AeroPress Go Review: A great coffee maker got even better

It’s no secret that the Aeropress is one of the best portable coffee makers, and indeed one of the best coffee makers in general. It’s really difficult to find fault with it: it’s portable, quick, and brews a superb tasting cup of coffee. So when a new, smaller Aeropress, the Aeropress Go was released, I just had to go ahead and pen this Aeropress Go review.

Aeropress Go Review: a smaller version of the Aeropress?

The Aeropress Go was released as a follow up to the wildly successful Aeropress which was released in 2005 [1]. The original Aeropress had markings up to level 4, which was enough to brew up to 4 cups of coffee in one go(or 4 shots of espresso).

The Aeropress go is smaller and you can brew up to 3 cups(or shots), as the markings only go up to 3.

That means the whole brewer is about one inch shorter than the original Aeropress.

Additionally, the lip of the bottom chamber is now smaller, so if you are used to drinking from very wide mugs, you may find that the Aeropress Go may not balance on it.

It has the same brilliant design as the original Aeropress, just a little bit smaller: the brewer itself is composed of 4 main parts: the plunger, the main body, the filter cap, and the paper filter.

Everything is made out of plastic, except for the filter, which is of course paper, and the bottom of the plunger is made of rubber. Normally you would be weary of using plastic with high heat applications, but this is a special plastic which does not get affected by hot water.

The cup

One of the biggest differences between the original Aeropress and the Aeropress Go is the included plastic cup. As a travel coffee maker, you’d think this is a huge plus, since you don’t have to carry an extra mug around.

The cup is quite generously sized at 400 ml or 13.5 oz.

However, plastic is always going to be plastic, and many people (myself included) prefer using steel or ceramic mugs. Plastic puts a weird sensation in your mouth.

The cup does have an advantage, though, even if you won’t use it for drinking. It’s superb for pouring!

Suppose you are brewing for two people: in this case, brew two shots into the plastic cup, and pour out into two separate cups for drinking.

Regular mugs are notoriously terrible for pouring out, and brewing half a shot here and half a shot there results in uneven extraction.

An added benefit of pouring into a second cup is that it reduces the temperature to within a drinkable range.

Portability: everything in a small package

The Aeropress Go was designed with traveling in mind. So whether you’re tossing it into a suitcase for travel, a backpack for camping, or just taking it with you to the office, it’s unbelievable how small the whole device can get.

The Aeropress Go comes with a mug that has a cap. The entire Aeropress, including the stirrer, measuring scoop, and filters all fit inside the hollow part of the plunger.

The plunger fits into the main body, and the whole assembly fits neatly inside the mug, and when you put the cap on the mug, you have a tiny little coffee making powerhouse virtually in your pocket.

All you need is ground coffee and water and you have literally everything else you need contained within the mug.

For storing the paper filters, there is a special filter holder which is like a small plastic container that can hold a few filters. The holder closes on itself and fits right on top of the filter basket when you’re storing the Aeropress in the mug.

You can fit a small grinder in, too

There are various hacks with this coffee press where you can get a little creative and fit a small grinder in the assembly, too. Most larger grinders will not work, of course, since they’re too bulky to fit inside.

The 1ZPresso Q1 is a coffee grinder that is designed around the fact that it fits into the plunger of the Aeropress:

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• How to brew Aeropress coffee

How to brew coffee with an Aeropress Go

When you open up the mug by removing the lid, pull out the entire assembly. Remove the stirrer and scoop from inside the plunger and set aside.

Take one filter out of the filter case and place it in the filter basket, and screw the basket on to the bottom of the Aeropress Go.

Place the Aeropress Go on top of the mug, and add one rounded scoop of ground coffee. You’re looking for a grind that’s just a little finer than drip coffee.

One rounded Aeropress scoop is about 12 to 13 grams of coffee. While this much discrepancy is forgivable when you’re traveling, if you’re brewing at home, it is always better to use a coffee scale to measure out an exact quantity. This enables your brew to be consistent time and time again.

Shake the whole thing back and forth to level the coffee, and pour hot 175F or 80C water until you just cover the red “1” on the body.

Note: For cold brew, use room temperature water.

Stir for 10 seconds if you’re making hot coffee, or 1 minute for cold brew.

Finally, put the plunger in and press gently, pausing when you feel resistance and resuming in a few seconds. Keep pressing until you hit the coffee puck.

At this point, you can

• Enjoy a shot of concentrated espresso-like coffee as is
• Add 6-8 ounces of hot water to make an Americano
• Add 6 ounces of steamed milk to make a latte, or 4 ounces to make a cappuccino
• Add 8 ounces of cold water to make cold brew

Brewing inverted Aeropress coffee with the Go

Since the size is smaller, you’re able to effectively brew one less cup of coffee. This is not going to matter if you brew for yourself, but for groups, some people may find the limitation annoying.

