Why wait? Enjoy now!
Just ordered mine from liquidplanet (they're having a sale through friday for "members", but it takes 5 seconds to become a member.) I figure if I trust all of you guys so much with shave advice (and the gobs I've spent on THAT), then I can take this $25 plunge with very little hesitation. And I'm just tired of drinking the bitter swill they serve at work.
I never heard of the AeroPress before tonight. I just read this entire thread. How did this thing fly under my radar for so long? My poor Gaggia has been dying a slow death and I've dreaded the thought of trying to source a replacement pump. (Can't complain too much; I got the machine for $30 at a junk shop several years ago and it's worked quite well until the spring inside the vibration pump broke.) A shop on my way to work is listed as being an AeroPress retailer. Guess where I'm stopping tomorrow morning?
So how did your first experience work out this morning after you bought the Aeropress and rushed home?
I stopped in, and they said they haven't stocked it since Christmas! Didn't sound like they were getting any more in, either. There's another place listed a couple towns farther down the road; maybe I can get there tomorrow.
I got mine through Amazon pretty quickly.
After living with this thing for a couple of days, I'm finding the coffee is almost too smooth. I need to bring back a stronger flavor and just a touch of the bitterness. Any recommendations? Finer grind? Hotter watter? Longer steep? (FWIW, I've been using up my espresso beans and will probably try a different roast as soon as I can get to the coffee shop.)
You could always try pushing more hot water past the grinds by filling the cylinder with more water. My understanding is that the bitterness is on the "inside" of the grind and the extra water might pick that up as you force it through the beans. Not that I would do this - loving my smooth coffee!
Hotter water will definitely put some 'bite' into the coffee. Just nuke the water to boiling right inside the plunger body, then proceed as usual.