AeroPress: how an engineer's invention grew into a whole family of coffee makers
Unveiled in November 2005 in Seattle by engineer Alan Adler, the AeroPress has grown into a range of manual coffee makers in polypropylene, Tritan, steel or glass, now joined by travel grinders.
In November 2005, at the Coffee Fest trade show in Seattle, engineer Alan Adler unveiled a manual coffee maker he had named AeroPress. Its inventor holds more than 40 patents, and this particular object was the result of two years of development. Since then, the press has lent its name to an entire brand. It now brings together coffee makers, manual travel grinders, accessories, ground coffee and even a world championship run by fans.
An engineer’s invention
The company is older than its coffee maker. Alan Adler founded Superflight, Inc. in 1984, and it was from this company that the AeroPress emerged. In 2005, the company was renamed Aerobie, Inc., and it was that same year, in November, that the coffee maker made its public debut in Seattle.
Before that unveiling, it took two years of work and more than 30 prototypes to arrive at the first model, the AeroPress Original. This model would later change materials and colour several times, in response to users’ concerns.
In 2019, the brand expanded its family with the AeroPress Go. In summer 2021, AeroPress changed hands: the company was acquired by Tiny Ltd. The years that followed brought a steady stream of launches, from new coffee makers to accessories and a first grinder.
One press, several families
At the heart of the range is the manual coffee maker, designed for both hot and cold brews. Around the Original, each variant answers a specific need.
For coffee on the move, there is first the AeroPress Go, launched in 2019. In June 2024, the AeroPress Go Plus followed it: the brand presents it as a complete travel coffee system.
In May 2023 came the AeroPress Clear, a transparent version. A month later, in June 2023, the AeroPress XL offered a larger coffee maker. The two ideas came together in 2025 with the AeroPress Clear XL, whose chamber is made of Tritan.
In September 2024, the AeroPress Premium marked a step up in materials, built from glass and metal. Stainless steel also made its way into the accessories line: in July 2022, the brand launched a stainless steel AeroPress filter, as an alternative to paper filters.
The catalogue finally includes coffee itself, with more than 200 medium-fine ground references, a grind prepared specifically for the AeroPress.
Air, filter and materials
Brewing relies on a patented technology the brand calls “3 in 1”. A micro-filter holds back residue and oils, deciding what ends up in the cup. Paper filters are presented as environmentally friendly.
The range’s materials are durable and BPA-free. This requirement has a history. In 2009, the AeroPress Original dropped polycarbonate, in response to concerns over BPA. In 2010, it adopted a smoky grey tone, chosen to hide coffee stains. In 2014, it switched to polypropylene.
More recent models explore other materials. The Clear XL relies on Tritan. The glass, steel and solid walnut versions, more recent still, show the attention paid to finishing: hand-shaped borosilicate glass, double-walled stainless steel, food-grade silicone seals. Details of these models are set out further below, alongside the latest releases.
What the brand claims
The brand promises faster brewing and better flavour. According to it, air pressure speeds up extraction and reduces bitterness. For its latest steel coffee maker, the AeroPress Steel, it goes further still, presenting it as “a new standard” for coffee flavour.
Another part of AeroPress’s story lies outside the brand’s own hands: its community. The AeroPress World Championship is run by fans. In 2023, it brought together more than 5,000 competitors across 178 national and regional events. The brand states that the competition is now held in more than 60 countries.
What’s new in 2025 and 2026
In November 2025, a manual AeroPress coffee grinder joined the catalogue. Its conical burrs are made of stainless steel with a titanium coating, and they are manufactured in Italy. Ground coffee collects in an aluminium catch cup with a 25g capacity. The grinder stores inside an AeroPress, handle included, so that when travelling, you only need to carry a single item.
In February 2026, it was the turn of the AeroPress Steel. Its chamber is made of double-walled, vacuum-insulated 304 stainless steel, with a capacity of 355ml (12oz). The plunger seal is made of LFGB-grade food-safe silicone.
In September 2026, the brand introduced the Premium Walnut collection, bringing together a coffee maker and a grinder. The coffee maker’s chamber is made of hand-shaped, double-walled borosilicate glass. The other components combine solid walnut, stainless steel and aluminium. At the same time, a limited AeroPress Steel Black Stainless edition joined the catalogue.
Why we like it
We love that a coffee maker born from more than 30 prototypes kept on evolving, right down to a smoky grey tone chosen to hide coffee stains. We were also won over by the manual grinder, with burrs made in Italy, which slot inside the coffee maker, handle included.
Exactly the kind of brand we’d love to come across on O!deal one day.
AeroPress products we’ve spotted
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AeroPress Premium Walnut: the plunger coffee maker turns to glass and walnut
The AeroPress Premium Walnut pairs a hand-blown double-wall borosilicate glass chamber with anodised aluminium and solid walnut. It brews filter coffee, espresso-style coffee or cold brew.