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I have used my Aeropress Go thousands of times over the past (almost) four years, and it is easily the best coffee maker I have ever used and continues to be my daily driver. It does a fantastic job as a flexible coffee maker that is easy to clean, learn, and use.
I am so thankful that Aeropress was kind enough to send a unit out to me at no charge to check out back in early 2020, as I never thought I would use it nearly as much as I have.
Over those years, I have figured out everything great about it! But also everything that might be a significant downside, and I will go over all of that throughout this article.
Why should you trust me? I have not only been using an Aeropress Go regularly for years (with some breaks in there), but I have also had a chance to test out plenty of other automatic and manual coffee makers. This gives me a unique take on the industry and has equipped me with some valuable information.
What is the Aeropress Go?
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- Makes clean, high-quality coffee brews
- Rapid brew process
- Easy to use and clean
- It is very portable
- Versatile
- Not compatible with all mugs
- Small coffee capacity
The Aeropress Go is the more portable version of the standard Aeropress you may or may not be familiar with. This immersion-style brewer utilizes pressure from a plunger to push your coffee out of a cylinder and through a paper filter. This results in a clean cup of coffee that tastes like a French press, giving it the best of both worlds.
As for the portability side, the Aeropress Go collapses into a covered cup, along with your filters and a more compact stirrer. This means you can throw it in a bag, into your suitcase, and travel with your coffee maker to ensure you have a fantastic cup of joe on the go.
So what do I like so much about it?
It’s no secret that I now enjoy my Aeropress Go. Let’s go into more depth into each reason why that is so you can see if those upsides are what you are looking for as well.
1. Makes clean, high-quality coffee brews
If you are a fan of cleaner cups of coffee but still would like to have plenty of flavor in your brew, the Aeropress Go (Paid Link) does a fantastic job of this. It tastes similar to what you would expect from a French Press, as they share the immersion brew process.
However, while an immersion brewer pushes through a paper filter rather than metal filters (or just a strainer in the French Press’s case), this means you get that full-bodied flavor from immersion brewing, but you don’t have nearly as much mud in the bottom of your cup.
This is one of my favorite cups of coffee because of this.
2. Rapid brew process
Thankfully, I work from home (as blogging and making videos is my full-time gig now), meaning I make my coffee the way I want rather than whatever my workplace has.
Because of the Aeropress Go’s process, you can quickly make this excellent cup of coffee. Once you boil the water, you can make a cup in under a minute. You can easily create a cup without anyone thinking you are slacking off.
3. Easy to use and clean
Keeping your coffee maker clean is one of the biggest and most important things you should do. The Aeropress Go is easily the best of the best in this category.
Regular automatic and manual coffee makers like French Press and Pour can be challenging to clean. Before owning the Aeropress Go, I shied away from manual coffee makers, which never got quite clean enough. I wanted to find a better coffee maker, primarily because of this.
The Aeropress is so easy to start with because once you are done plunging the coffee, you pull off the filter housing, push down on the plunger over the garbage, and it shoots your puck of coffee out. Then, you pull apart the three large pieces, rinse them off in the sink, and let them dry.
Cleaning this unit likely takes me 10 seconds. Now, an automatic coffee maker is quick, too! However, when it comes time to descale it, the process can take hours and break down after a couple of years.
4. It is very portable
If you are looking for this to take to work or traveling, the Aeropress Go (Paid Link) has been built to travel and store easily. The coffee maker collapses everything into the included plastic mug, and the sealed mug cap closes it off so it doesn’t get dirty.
From there, you can throw it in a bag or carry it in your car without worrying about damaging it. I have taken this little coffee maker quite a few places over the years, as it guarantees me a great cup of coffee with little additional effort, rather than being at the mercy of whatever the hotel offers.
5. Versatile
I have been pleasantly surprised by how many ways I can make coffee with Aeropress Go.
You can easily make an espresso-like shot by adding a smaller amount of water or make a regular cup of coffee (or purchase the Fellow Prismo attachment that is found in this article) using an inverted method, adding more water and milk at the end.
Of course, there are so many other ways to make coffee, ranging across the spectrum of coffee. I recommend buying one and seeing what works best for you!
I make my cup of coffee with the inverted method (we’ll talk about this later in the article), as it allows for a bit stronger coffee. You are free to finish the brew process, as the brew stays in the chamber instead of going through the filter.
What don’t I quite like?
The only issue I have with the Aeropress Go is the fact that the base of it has shrunk to fit into the included mug carrying case, as opposed to the much broader base of the standard Aeropress.
This becomes an issue when using your Aeropress Go at home on your regular mugs instead of the included plastic mug. If any of your mugs have too broad of a mouth, you can’t use them to brew, as the Aeropress Go falls through.
I have plenty of mugs, and some of my favorites work fine with the Go, so it isn’t too big of an issue, just a thought. If I have to use one of these wider-mouth mugs, I brew into the plastic mug and transfer the brew to my larger-mouthed mugs, which works as a great workaround.
If this is a big issue for you, I highly recommend the standard Aeropress, as this coffee maker is fantastic, and you should own one, whichever that might be.
Who is the Aeropress Good for?
The Aeropress Go is perfect for those who need their coffee maker to be ultra-portable and easy to take on the go. It offers easy, delicious, clean coffee in a package you can throw into a suitcase without any issues.
I recommend switching to the standard Aeropress if this isn’t you. Either way, you should have an Aeropress in your collection.
Standard vs. Inverted Brew Method
Before I had an Aeropress, I needed help understanding the difference between the inverted and standard methods of making Aeropress Coffee.
The standard brew method is to place your Aeropress (without the plunger) on top of the mug, add your coffee grounds, then water, add the plunger, and push down. This results in a quick brew.
Inverted, however, gives more flexibility in the brewing process. With this, you push the plunger slightly into the canister, flip the whole unit upside down, and then add coffee (coffee grounds will be sitting on top of the plunger at this point), then add water to that and allow it to infuse.
The inverted method allows you to allow it to infuse for a more extended, more controlled period. The standard method allows water to go through your filter, so you can only invest for a while.
Category | Aeropress Go | Aeropress Standard |
---|---|---|
Capacity | 8 ounces | 10 ounces |
Height | 4.6” | 5.4” |
Width | 3.6” | 4.2” |
Depth | 3.6” | 3.8” |
Funnel | No | Yes |
Included Mug | 15 ounce | None |
Stirring stick | Foldable | Standard |
Filters included | 350 count | 350 count |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AeroPress plastic safe?
From what I can tell, the Aeropress is highly safe to use, as it currently uses a plastic called Polypropylene.
Is AeroPress better than the French press?
Many people compare a French Press to an Aeropress because they share the immersion brew process and wonder which is better. In the end, it is entirely up to personal taste. If you want a more robust-tasting coffee with more particles, the French Press will be your best choice.
However, if you like a clean cup of coffee, the Aeropress will be your obvious choice. The fantastic thing about both methods is that both are relatively small investments, and most people should be able to own both.
Conclusion
Over the years, the Aeropress Go (Paid Link) has become one of my all-time favorite pieces of gear that manufacturers have sent out to me. It has moved from being a test unit to being my daily coffee maker, and I never see myself giving up.
That said, I am tempted to get the standard Aeropress so that it will fit all of my coffee mugs, not just the smaller-mouthed ones. However, I have also seen rumblings of non-plastic-based brewers, so hopefully, something will come of that.
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