A cursory scroll through Aeropress’s Instagram account feels equal parts globe-trotting itinerary as a coffee-making promotion. The array of photo locations with the brewing device in hand is astounding; South African waterfalls, the mountains of China, the Eiffel tower. Deeper into the corners of internet travel media, the Aeropress keeps appearing in the most adventurous contexts, from full-time traveler bloggers to bike-packing editor essentials. What has caused the Aeropress’s rise as the outdoorsman coffee of choice?
Perhaps the ethos is coded as far back as the invention of the device. Designed by renowned inventor Alan Adler, the first Aeropress only hit the market in 2005. Adler’s previous popularized invention was the Aerobie throwing disk, which set a world record for the furthest object thrown by hand. For decades, Adler was used to marketing an active lifestyle, seizing the joys of life outdoors. Why not expand to the world of coffee?
Adler’s experience designing everything from telescope lenses to submarine instrumentation coalesced into the simple convenience and perfect choice of materials of the Aeropress. An unbendable, heat-resistant yet light plastic, the device logistically favors those at the extreme thresholds of the elements. Plus its cylindrical shape allows easy organization inside of a bag, and the ability to stash a burr grinder in the interior, hence the appearance in ‘essential gear’ lists. Combine that with a fast and forgiving brew time, and there’s no surprise it’s the coffee method of choice in diverse circumstances.
With the new Aeropress Go, the company has further improved the design efficiency and continued its adventure-driven marketing campaign. Yet such logistical favoring is only a partial explanation for Aeropress’s continued appearance in bizarre contexts, such as the highest altitude coffee brew at over 6,000 meters. Through its rapid expansion in and out of the speciality coffee world, the coffee maker became a lifestyle icon. Released at a time when specialty coffee was becoming increasingly trendy, it catapulted to the front vanguard of the movement.
The Go isn’t that much different from the original Aeropress at its core, but just different enough that it will be reviewed very soon in the CoffeeGeek Blog. It’s already turning up in Instagram feeds, Facebook posts, Twitter feeds in greater and greater numbers; people seem to enjoy the new design and additions, and the red lid and grippy cup are becoming a noticeable subset of the lifestyle icon that already is the Aeropress.
Marketed through internet algorithms, enthusiastically advertised at hip cafes, the Aeropress, and now the Aeropress Go both fell into the hands of those people who would hike up a summit for a coffee photo-op. And if such influence brings more joy of a fresh-brewed cup, why not?
Nikita Ephanov is a culture, travel & tech writer based in the United States. He lives by his morning pour-over and daydreams of visiting the country of origin. Whenever possible, he chases the world's best cups, not for the caffeine, but the community of people behind them.
