AeroPress Clear Review: Should You Buy This New Model?

The Aeropress Clear coffee maker is an upgrade to the Aeropress we all know and love. The original Aeropress is affordable, portable, user-friendly, and brews incredible coffee. But one of the few complaints leveled against the brewer is its opaque gray plastic design. Not only does it lack aesthetic appeal, but it keeps you from seeing your coffee brew.

Aeropress has heard the criticism and this year released the new Aeropress Clear. I immediately scooped one up, and I’ve spent the past few months testing it for this review.

Summary: AeroPress Clear

• Made from durable, clear Tritan plastic
  
• Brews smooth and full-bodied coffee
  
• Great for travel, camping, and backpacking

Aeropress has become one of my favorite brewing methods, and now with the clear glass, I can see how the coffee is flowing. It’s great.

– Alberto, Aeropress Clear owner

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A Full Review of the Aeropress Clear

Inventor Alan Adler famously developed the Original Aeropress in 2005 to brew coffee exactly how he liked it. It was so successful that he saw little reason to innovate, releasing only one new product in the following 15 years, the Aeropress Go in 2019.

In 2021, Adler brought in a fresh investor, Tiny Capital, and suddenly we’re seeing a glut of new Aeropresses (1). That includes the Aeropress XL, Aeropress flow control filter cap, and the object of this review, the Aeropress Clear.

Is Aeropress’s sudden expansion a good or bad thing for consumers? Are we finally getting the Aeropress versions we’ve been asking for? Or is the company doing too much too fast, letting quality suffer as a result? I bought and tested the new Aeropress Clear to find some answers.

How We Rated It

• Design and Durability
• Ease of Use
• Coffee Flavor
• Portability
• Value for Money

4.4

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Design and Durability – 5/5

The Aeropress Clear is all about aesthetics, so it’s a good thing it delivers in this category. The new crystal clear version is visually stunning, and you can see the brewing process – exactly what customers have been asking for. 

The Clear Aeropress includes a paddle stirrer and scoop, similar to the original, but lacks the filter holder and funnel. Originally, the Aeropress came with 350 filters, but now every model has 100 filters. This is a little disappointing as there was something satisfying about getting a year’s worth of filters with your purchase.

Is the AeroPress Clear plastic or glass?

The Aeropress Clear is made from Tritan material, a relatively new plastic developed in 2002 as a BPA-free option (2). You might recognize it from newer Nalgene bottles. It has been declared food-safe by the FDA and all other major regulatory bodies. 

It feels very hard compared to the Original Aeropress, and it’s super durable. I tested mine by dropping it off the counter and tossing it in the backpack for a camping trip, and there’s not a scratch on it. Coffee legend James Hoffmann even went so far as to drop his off the roof; the Tritan survived while the original broke.

A glass Aeropress coffee maker is rumored to be in the works, which will be called the Aeropress Premium. I look forward to reviewing it when the time comes, but in my opinion, a heavier and more expensive Aeropress made from breakable materials does away with many of the best features of the original.

Comparing the Aeropress Original, Aeropress Go, & Aeropress XL

Here is a chart for a quick comparison of the four Aeropress models currently available.

	Reviewed Product
Product Name	Aeropress Clear	Aeropress Aerobie	Aeropress XL	Aeropress Go
Capacity	10 oz	10 oz	20 oz	8 oz
Weight	233 g	220 g	286 g	170 g
Price	No products found.	No products found.	No products found.	No products found.

Ease of Use – 4/5

Using the Aeropress Clear coffee maker is very easy. Insert a paper filter, pop on the filter cap, and add freshly ground coffee. Set it over a mug, pour in hot water, wait, and plunge. 

Of course, part of the fun of the Aeropress (and the reason it has its own brewing competitions) is that you can make it as complicated as you want to optimize your brew (3). Use the inverted method, try different filters, and experiment with brew temperature, steeping time, and grind size.

The act of pressing the plunger wipes the brew chamber clean. So for daily cleaning, a quick rinse with water is enough. For a more thorough clean, the Aeropress Clear is dishwasher safe (top or bottom rack).

Coffee Flavor – 5/5

The Aeropress Clear delivers an identical cup to the original. After all, why mess with a good thing? It’s smooth and flavorful, gently sweet, and with little to no bitterness. It’s a full-bodied immersion brew, like a French press brew, but with no grit in the cup. I had success with light, medium, and dark roasts.

If you have an older Aeropress, you’ll notice the filter cap of the Clear brewer has a slightly different hole pattern. But I couldn’t taste any difference between the two.

The Clear version is just as versatile as the Original. You can brew standard American drip-style coffee, or mix up your morning routine with cold brew or a shot of espresso-style coffee. You can get even closer to espresso by adding accessories like the Flow Control Filter Cap, Fellow Prismo, or JoePresso.

Portability – 4.5/5

The Aeropress coffee maker has long been popular for business trips, camping, and backcountry travel. It’s compact, lightweight, and durable. This is all equally true for the Aeropress Clear, which is identical in size and shape – and even more shatterproof. The Clear is also 13 g heavier than the original, but that will only matter to the strictest ultralight backpackers.

Value for Money – 3.5/5

The Aeropress Clear costs $50, which is $10 more than the Original Aeropress – which has increased in price in recent years (along with everything else, it seems). 

Given that Aeropress Clear brews the same coffee as the current Aeropress but has a higher price and doesn’t include a funnel or filter paper holder, the value for money isn’t quite as good. It’s only worth buying if it’s important for you that it’s transparent. 

However, compare the Aeropress Clear against anything other than the standard Aeropress, and it’s an incredible coffee maker for the price point. There are few brewers for $50 that can match it in durability or coffee quality – especially not ones made in the USA.

Don’t Buy the Aeropress Clear If…

• You don’t care about seeing your coffee brew: This one is a no-brainer. If you aren’t worried about watching your coffee brew, the standard Aeropress is a better choice.
• You want something for travel: The Aeropress Clear is a great travel brewer, but if portability is your top priority, go with the Aeropress Go. Not only is it smaller and lighter than the Clear, but it includes a travel cup and lid.
• You want to serve a crowd: Realistically, you’ll be hard-pressed to serve more than three people at once with the Aeropress Clear. If you plan to entertain guests, choose the Aeropress XL. Or consider an alternative style of manual brewer like a 10-cup Chemex pour-over brew.

The Verdict

The Aeropress Clear is a valuable addition to the Aeropress family of coffee makers. It solves one of the main problems with the original Aeropress – that you can’t see the coffee brewing – while maintaining all the features we know and love. It may not be worth the upgrade if you already have an Aeropress. But for only $10 more, it’s definitely worth considering as a first-time Aeropress buyer.

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