For coffee lovers, buy such a gem today.
For those who think it replaces espresso, I must say they need to change their perspective. It doesn't achieve that, but it comes closer than many coffee makers.

Before making the purchase, I had a dilemma: an expensive espresso machine without a grinder or an expensive grinder and aeropress, with the intention of upgrading later. I never regretted it and even postponed buying an espresso machine because I'm not sure if I'm still interested.

The quality of the coffee that comes out of this little wonder is unreal. The coffee is very aromatic and sweet. I can recognize all the characteristics that coffee labels in the market mention, such as aftertaste, aroma, roasting, body, etc., but above all, whether the coffee is worth its price or if it's just overhyped. Guests at home always comment positively, and many of them don't even add sugar, despite their usual habit. However, I must emphasize that all of this depends on the quality of the coffee. Generally, the theory is that it produces what you put in. The high-quality coffees I have tried so far are outside of supermarkets, with few exceptions that are simply tolerable.

The process is time-consuming compared to capsules, but faster than an espresso machine and filter. I have timed the process at about 4 minutes with an electric grinder, after 6 months of regular use, at least twice a day. It never requires maintenance or cleaning, except for rinsing after brewing, which I have included in the above timing.

The set for the proper preparation of coffee should consist of a thermometer for water, an ideal grinder, and a gram scale for dosing. The recipes and brewing methods are numerous and available on the internet.

It can make a very strong drink that resembles espresso, and by adding ice, you have a FANTASTIC iced coffee full of flavors. Without the bitterness from dirty, poorly adjusted machines, and bad baristas that we encounter in many coffee shops. Unfortunately, it's not exactly what we call a true espresso.

The grind of the coffee doesn't matter much because it only changes the recipe. It takes a filter grind or espresso grind, simply producing a different taste, not bad coffee. I have even accidentally made it with a Greek coffee grind, and it was enjoyable.

As for the build quality, I have nothing to say. There is nothing that can break on it. Perhaps the rubber/gasket may need replacement someday. The plastic is very thick and durable. To achieve high pressure on the coffee, I put all my strength into pressing (although I'm not "the rock," of course), and after 400+ uses, it's still the same as the first day.

The aeropress is considered by many experts to be the top device for making French press coffee. There are international competitions based on this product and there are countless recipes that you can make by changing the parameters. If you have a grinder, even a manual one, a simple thermometer to measure the water temperature, and a basic scale, you can easily make a very flavorful French press coffee that is not at all bitter and far superior to many home French press coffee makers.
HOWEVER, under no circumstances can it make espresso. Espresso requires specific parameters, with the most basic being the pressure of 9 bars, which you cannot achieve with this device. So what is stated on the packaging, that it can make espresso, is simply impossible. Yes, you can make a strong coffee, to which if you add hot water, you will have something like an Americano (which is not even an Americano, as it is also based on espresso), but the absence of crema and especially all the oils of the coffee that the paper filter of the aeropress does not allow to pass into the cup is evident.
Therefore, if you want to drink French press coffee, you can get it with your eyes closed and with a little effort and reading, you will be able to make a perfect cup of coffee. However, if you are looking for a portable device that makes espresso and, by extension, freddo, then I would recommend the Wacaco Nanopresso or even better, the more advanced model, the Picopresso (which is not yet available in our country).

The truth is that with a nice kettle that you can control the temperature (there are many from €30 to €100 that can do this), with an affordable coffee grinder (€30-€60), and with this press, so a total of around €90-€190 and minimal reading, you have an incredible taste and quality of coffee in a setup that is also quite portable. I have had it for several years now (I have the first version) with a steady 2-4 cups of coffee per day, and I struggle to find something better without it being significantly more expensive (yes, I have tried various unsuccessful attempts). I either make something that is close to espresso (but not quite), or more often a "cup" of coffee that comes from 1 or 2 doses of "close to espresso" diluted with warm (not hot) water. And of course, freddo espresso in the summer, which is also great.

I think that for someone who doesn't want to go for capsules (which have a more guaranteed but mediocre result, trading coffee quality and cost for ease of use) and doesn't have or doesn't want to spend significantly more money on an espresso machine and a good grinder, it is an excellent choice.

To see how to make Freddo espresso with aeropress, check out this video: https://youtu.be/ZHU4PeoH_QQ

I use many portable coffee machines (Hario V60, wacaco pipamoka, wacaco Nanopresso, wacaco cuppamoka, aeropress, moka pot) as shown in the image. The plastic used is BPA-free, meaning it is free from toxic plastic phenols. You may see it with gold or red lettering. The gold lettering represents models from 2015 to 2017, while the red lettering represents the 2019 model. Essentially, they have no difference.

The package includes everything shown in the image: the main body of the device along with the plunger, a base for filters + 350 filters, a stirrer for mixing, a scoop that holds about 15 grams of coffee, a funnel that can be used to fill the aeropress with ground coffee or to adapt it to fit a thermos or bottle, and the black round part where the filter paper goes and screws onto the main body of the device.

The aeropress makes the best coffee out of all the portable machines I own. It just takes a little time to learn. It requires larger amounts of coffee compared to the others and a lower water temperature, around 85 degrees Celsius. It also requires less contact time between water and ground coffee to avoid bitterness.

A general rule for aeropress is 75 grams of coffee per liter, while for V60 it is 60 grams of coffee per liter. The best and most flavorful solution is to make concentrated coffee and then dilute it with hot water. This achieves a sweeter and balanced taste.

The recipe I use is the one that won the aeropress world championship in 2019. In summary, we use the inverted technique (inverted aeropress, search on YouTube for many videos). We add 30 grams of coffee (ground a little finer than sugar) and then pour in 100 grams of water at 85-90 degrees Celsius and stir with the stirrer for 10 seconds. We wait for 40 seconds and then press and extract the coffee. About 60 grams of coffee will come out, as the remaining 40 grams are held by the ground coffee. With these 60 grams, we add 100-120 grams of hot water, and voila, we have the best filtered coffee. It is well-balanced, sweet, flavorful, and fruity.

The entire process, from the time the hot water is poured until the coffee is poured into the cup, should take no more than one and a half minutes. If it takes longer, the coffee will become bitter. If you follow all these steps and the coffee still turns out bitter, you should use coarser ground coffee.

There are many recipes on the internet that you can search for and try on your own. It's definitely worth it.

I have a video with unboxing and testing, which you can watch at this link: https://youtu.be/KBFcnQFygMk

If you try filter coffee from an aeropress, you will never go back to a classic coffee maker. The device offers enormous possibilities for experimentation with different extraction times, water temperatures, coffee grind sizes, and of course, different coffee blends.
Apart from making very good filter coffee, with the aeropress you can make coffee "like espresso," but not authentic espresso. For example, due to the filtering process, the crema is completely absent and the aroma is more subdued.
Personally, since I started using the aeropress and a good, manual coffee grinder, my opinion on coffee has completely changed. With 15 grams of freshly ground coffee, ground finer than the recommended grind size for aeropress, in 2 minutes I have a large cup of Americano-style coffee with exceptional aroma and flavor.
The device is user-friendly, cleans very easily, and is easily portable for travel or vacation. As for durability over time, I cannot say, as I have been using it for about six months.