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Quick answer: The AeroPress is genuinely one of the best coffee makers available at any price — not because it makes espresso (it doesn’t) but because it makes outstanding, versatile coffee in under 2 minutes for under £35. If you want a travel brewer, a desk coffee maker, or a low-cost way to explore different coffee styles, it’s hard to beat. This is our full UK review.
🔗 Looking for a proper espresso machine instead? The AeroPress doesn’t make true espresso. See our complete guide to home espresso machines for machines that do.
Our Rating
Key Specifications
| Type | Manual immersion/pressure brewer |
| Price (UK) | ~£32 (Amazon UK) |
| Brew Time | 1-2 minutes |
| Capacity | 1-3 cups per brew |
| Grind Required | Medium to medium-fine |
| Pressure | Manual — approximately 0.35-0.75 bar |
| Weight | ~200g |
| Material | BPA-free polypropylene |
| Filters | Micro-filter papers (350 included) or reusable metal |
What Is the AeroPress — and What Isn’t It?
The AeroPress brews coffee by steeping grounds in hot water and then pressing the water through a micro-filter using manual pressure. The result is a clean, smooth, concentrated coffee — low in acidity, with no bitterness, and none of the sediment you get from French press.
It is not an espresso machine. The AeroPress generates approximately 0.35-0.75 bar of pressure through manual pressing. True espresso requires 9 bar. The concentrated coffee it produces can be diluted with water (like an Americano) or topped with milk, but the flavour profile is different from pressure-extracted espresso — smoother, less intense, more forgiving.
This isn’t a criticism — it’s simply what the AeroPress is. For people who want that style of coffee, it’s outstanding value. For people specifically wanting espresso, a proper espresso machine is the right choice.
Coffee Quality
Within its category — manual brewing — the AeroPress produces exceptional coffee. The short brew time (1-2 minutes) and paper filter combination produces a cup that’s clean, smooth, and remarkably complex given the simplicity of the device. Acidity and bitterness are dramatically lower than French press or drip coffee.
The recipe flexibility is the AeroPress’s most impressive quality. By adjusting water temperature, steep time, grind size, and coffee-to-water ratio, you can produce everything from a light, tea-like filter coffee to a thick concentrate for milk drinks. The AeroPress World Championship has produced hundreds of winning recipes — the device genuinely rewards experimentation.
Ease of Use
The AeroPress takes about 5 minutes to learn and 2 minutes to use once you have a recipe you like. The basic method: add coffee, add water, stir, press. That’s it. Cleanup is the AeroPress’s best feature — push the plunger fully to eject the puck directly into the bin, rinse under the tap, done. The whole cleaning process takes 20 seconds.
The learning curve comes in finding your preferred recipe. The AeroPress community has produced thousands of recipes online, which is both helpful and mildly overwhelming. Starting with the standard recipe (1 scoop, 200ml at 80°C, 1 minute steep, 30-second press) gives a solid baseline to build from.
Portability — The AeroPress’s Greatest Strength
At approximately 200g and fitting easily in a bag or backpack, the AeroPress is the best travel coffee maker available. It’s indestructible — plastic construction, no glass, no breakable components. It can be used anywhere with hot water: hotel rooms, campsites, offices, trains. Nothing else in this category combines coffee quality, portability, and durability as effectively.
The AeroPress Go vs Original
The AeroPress Go (~£38) is the travel-specific variant — it comes in a mug that doubles as the carrying case, making it even more compact. If portability is your primary motivation, the Go is worth the small extra cost. If you’re primarily using it at home or in an office, the original is fine.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros
- Exceptional coffee quality for the price
- Incredibly versatile — hundreds of recipes
- Fastest cleanup of any brewer
- Nearly indestructible — perfect for travel
- Outstanding value at ~£32
- Low acidity and bitterness
Cons
- Not a true espresso maker
- Manual — requires effort vs automatic machines
- Paper filters are a recurring cost (small)
- Limited to 1-3 cups per brew
Our Verdict — Is the AeroPress Worth Buying?
Yes — at £32 it’s one of the most compelling purchases in the coffee world. For travel, office use, or as a complement to an espresso machine (some home baristas use an AeroPress for mornings when they want a quick, low-effort cup), it’s outstanding.
If you’re specifically looking for espresso, look at our espresso machine guide instead — the AeroPress makes a different and excellent style of coffee, but it’s not espresso. If you’re open to that style, or want the best travel coffee maker available, buy one without hesitation.
Our score: 9.0/10. Highly recommended for its purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the AeroPress make real espresso?
No — the AeroPress generates approximately 0.35-0.75 bar of manual pressure. True espresso requires 9 bar. The AeroPress makes a concentrated, smooth coffee that can be used similarly to espresso in milk drinks, but the flavour profile and extraction physics are fundamentally different. It’s excellent coffee — just not espresso.
What grind size should I use for AeroPress?
Medium to medium-fine works best as a starting point — finer than French press, coarser than espresso. Experiment from there: finer grinds produce stronger, more intense brews; coarser grinds produce lighter, cleaner cups. The grind size guide explains the principles in detail.
Can I use the AeroPress without a grinder?
You can use pre-ground coffee — supermarket espresso or filter grinds both work reasonably well. But as with any brewing method, freshly ground coffee from a quality burr grinder produces noticeably better results. The AeroPress is forgiving enough that pre-ground is a reasonable starting point.