...Tell Me a Yarn: August 2026

Equipment (both tests):

Flow-control caps. I have two flow-control caps and two steel standard caps, so simultaneous brewing with the same kind of cap is impossible (I lost my standard plastic cap, and the steel flow-control cap is too expensive to buy more than one). Aeropress steel flow-control cap will be used for the glass and steel versions, and the Fellow Prismo cap will be used with the plastic brewer
Plastic Aeropress - smoked version purchased during Alan Adler's AeroPress leadership
Glass Aeropress Premium
Aeropress Steel
Preheat water - Mueller electric kettle that heats to boiling
Brew water - Fellow electric kettle that heats to 200F/93C
Timemore Millab E01 grinder set to 4.1
1 stainless steel carafe for brewing into
3 Fellow Carter mugs (12 ounce)
3 Pretty Dirt Pottery mugs (about 13 ounce)

Single Serving Test

Recipe - The Tim Wendelboe from the Aeropress Timer app:

Traditional (non-inverted) brewing
15g of coffee ground to medium-fine
Water at 200F (93C). The recipe calls for 195g of water, but I used 240g
Pour all 240g of water, stir for 5 seconds, steep for 30, stir for 10, and plunge for 30
Beans: People Possession Tanzanian & Colombian blend, honey-processed

Temperature control:

The first time I attempted this sequential test, it failed for two reasons: 1) the temperature differences were significant between the first and last brew, making it difficult to taste the differences; and 2) the grind setting was much too coarse (unfamiliar grinder), and all three turned out weak/watery. So for the next try, all three will be poured into preheated Fellow Carter insulated flasks.

Process:

Grind beans.
Heat water and assemble brewer.
Pour preheat water into the brewer; wait 10 seconds.
Pour preheat water from brewer into steel carafe; wait 10 seconds.
Pour preheat water from carafe into Carter mug.
Place coffee grounds in brewer.
Start the Aeropress Timer app and brew according to recipe above.
Empty Carter mug, and transfer coffee into it.
Add an additional 100g of brew water to Carter mug, and seal it up.
Repeat 2 more times.
Wait 4 minutes and transfer to three room-temperature ceramic serving mugs.

Taste Results:

Plastic - Smooth but slightly stuttery. Very good. 2nd place
Glass - Smoothest to press, and easiest with a single serving.Very good. 3rd place
Steel - Slightly sandpapery texture. Hardest to press, though not hard. Very good. 1st place

I thought the coffees were indistinguishable, but my daughter correctly identified which was which in a blind taste test, ranked them for me, and placed the steel in first place.

Double Serving Test

Recipe - The Wren from the Aeropress Timer app:

Traditional (non-inverted) brewing
45g of coffee ground to medium-fine
Water at 200F (93C). The recipe calls for 200g of water, but I filled the brewer almost to the top regardless of volume
Fill brewer, stir for 15 seconds, steep for 25, and plunge for 25
Beans: Joe Bean Guatemala La Revuelta

Temperature control:

For this test, I used room-temperature equipment with no preheating, and on sequential days. This isn't really a comparison between brewers, since only differences significant enough to remember from one day to the next will be noted, and I don't expect that to be the case. Rather, it's a test of whether each brewer can make good coffee from that recipe without preheating (fwiw, I normally do preheat my brewer).

Process:

Heat water and assemble brewer.
Grind beans and place in brewer.
Start the Aeropress Timer app and brew according to recipe above.
Add additional brew water to carafe until it reaches 700ml
Pour 350 ml into each of two serving mugs.

Taste Results:

Plastic - made approximately 100 ml of concentrate, so required around 600ml of additional water. The plastic brewer is remarkably easier to press when using a large volume of coffee grounds, perhaps due to the larger diameter of the brew chamber. The coffee was very good to excellent.
Glass - made approximately 100 ml of concentrate, so required around 600ml of additional water. Second easiest to press through this volume of grounds. The coffee was very good.
Steel - made about 200 ml of concentrate. Noticeably harder to press through this volume of grounds, though not impossible. It requires a bit of strong-arming (as defined by a middle-aged woman). The coffee was very good.

The plastic happened to make the best coffee by a small margin, but the last time I did tests like this, the brewer that made the best coffee varied from day to day. It might be the vagaries of memory from one day to the next, or there are variables that I failed to control for. Probably both.

Articles in the series:

Aeropress Comparisons Part 1 - First Impressions: Aeropress Steel

Aeropress Comparisons Part 2 - Single and Double Serving Tests and Results (this article)

Aeropress Comparisons Part 3: Temperature Tests and Results (coming soon)

Aeropress Steel

I admit it. I am a crow.

I like shiny new coffee equipment, and I recently got yet another Aeropress. I have a smoked plastic version that predates Alan Adler's retirement and sale of Aeropress to Tiny Ltd, the overpriced (but beloved) glass version released a couple of years ago, and I now have a just-released Aeropress Steel, along with a steel flow-control cap heavy enough to slay Goliath, should anyone sling it at him. Unless AP releases something extraordinarily different, the Aeropress Steel is my last one. Really.

