Many riders love starting their day with a good cup of coffee, but nobody wants to stuff an oversized percolator in their saddlebags. Fortunately, there’s a much better option, if you need a good cup of Joe. The AeroPress Go is a tough, well-priced, compact and well-built maker that cranks out good coffee in short order.

Usage is simple. Place one of the 350 included filters in the filter cap and twist it securely into the lower chamber. Drop a heaping scoop of ground coffee into the lower chamber and place it on top of a cup. Add hot water until it reaches close to the top. Use the included stirring stick to more evenly suspend the grounds in the water, then place the plunger on top. If any coffee is leaking past the filter, this will stop it. Steep grounds in the water for a couple of minutes, then press the plunger down to force the coffee through the grounds and into the cup below.

One of the best features, besides the portability, is the quick cleaning. Many traditional French presses leak grounds into the cup and require a thorough rinsing for cleaning. Since the AeroPress system compresses all the grind to the filter, once you remove the perforated filter cap, discard the paper filter, and push all the grounds out with the plunger, that’s it. All beans eject in a cake like mass and cleaning only requires a quick rinse of the lower chamber, cap and rubber plunger.

We don’t have many gripes about the quality and function of the AeroPress, but we wish it made enough for two people. A larger version is available, but it’s not as compact and doesn’t come with the AeroPress Go’s plastic mug which can be used for storage or used as a mug. The included filter holder doesn’t like to stay closed, but the other accessories are well made. To keep the accessories from shaking around, you can stuff a piece of paper towel inside the AeroPress.

Most of these cons are nitpicking. The AeroPress Go components are well-built, compact, reasonably priced and made in the U.S. Everything nests together into a tiny, rugged and surprisingly capable coffee press for at home, worksite or as it is relevant to us, on the road. Bombproof, easy to clean and it makes great coffee―the perfect solution to anyone who wants a cup of Joe on the road.

AeroPress.com

MSRP: $31.95

Where to Buy: 

• PROS:

• Good coffee, fast, with little to no grounds in cup
• Well-built and made in U.S.
• Fair price for both press and replacement parts
• Easy and fast to clean

• CONS:

• Single person brew capacity
• Works better with darker roasts
• Filter holder pops open
• Lacking a bag/sack