In what is a bit of a change for AeroPress, the company announced the introduction of a new permanent metal filter for their iconic and category-making coffee brewing device.
The new AeroPress Reusable Metal Filter has been added to AeroPress’ main website, and also will be sold on Amazon. It is made in the USA, has a 178 micron hole size (a typical espresso grind is around 300 microns; drip grind is 600-750 microns), fits the AeroPress and AeroPress Go perfectly, and costs $14.95.
Of note, the new AeroPress Reusable Metal Filter is made from a higher grade of steel – 316 stainless steel) than the 304 grade stainless steel found in some other aftermarket metal filters for the Aeropress. This makes the product more durable and corrosion resistant.
These kinds of filters are different from paper filters: they allow better overall extraction into the cup, but often at a coast of more undissolved solids also making it through. Paper filters can block oils and fats (lipids) from passing through from the brewing chamber to the cup, both elements contributing to taste and aroma.
The filter is dishwasher safe (utensil rack) but can also be easily cleaned with a quick wash under a tap and using the AeroPress itself to flush water through the filter quickly and forcefully.
Why this is notable
For the longest time, AeroPress’ founder, Alan Adler, was opposed to any kind of filter that wasn’t the original paper version for the AeroPress, something he made clear often in the old CoffeeGeek forums. Adler’s reasoning was health-based: he felt that metal filters allowed harmful cholesterol to get into the cup.
What isn’t as well known is, early on in the development of the AeroPress, Adler did have some metal filters designed and manufactured for his brewer, so he could test it out and get some outside opinions. He sent two sets of the chemical photo-etched metal disks to CoffeeGeek’s Mark Prince, along with a prototype AeroPress, over a decade ago.
“As intriguing as the AeroPress was when I first saw it and used it, the paper filters were a tiny detriment in my mind’s eye because at the time, there was a big push towards better all-metal filters, or cloth filters in other brewing platforms,” Prince said. “So when I got these two prototype metal filter disks from Alan, I was really excited, and wrote up several articles about them in our forums and on the front page of CoffeeGeek.”
“I had many discussions with Alan about these filters, and practically begged him to introduce them formally with the product once it rolled out for mass production and sales. Alan, who has strong opinions about cholesterol raising elements in coffee, opted to not manufacture those early disks once he introduced the product at Coffee Fest in Seattle in 2005.”
“I still have both of those original filters somewhere in a box; they were chemical photo-etched, and highly accurate, but given their uniqueness, I stopped using them once Able came out with their DISK models.” Prince said.
On the AeroPress website itself, their FAQ about their products talk about this concern for cholesterol-raising elements in brewed coffee:
Cafestol and kahweol are diterpene molecules found in coffee. They are powerful agents that cause our bodies to increase the low density lipoproteins (LDL or “bad” cholesterol) in our blood. Cafestol and kahweol are removed from coffee by paper filters. Any coffee maker using a paper filter (such as an AeroPress coffee maker) removes virtually all of the cafestol and kahweol from the brew. We had this verified by an independent test lab for coffee brewed by AeroPress coffee makers made using AeroPress paper micro-filters.
Because AeroPress themselves did not produce a metal permanent filter for the brewer, a cottage industry grew up around it, including several different filter designs from Able Brewing, Kohi Labs (since closed), and then a whole slew of lower quality, poor grade filters coming out of China and Ali Express.
Now, with the new AeroPress Reusable Metal Filter being introduced, AeroPress fans now have a really good, and economical option direct from the company, if they want a full, complete cup of coffee from the brewer.
The AeroPress metal filter is available now in the USA from AeroPress direct for $14.95, and from Amazon in the US; AeroPress says it will be hitting international sales channels very soon.
Zuzanna travels the world because of her job, and makes it a point to find the best cafes, best coffee, best espresso in every city, town, or village she visits.