Differences from other versions:

It has additional capacity, about 350 ml vs 315 ml for the glass and plastic versions. I really like that.
It is made with just two materials: steel and silicon.
The stir stick isn't as heavy-duty as the one that comes with the glass version. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of personal preference.
It produces about the same cup of coffee as the plastic and glass versions (unsurprising, since it's the same brewer).
The inside of the chamber has a textured surface, so it makes a slight swishing sound lacking in the other versions. I don't care for this, but it's an extremely minor issue.
It's fully dishwasher safe like the plastic one, but unlike that glass, which requires handwashing (I still say that was a stupid decision on their part).
Weight of the brewer (including cap, chamber, plunger, and stir stick) - plastic 215g (with Prismo cap instead of the original), steel 699g, glass 889g. So it's heavy, but not as heavy as the glass.
Like the plastic version, it should be nearly indestructible, though I suspect that if you drop it off a house, it'll dent instead of bounce.
Of the three, it's the hardest to press, particularly with a two-serving recipe. It's noticeably more difficult to push the brew water through that volume of grounds, though it's not problematic.
Like the glass, the chamber is double-walled, so the outside doesn't get hot during brewing. You still have to be careful removing the cap, which does get hot.
You can't see through it so you have to brew by feel.

Things I like:

It's not going to break
It's lighter than the glass, so it's better for travel than the glass (but not the plastic)
Greater capacity
It's less expensive than the glass
Dishwasher safe

Things I don't like:

This is a minor issue, but the texture of the inside of the chamber is textured, and the swishing sound when it rubs is a little unpleasant. I wonder why they didn't use polished stainless steel inside the chamber?
I can't see through the brew chamber walls (inherent in a non-transparent material). Not much can be done about that, but they should have done a better job providing other indicators. For example, only level 5 is printed on the inside. 1-4 are missing.
The plunger seal is compressed when it's pushed all the way through. This is a major design flaw, but easily fixed by removing a gasket.

Level 5 is the only one printed on the inside

I either brew by weight or fill the brewer all the way up, so the lack of markings inside isn't really a big deal, but anyone who uses the level markings for the various recipes will find it annoying. I think they should have printed the levels on both the outside and on the inside. And putting some sort of markings on the plunger barrel to show progress while plunging would have been really nice.

By far the most significant design flaw, however, is the plunger length. It's too short by about 2 mm. Many people store the plastic AP with the plunger pushed into the chamber, and the seal protrudes out the bottom just enough that it isn't compressed by the walls of the brew chamber. If you store it compressed, the seal eventually stops expanding properly and starts leaking, requiring a new seal. The plastic AP was cheap enough that people often replaced the whole unit, rather than chasing down a new part. That's less likely with the steel version given its price, but the design guarantees the seal will need replacing sooner (it's the only part that will need replacing over time, and it's fortunately inexpensive).

There is an easy fix, however. Just remove the rubber gasket around the top of the plunger. I think its purpose is to make it easier to remove from the storage stand. Without the gasket, the seal protrudes fully from the brew chamber. There are two minor drawbacks to removing the gasket: it's slightly harder to get a hold of the plunger to remove it from the stand, and there is a little up-and-down play when the plunger is pushed fully through the chamber, which means it can rattle if you give it a good shake.

Left: Seal not extending fully with gasket
Right: Seal fully extended after gasket removal

My initial impression of brewing with it is that it makes coffee that tastes like it came from an Aeropress. It really doesn't make coffee that is all that different from the plastic or glass version. I also think this may be the best value-for-the-money of the two premium versions. It's dishwasher safe, nearly indestructible, has a greater capacity, and is lighter and less expensive than the glass version.

The plastic one is a great brewer, and I used mine for years, even though I don't like brewing in plastic. I love the glass version - being able to see the brewing is really nice, but it's expensive and breakable. You give up the nice view with the steel version, but otherwise, it's all upsides. I bought the steel version to be my travel brewer until the glass one breaks (when, not if!). Then I'll use the steel one for both everyday use and travel.

Steel Flow Control Cap:

Left: Standard cap
Right: Flow-control cap

Years before the steel and glass versions came out, I discovered that I liked how recipes brewed inverted tasted, but I didn't actually like brewing that way - using the brewer upside-down is wobbly and prone to being knocked over. I happily switched from the regular cap to the Fellow Prismo which has a valve that prevents flow-through during brewing. The coffee comes out only when you plunge. The steel flow-control cap was released at about the same time as the AP Steel, and I'm delighted to have a valved cap that works with the glass and steel versions. Not much to say about it - it works perfectly, is heavy, and sometimes makes an amusing farting noise when pressing. Glad to have it, but it's expensive.