All categories/Coffee/French Presses/AeroPress/AeroPress Original
AeroPress Original

AeroPress Original

Scored on 238 verified owner verdicts, from 338 comments read across 6 communities
TL;DR
Owners overwhelmingly praise the AeroPress for producing exceptionally good, clean coffee from a device that's simple to use and easy to clean, with many reporting units still going strong after 5-10+ years of daily use, enough that it's replaced their Keurig or other brewers entirely. A smaller but consistent group of owners is less impressed: some find the coffee comes out watery or weak unless they use the flow cap and dial in technique, and others feel the extra steps aren't clearly worth it compared to a French press or Chemex, with a few saying it doesn't quite live up to its reputation. Overall sentiment is strongly positive, but it's not universally seen as a dramatic upgrade over simpler brewing methods.

79% of 238 verified owners recommend the AeroPress Original, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

See the problems 42 owners report →

What 238 owners say
338 comments reviewed · scored on the 238 clearest verdicts
79%
Recommend
188 owners
3%
Neutral
8 owners
18%
Don't recommend
42 owners
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
75%
4
YouTubeiowner comments
79%
225
Other forumsWinemakingtalk, Singletrackworld
75%
8
Independent blogsino affiliate links
100%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
100%
4

Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 79%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. Affiliate blogs is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Produces exceptionally good, clean-tasting coffee that many call the best they've had · 15 · 6%
  • Extremely durable, owners report units still working well after 5, 7, even 10+ years of daily use · 5 · 2%
  • Became owners' go-to brewer, replacing Keurigs and other coffee makers entirely · 5 · 2%
  • Simple, forgiving process with easy cleanup · 4 · 2%
What owners flag
  • Some owners feel it's more labor-intensive than a French press or Chemex without a clear taste payoff, and doesn't fully live up to the hype · 4 · 2%
  • Coffee can come out watery or weak if brewed without the flow cap or without dialing in technique (e.g. diluting a concentrate) · 3 · 1%
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Single-cup drinkers who brew one coffee at a time
  • Campers and travelers wanting a compact, durable brewer
  • People who value quick, easy cleanup
  • Daily drinkers after a fast, forgiving morning cup
Look elsewhere if
  • Anyone brewing multiple cups in one go
  • Cooks who find it fussier than a French press
  • Those chasing strong coffee without watery results

Synthesized from what AeroPress Original owners say — not a spec sheet.

Common questions

What comes in the AeroPress Original box, and what is it made of?

The chamber, plunger and filter cap, plus a scoop, a stirrer and a pack of paper micro-filters, so nothing else has to be bought to brew. AeroPress lists the Original's chamber and plunger as polypropylene with a food-grade silicone plunger seal, and says its coffee makers are free of BPA and phthalates. Replacement filters are the Standard size, and the seal is sold on its own for when it wears.

Can the AeroPress go in the dishwasher?

Top rack only, which is how AeroPress rates the Original. The company adds that a rinse is usually enough because the plunger wipes the chamber as you press, and suggests occasionally pulling the silicone seal off the plunger end to wash it inside and out with warm water and dish soap. If the chamber turns sticky, AeroPress says to wash it with vinegar.

Why does AeroPress coffee sometimes come out weak or watery?

Thin coffee is the complaint that recurs most here. Owners put it down to water running through before the grounds have given anything up, or to technique not yet dialed in. The part AeroPress sells for that is the Flow Control Filter Cap, a separate accessory whose pressure-actuated valve stays shut until you press, which stops drip-through and lets you hold a longer steep. 79% of 238 owners recommend the brewer overall.

Is the inverted method safe to use?

AeroPress strongly discourages it. The company's stated reason is stability: used inverted it calls the coffee maker less stable and prone to mishaps that expose the user to burns from hot liquid. For the longer steeps and coarser grinds people invert for, AeroPress points to its Flow Control Filter Cap, which holds back all drip-through until pressure builds behind the valve.

How long does an AeroPress last?

Longer than its one-year warranty suggests. Durability is one of the strongest themes in the positive comments, with owners reporting daily use at five, seven and ten-plus years. The part that wears out is the silicone plunger seal, which AeroPress sells on its own, and owners describe replacing that rather than the brewer.

How does it compare with a French press?

Different brew, different scale. The AeroPress presses through a paper micro-filter, which AeroPress says leaves no grit, and holds 10 oz, enough for one serving of American-style coffee or cold brew, or up to three shots of espresso-style concentrate; a French press steeps a potful and pours through metal mesh. AeroPress says brewing and cleaning takes two minutes. Two owners here find the extra steps do not pay off against a French press, and one keeps both on the counter.

How buyers rate it elsewhere

Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.

Top quotes, sourced

338 reviewed · 200 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube▲ recommend

“Thanks for liberating me from my Keurig!”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“Somehow, this is more labor intensive than a French press & a hand ground latte”

YouTube— neutral

“Honesty. The aereopress is a genius design. The simplicity of the function is great. But!”

YouTube▲ recommend

“taken Alan's brilliantly simple design, and now it has a cult following”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“making a stronger coffee and diluting it afterwards never tastes the same to me. way watery”

YouTube— neutral

“the aerpress would be perfect if it wasn't made of plastic.”

Winemaking Talk Forum— neutral

“While the AeroPress doesn't quite live up to the reviews, it does make a decent cup. It's not going to replace my French press and espresso machine, but it's an addition to my collection of coffee-making devices.”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“both of them stained brown, all the printing wore off and the plastic started like "bubbling" on the inside after a year or two”

YouTube▲ recommend

“for the past three days I've been making GREAT coffee using your AeroPress”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“that is exactly and precisely what the aero press is doing-nothing more”

YouTube▲ recommend

“I seem to be in a rare group, reusing a steel mesh filter for years on end.”

YouTube— neutral

“I like its results but the lure of the convenience of my K pods or even my moka pot often win out”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“just what the world needs”

YouTube— neutral

“first time i tried it didn't seem to come out very well. but I am re-inspired”

YouTube— neutral

“I have been a little bummed that it brewed a very small cup of coffee.”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“Honestly no different from just getting a chemex style with less work”

YouTube▲ recommend

“Without a doubt, my best cuppa yet! Nice and silky, smooth and sweet”

YouTube— neutral

“the "easiest way", but you have to take the (very) long way around.”

YouTube▲ recommend

“Your invention changed my life, no exaggeration”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“still not sure why we need a press”

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

“I simply ordered the Aeropress original. Without flow cap the taste is no good. There is no time for the flavors to be extracted as the water flows down too fast.”

YouTube▲ recommend

“it does brew a great cup”

YouTube— neutral

“found it was my favorite, even if it isnt as strong as i like”

Showing 1–24 of 200