Tested: The AeroPress Go Makes a Perfect Cup of Coffee Without Crowding Your Luggage

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Photo: AeroPress

The Go comes in at 4.6 inches x 3.6 inches x 3.6 inches (compared to the original 5.4 inches x 4.2 inches x 3.8 inches) and weighs a scant 11.4 ounces when fully packed. It comes with the press itself, and a stirrer, filter holder, scoop, and filters. All of this fits into the microwaveable 16-ounce Go mug, which has a red silicone top and doubles as a travel case. The set up holds it all in one place, like a packing cube for coffee tools. I went one step further to leave the paper filters behind with a reusable metal filter add-on made with premium stainless steel.

Like the AeroPress Original, the Go brews espresso-style, full-bodied coffee (it also works for cold brew style coffee). The resulting brew is similar to what I make with my French press at home, but lacks the grit.

I took a gamble and threw it in my luggage untested before heading off to Jamaica, fully aware that the connectivity situation may not be adequate to watch the how-to video. Thankfully, it’s pretty intuitive. Medium-fine fresh ground coffee is added on top of the filter in the coffee bed, the whole thing is placed on top of the mug, and hot water poured over the top. AeroPress suggests giving the fresh grounds a stir for full immersion, though I found the flavor comparable after skipping that step when I misplaced the stirrer. Lastly, the plunger is pushed through. The tight silicone seal at the end creates air pressure that forces the brew through and into the mug.

The true selling point for me? It’s fast. After using it a couple of times in my hotel room, I got to the point where it took longer to get hot water than it did to actually make up to eight ounces of coffee and rinse off the AeroPress Go pieces in the sink.

Photo: AeroPress

It’s no groundbreaking revelation to say that hotel coffee is unreliable at best. Even luxury hotels in the best coffee cities in the world tend to underdeliver. As someone who avoids checking a bag whenever possible, the AeroPress Go is the only reasonable set up for good, fast coffee whether you’re out camping or staying in a hotel.