This limitation becomes even more apparent when you brew inverted, since you lose a bit of volume when you invert the Aeropress.

Again, brewing for one person should not be an issue, but brewing for two or more people may be challenging.

Cleaning the Aeropress Go after use

Cleaning up is super easy, too: just eject the puck by removing the filter basket and plunging all the way down. Because the puck is so nice and compact, cleaning takes just a few seconds.

That makes it ideal for camping and backpacking, where you don’t want to leave any waste or footprint in the process. Just eject the puck into a container and you can empty out the used grounds next time you pass a trash can.

Compare this to the other popular camping coffee maker, the moka pot, and you’ll know how difficult those can be to clean. The used coffee grounds don’t empty out of the filter basket very easily, as you need to give it a few good whacks or use a spoon to dig the grounds out.

Then use some hot water to rinse the rubber part of the plunger.

Next, just rinse out the mug(if you drink black coffee, just rinsing will be enough – wash with detergent if you add milk or sugar).

Why is Aeropress coffee so good?

The Aeropress Go essentially combines the best of espresso brewing(pressure) and immersion brewing(by soaking the grounds in water before plunging) into a single cup.

As a result, the brew is quite unique and flavorful.

One of the biggest advantages of the Aeropress is how nice and smooth the cup of coffee is. Because it uses a paper filter, there are no particles whatsoever so your last few sips don’t get muddy or murky like they may with a french press brew.

Some people opt to use a metal filter in the Aeropress, which will let some particles through, but it still won’t be as muddy as a french press can get.

Another advantage of the Aeropress is how quickly you can brew. With a french press, you have to wait at least 4 minutes before plunging. The Aeropress Go has your coffee ready in just under a minute. It is crazy how quickly you can extract a good cup of coffee using the right amount of pressure.

This is under the assumption that you’re going to pull a full sized Americano(by diluting the brew with 6 ounces of hot water).

What about as an espresso maker? The Aeropress is often touted as an espresso maker, though it is not a really fair comparison in my opinion. Espresso makers for homes cost 5 or more times greater than the humble Aeropress, to start.

The resulting brew from an Aeropress (if you don’t dilute it) can be compared to an espresso but it is not quite an espresso. For starters, espresso machines generate a lot more pressure which you just can’t duplicate with the simple plunger design.

There are manual espresso makers like the Minipresso but those have you pump constantly to generate enough pressure to extract a proper shot of espresso.

Even with these drawbacks, the resulting brew from the Aeropress is quite intense and at best, it can take the place of an espresso if you don’t have access to a machine, but it’s not quite there.

Additionally, since there is not enough pressure, you won’t be able to get the foamy crema on top, either.

Does that mean the Aeropress is bad?

Not at all. For the price, and for the flavorful coffee this little guy manages to brew, it’s a no brainer for any coffee enthusiast to have in their coffee making kit.

Aeropress vs Aeropress Go

The last thing I’d like to address is whether there is any difference between the Aeropress and the Aeropress Go.

Essentially, both are the same thing. They follow the same design, they look similar, and they brew coffee using the same mechanics.

Even the paper filters are compatible, so if you’ve got 300 filters lying around, you won’t have to buy new filters: Aeropress paper filters will work in the Aeropress and the Aeropress Go.

The main difference between the two is size. Like I mentioned above, the Aeropress Go only has markings up to 3(compared to 4 on the larger Aeropress), and the accessories that come with the Aeropress Go are travel sized that can fit into the plunger.

The regular Aeropress’ scoop and stirrer are quite big and you’d have to carry them separately, and there was no compact way to take the filters along with you unless you used a little ziploc bag or something.

This issue is addressed in the Aeropress Go: the stirrer and scoop have been redesigned to fit like a glove inside the plunger, and the whole assembly fits into the included mug.

The mug is also a new addition to the Aeropress Go. The manufacturers really wanted an all in one solution, so why not throw in a strong mug that can withstand the pressure and force of the plunge?

Measurements and specs

• Weight: 326 grams packed together
• Dimensions: 4.6″ x 3.6″ x 3.6″ (brewer)
• Brew capacity: 8 ounces of coffee

Conclusion

To conclude this Aeropress Go review, this coffee press is a more compact version of something that was already great. If you travel a lot, then picking one of these up is a real no-brainer.

However, if you already have an Aeropress, you may wish to hold off, as there is no major difference between the two models except for size.

You may even prefer the larger sized Aeropress for everyday coffee.

But if you’re a fan of traveling very light and need to fit everything in a small backpack, then the Aeropress Go is worth picking up.

And if you’re new to the Aeropress and usually brew for just one or two people, then the Aeropress Go is definitely more convenient.

Frequently asked questions

References:

1. https://stories.maker.co/aeropress-inventing-the-worlds-best-coffee-maker

Last update on 2024-04-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API