Many people use the Aeropress as a method of making a crude Espresso, eliminating the need to go out and buy an expensive machine to do so. With this in mind, you may wonder if Espresso and Aeropress coffee are different at all.
It can often be hard to find reliable answers to questions such as these, that is why we are here to trying to do our best to provide you top-quality information about everything coffee.
Although Aeropresses can be used to make an espresso like beverage, Aeropress Coffee is still quite different from true espresso coffee. For the price of buying an Aeropress compared to a good quality espresso machine however it is almost impossible to knock the budget alternative because they are so simple and cheap to use and the final product is close enough for most people.
Take a look at the price of the Aeropress here on Amazon and compare it to a middle of the road espresso machine by Breville that gets lots of great reviews. Hard to overlook the value proposition of the Aeropress.
I must not forget to mention this before we get into the meat of this article that coffee made from an Aeropress is very different from real espresso, but some people swear by it being the same thing.
In my opinion it’s kind of like the debate between moka pot devotees and espresso lovers, the beverages are so similar it’s hard to not argue over the details.
But let’s argue for the sake of better understanding.
How are Espresso and Aeropress Coffee different?
There are quite a few things that make Espresso and Aeropress Coffee different. There are some minor things, which I will cover in a moment and some major things.
- Aeropress use Paper filters. Although there are metal filters that you can buy for these, the filters are intended to be disposable, so it is often a money saver to buy Paper filters. Espresso wins over here because Espresso machines use a metal wire mesh filter rather than paper.
- Espresso machines are electric, they use much higher pressure than that of the Aeropress does.
These are the two main differences of Espresso and Aeropress coffee, which for most people will likely determine whether or not you decide to drink Espresso coffee or Aeropress coffee.
Is Espresso better than Aeropress Coffee?
For the most part, I would have to say yes, although some people may prefer percolator coffee over Espresso.
Espresso doesn’t require nearly as much work and moderation as Percolator Coffee does. Espresso coffee can also vary slightly depending on the barista making it or the extras added.
Espresso requires no specific roast level or bean blend, but some beans are a better choice than others: find the best ones here. Ever since the third wave of coffee, you can find many coffee shops all over that can make an Espresso in many different ways to really tailor to your personal tastes.
One of the bonuses of making Espresso vs Percolator coffee is that Espresso coffee does not use paper filters like the Percolator does. Since it does not use a paper filter, much of the oils and such that makes coffee so healthy is able to get through into the drink. So if you want something a bit healthier Espresso would be better.
I think for most people Espresso will be the more favorable coffee due to the time and attention it takes to make a cup of Percolator coffee in the morning and how easily you can mess it up and waste several minutes.
Most of the time it will be much easier to make Espresso and there are alternatives to buying the Expensive home machines. This makes it much better than using a Percolator
Is Aeropress Coffee better than Espresso?
In many ways, I would say yes, although it does have its shortcomings.
As I said an Aeropress is only designed to make a single cup of coffee compared to a Drip Coffee maker which can make multiple at once. This can be offset in the sense that you can steep it for longer to get stronger coffee, and thus, more caffeine.
An AeroPress is a lot like a Chemex Coffeemaker in these sense that it has the appearance of something you would find in a Chemistry kit. There are some Aeropress makers that are made bigger to accommodate more cups of coffee for the same process but most of them are only large enough for one cup.
One of the other downsides to an Aeropress is that it uses disposable filters, this makes it more tedious for on-the-go use as you have to carry the Aeropress and coffee around as well as disposable filters. These filters help make the Aeropress an all-around cleaner method of brewing coffee as everything is linear and simple to clean.
One of the benefits of an Aeropress is that, although not as fast as an Espresso machines, it brews quite fast, making it more convenient for someone in a rush.
The Aeropress is made of plastic so it is practically invulnerable. With them being inexpensive and making good quality coffee, they are without a doubt worth the buy. If you are looking into purchasing one I would recommend this one as it makes quite a bit more coffee than an average Aeropress maker and comes with everything you need.
I would definitely recommend these over the Drip Coffee makers, especially if you are someone who enjoys exercising in the mornings. Being that the caffeine content in Aeropress coffee is about on par with that of an Espresso, it will give you a great burst of energy that Drip Coffee can’t provide.
