So after about 1000 cups my Aeropress plunger just doesn't fit very well anymore.
I had to give up on the inverted method about 100 cups ago, but now even when non-inverted a noticible amount of liquid seeps past the plunger during the press. Getting it squeaky clean helps a little, but only for a cup or two.
So I can buy a new rubber plunger tip for about $10 CAD (why Canadian money?) or a whole new unit (including paddle and funnel that go straight into the recycle box) for $25 USD. Given the weird crazing on the plastic cylinder of my current unit I think I'll go with the latter.
Meanwhile, my 25 year old moka pot which I bought for about $20 is still on track to outsurvive me.
edit: I estimated 1000 cups based on the time I've owned the Aeropress (16 months X 2 cups per day). But by looking at the packages of filters that I've used it appears the number of cups is closer to 750.
Do you store your press with the plunger compressed inside the cylinder, or outside?
While mine isn't close to that age (I've used about 2/3rds of the initial stack of filters, and not all for aeropressing) yet, I think (and think I've seen it discussed) that storing the plunger uncompressed helps maintain the seal.
I never stored it that way, but there have been times that I left it inside the cylinder for a little while (an hour or two?) after pressing but before cleaning.
Anothing I've noticed for quite some time is that the top of the cylinder (where that crazing is) has a larger inside diameter than the bottom, down to about where the "4" is. This may be related to inverted brewing but I'm not sure. I suppose it's also possible that not only is the rubber shrinking but the whole cylinder may have enlarged in diameter over time. When I get a new AP I'll try to compare them.
My first lasted a year before the built up odors and taste were ruining basically every cup I made. Both the plunger and the plastic smelled like burnt tires. It is most certainly a disposable device with a limited life.
This time around, I'm taking care to wash the whole thing with dish detergent as often as possible (last time I followed the rinse and wipe instructions), but there's still some noticeable buildup of odor after just two months. The point here being that the AP just doesn't seem to last, but it's cheap enough to replace whenever failure starts to occur.
I was about to post a new topic with the same question. My Aeropress is more than 6 years old, so it has made at least 2000 cups. (probably many more). I was hoping that someone had replaced the rubber bung and could tell me if it actually fixed the "blow-by" (automotive term).
We live in the Age of Plastics. They are both a boon and a curse.
If the Aeropress were made of stainless steel would it be an improvement? It would surely cost more -- would you pay for that? You'd still need a rubber plunger.
I'd be expensive as heck, but I'd love a Pyrex Aeropress with about 500-550ml capacity. Shatter resistant, great thermal properties.
I do wonder how a stainless steel AP would dissipate heat? <shrug>
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
Just a quick question - have you used a bore micrometer to measure the diameter change?
Mine is just starting to show a slight (very slight) tendency to have a bit of bulging (but I have at least two in backup LOL) but it's in the ~.2mm range. This is the area where the majority of water is sitting during inverted brewing.
I have ZERO odors in my AP - though I've been moving away from AP brewing to the CCD
(half-awake, toss 27g of coffee into the grinder, microwave ~450ml of water, by the time I have it set up I dump the water in, stir it, come back 3 minutes later and put it on my mug for draindown. It's gotten kinda automatic that I make my breakfast during the steep and draindown)
Every time I finish with the AP - I use diswashing liquid on the cylinder, the filter end and I always pull the rubber off of the plunger.
I used to keep track of the brews on the AP - well past 1000 cups over the last several years, and the only indication is scratches along the cylinder and a bit of blowby when COLD brewing.
------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- Le café doit être noir comme le diable, chaud comme l'enfer, pur comme un ange, et doux comme l'amour.
"There is no right answer with coffee. There is only the elixir in your cup at the moment you partake."
"...I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind;..." - Lord Kelvin RECIPES thread => http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/585708
No, I haven't. But I plan to do this when I get a new AP (and a micrometer).
The plunger fit problem is more pronounced in the cold (as you've also noticed when cold brewing). I'm not sure if this is the cold causing the rubber to shrink or the cylinder to enlarge (or both).
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