Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsNot quite perfect
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021
First, let me say that I am a big fan of the AeroPress. I have been using one at the office and for travel for at least seven years. Since I'm the only one in the house who drinks coffee, with the rise of the pandemic, and the cessation of house guests, I've also been using it at home, now for my daily cup. Simple, tasty and satisfying to use!
So, of course when I saw that they had released a specific portable travel version, I was intrigued, so (even though the original AeroPress is pretty portable) I thought I'd give it a try!
Oddly, specs on Amazon suggest that the portable is heavier that the regular version, but I weighed them both and found that they are about the same weight (11.2 ounces vs. 11.4 ounces, not including filters).
The portable comes with a more compact version of the stirrer and the scoop, a carrying container that doubles as a cup and a soft lid to close it all up (which also could be used as an insolating lid to minimize spills once you've got coffee in the cup - it is not watertight, however). The portable does not come with the funnel (which the standard has always included). This is not a surprising decision, since it is bulky. I use one at home to make it easier to load coffee from my grinder, but for traveling, I always use pre-ground coffee.
The paper filters and the filter screen are identical and interchangeable with the standard model. The cylinder and plunger are both shorter in the travel model (see photo) but the same diameter, so while the standard version can brew four shots at a time, the travel model can do three. Same great results in both devices.
So far, so good! Still with me? Now the problem.
The travel version includes a compact filter holder (see photo). This can't really carry enough filters for an extended trip, but that was not the issue. No matter what I did, the darn thing would not stay closed (even with just a couple filters)! It clearly seemed like a defect in the new design!
I called AeroPress to ask them about this. I was pleased and surprised to get a representative on the line promptly, and even more so when she said they knew about the problem and she would send me a replacement right away! Yay AeroPress.
I was happy to see that the new one arrived only several days later. However, unbelievably, when I opened the package I found that they had sent me another filter holder, identical in every respect to the original that I had complained about! Which also, like the first one would not stay closed.
Thinking that there must have been some mistake, I called them again. This time the representative tried to give me some justification about why they had sent me the identical defective item, saying that some seemed to work better that others. I told her that this was unacceptable, and that the holder was clearly a poor design, and that they needed to either stop including it at all, or design one that actually worked. To this she had no reply!
I was a bit saddened, that after the design of such a well thought out new product, AeroPress could not get this last thing right, and even more so with their stance that they did not plan to do anything about it!
Fortunately, a small zip lock bag does the trick...