# Aeropress alternatives



## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

So my wife has decided that she wants to keep the aeropress at home, instead of me having it at work. 
As apparently french press is just too much faff.

I like the aeropress at work for it's cleanliness, the work kitchen is crap and cleaning out a cafetiere is a right pain. 
I'm not sure I want to be faffing with a V60 in the kitchen, the work kettle is also utter balls and getting a nice steady stream is nigh on impossible.

Is there any alternatives I should look at before I just buy another aeropress?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

TomHughes said:


> So my wife has decided that she wants to keep the aeropress at home, instead of me having it at work.
> As apparently french press is just too much faff.
> 
> I like the aeropress at work for it's cleanliness, the work kitchen is crap and cleaning out a cafetiere is a right pain.
> ...


 Closest similar method is probably the Clever dripper. Has Bean have the 1 cup versions in several colours, dump the used filter in the bin, rinse it out with hot/boiling water & you're done. 70g/L & a 3min steep can work well enough for a work brew (won't be any worse than an AP brew) with more soluble coffees (Rwanda, Kenya, Colombia), finer end of drip grind.

FWIW cleaning out a cafetiere is easy if you have a spare metal drip filter, put it over an old mug, rinse out the dregs from the cafetiere & dump in the filter, leave to drain, then dump in the bin.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

MWJB said:


> Closest similar method is probably the Clever dripper. Has Bean have the 1 cup versions in several colours, dump the used filter in the bin, rinse it out with hot/boiling water & you're done. 70g/L & a 3min steep can work well enough for a work brew (won't be any worse than an AP brew) with more soluble coffees (Rwanda, Kenya, Colombia), finer end of drip grind.
> 
> FWIW cleaning out a cafetiere is easy if you have a spare metal drip filter, put it over an old mug, rinse out the dregs from the cafetiere & dump in the filter, leave to drain, then dump in the bin.


 Does the clever not suffer from the same issues as the V60?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

TomHughes said:


> Does the clever not suffer from the same issues as the V60?


 Not really, it's an immersion brewer, you steep all the water & all the coffee together until you end the brew, could be 3/5/10/15 min. Then it all drains under gravity, rather than via a plunge (as with AP).

You don't need to bloom, or to pour carefully, you just need to hit your target water weight (say within 10g or so), a regular kettle is fine.

The V60 doesn't really have any issues, per se. It's a percolation brewer & just not very self regulating, so you need to control the pouring/pour rate much more carefully, the V60 will hit much higher extractions than Clever in the same time frame. If you're happy with AP brews, this isn't likely to affect you.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

MWJB said:


> Not really, it's an immersion brewer, you steep all the water & all the coffee together until you end the brew, could be 3/5/10/15 min. Then it all drains under gravity, rather than via a plunge (as with AP).
> 
> You don't need to bloom, or to pour carefully, you just need to hit your target water weight (say within 10g or so), a regular kettle is fine.
> 
> The V60 doesn't really have any issues, per se. It's a percolation brewer & just not very self regulating, so you need to control the pouring/pour rate much more carefully, the V60 will hit much higher extractions than Clever in the same time frame. If you're happy with AP brews, this isn't likely to affect you.


 I've always been disappointed with the AP lacking in body, so maybe worth giving the v60 another shot


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

TomHughes said:


> I've always been disappointed with the AP lacking in body, so maybe worth giving the v60 another shot


 Not sure V60, gooseneck & timing regimen is the best option for work brews, I got away with it because I made multiple cups & shared them...I also made small Clever brews too, for myself, if pushed timewise/wanting a lower faff cup.

Body (if you mean mouthfeel) is more related to ratio (more coffee/less water = more), water (more alkalinity = more) & grind size (finer = more), there shouldn't be a big difference between the two at similar ratios, I'd even maybe expect a little less from V60.


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## Rapid (Jun 12, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> I've always been disappointed with the AP lacking in body, so maybe worth giving the v60 another shot


 You may get frowned upon by your colleagues but couldn't you just invest in a cheap £30 pouring kettle to keep at work? Would make life a whole lot easier with pouring.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

Rapid said:


> You may get frowned upon by your colleagues but couldn't you just invest in a cheap £30 pouring kettle to keep at work? Would make life a whole lot easier with pouring.


 I think at that point I'd be tipping over the too much effort for what it's worth line. 
Part of the rationale for taking the V60 was the fact I've never bothered using it at home as I wasn't overly impressed with the coffee from it.


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## Wha burst the ba (Jun 20, 2020)

Black
Cat Coffee was doing a half price bag of coffee if you bought an aeropress. Buy a £32/kg bag of coffee and get the AP for £14. Solves a lot

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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

TomHughes said:


> I think at that point I'd be tipping over the too much effort for what it's worth line.
> Part of the rationale for taking the V60 was the fact I've never bothered using it at home as I wasn't overly impressed with the coffee from it.


 Coffee from a V60 tastes just as good as any other brewer when dialled in


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

MWJB said:


> Coffee from a V60 tastes just as good as any other brewer when dialled in


 Oh I agree, the problem is more with me!


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

Wha burst the ba said:


> Black
> Cat Coffee was doing a half price bag of coffee if you bought an aeropress. Buy a £32/kg bag of coffee and get the AP for £14. Solves a lot
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Can't seem to find them on his site anymore.


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## Wha burst the ba (Jun 20, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> Can't seem to find them on his site anymore.


Under brewing equipment/home then first item is aeropress. Or just search on page. 

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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

got it! thanks


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## Wha burst the ba (Jun 20, 2020)

I phoned David and checked that it wasn't a discount glich. He said it's not, it's a genuine offer. 

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