeroPress packaging—that hinted that it would contain something unique.

Inside, once the protection was removed, I found a stunning object that at first glance reminded me of a lightsaber from my favorite sci-fi franchise. A quick unpacking revealed the new press, with all its components: the AeroPress chamber, handcrafted from double-walled borosilicate glass, the aluminum piston, and the stainless-steel filter cap, scoop and stirrer.

On first impression, the AeroPress Premium seemed to me to be the sleek sister of my classic coffee press: bigger, heavier, and perfect for placing in plain sight in my home coffee corner, right between the black Comandante and the designer Chemex.

Trying Out the AeroPress Premium

But of course I didn’t get the new AeroPress just to keep it somewhere. I wanted to use it and compare the experience with my regular coffee routine.

Once I had ground my favorite beans of the moment, I set up my usual environment: a scale, the AeroPress Premium (already equipped with filter holder and paper filter) over a sturdy tumbler, and the piston ready to go.

Then, my usual recipe: 18 grams of coffee per 280 grams of water, two minutes of total wait time, and a slow press to finish brewing.

The Takeaway

The brewing experience was similar to what I had experienced up to that point, and yet so different. As a coffee routine, not much had changed. One exception was the need to be more careful in handling the new AeroPress, surely less shock-resistant, and to pay more attention while cleaning the filter cap to avoid the risk of burns. As for the taste of the final brew, it was as full and delicious as my usual cup.

What really felt different was brewing with something both practical and beautiful, which I couldn’t wait to show off and share with my coffee friends. While the Premium doesn’t necessarily improve brewing performance, it adds aesthetic value to your kitchen.

That first brew was enough for me to decide to put aside my traditional AeroPress and let the new AeroPress Premium become the new centerpiece of my coffee corner—and the star of my daily routine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

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