Press the Point

Last week I wrote about the benefits of coffee beyond that of a caffeine hit that gets you going.

This week I thought that I'd share with you how I get a decent cup of coffee when working out of the office and not near a coffee shop. Perhaps you're on-site, camping, traveling or working somewhere that only offers 'instant' in the staff kitchen.

Whilst it is possible for me to cart my beloved 'stovetop' around with me I find it much easier to grind coffee beforehand and then take that coffee supply and my AeroPress with me if I am heading out.

I ordered mine from Amazon. As you know, I live in Melbourne, Australia and this device is made in the USA. Consequently, it's availability in shops is rare and when you do find one it is outrageously expensive. I got mine shipped to my door quite a few years ago for about AUD$50.00 and about that time I happened to spy the very same product in a store at the South Melbourne Markets for $119.00. So, buyer beware.

The reviews printed on the packaging and online reviews rave about this product. In essence, it makes coffee that surpasses anything else on the planet and if you believe the hype, the galaxy too! Honestly, from my point of view, it makes a good coffee in an easy manner - that's it. Of course, how good that coffee is depends upon the coffee you choose to buy. It's a coffee press not a miracle machine.

The product comes with some accessories such as paper filters, a stirring wand and also a funnel to help getting your coffee grounds into the chamber without spilling it onto the kitchen bench top. However, I have adopted the method advocated by the world AeroPress champion (Yes, it's a thing!) and withdraw the plunger to its limit without it coming out of the cylinder, then invert the whole thing to add the coffee. Once coffee and water have been combined I affix the filter and upend (or un-invert, is that a word?) the AeroPress onto my cup, let it stand for a minute or so, then depress the plunger. Viola.

One last tip, if this is something you think you might investigate. I purchased a stainless steel coffee filter to replace the paper filters the press came with as standard. The stainless steel filter is better for the environment as you never ever need to buy or use another filter, and more importantly, it allows the oils in the coffee to pass through it whereas the paper filters remove much of this component of coffee.