Review: AeroPress Flow Control Cap
Is it worth it?
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What is the AeroPress Flow Control Cap?
The AeroPress Flow Control Cap is an accessory you can buy for the AeroPress. It replaces the filter cap that comes standard in the box.
It has a ‘pressure-actuated valve’ which will only open when you press down on the plunger. It is designed to help create more pressure and result in a beverage that is similar to classic espresso.
The AeroPress can’t make espresso.
Lets just get that out there, straight off the bat.
The AeroPress is not an espresso maker.
Why the AeroPress Fan Club insist on claiming that it is, or trying to make it into something that it’s not, is beyond me.
The AeroPress can’t make espresso.
And that’s okay.
It’s a kick ass filter coffee brewer that should be allowed to bask in it’s own delightful glow, without people trying to force it to be something that it’s not.
Espresso gets it’s delicious body, texture and famous ‘crema’ by forcing water through the coffee bed at around 9 bar of pressure. Without pressure at that sort of level, you simply can’t get ‘espresso’.
I’ve tested the pressure at which AeroPress Flow Control Cap opens, using some bathroom scales. For context, the 9 bar required for proper espresso is roughly the equivalent of 25kg on the scales. Here are the results:
Medium-fine grind - not enough force to get the scales reading anything
Fine grind - not enough force to get the scales reading anything
Yeah, that’s right.
The amount of force needed to open the pressure valve was so small, I could literally - LITERALLY - press the plunger down with one finger.
Not enough force to generate anywhere near the 9 bar of pressure required for actual espresso.
Sure, you can press down harder to build more pressure. This will introduce a bit more air and turbulence to your brew, creating ‘crema’. But it’s not crema, and will taste and feel nothing like an espresso.
The AeroPress can’t make espresso.
Fine, it’s not espresso, you’ve made your point. What about the taste?
Did the AeroPress Flow Control Cap make a noticeable difference to the taste, flavor and mouthfeel of a cup of Joe?
To test this, I used two different brew methods:
the traditional upright method
the inverted method.
I also used two different grind sizes:
fine - as fine as my grinder can go (not espresso machine fine, but close)
medium-fine - V60ish.
Upright
In the traditional upright AeroPress method, coffee starts flowing through the coffee bed pretty much instantly. If you are wanting to stall the brew to increase the time coffee and water get to hang out, it can be done by placing the plunger in the top and pulling back slightly, creating a vacuum. Even with this technique, coffee still manages to leak through before you are ready to plunge.
The AeroPress Flow Control Cap stops this, and gives you total control over the contact time.
As a result, I found the coffee with the Cap was much tastier, due to the extraction being better. It was sweeter, the body was ‘bigger’ in the mouth, and was overall a much better experience than the traditional cap.
The results I experienced were more a product of the contact time that the Cap allows, rather than the ‘pressure’ feature of the Cap itself.
Inverted
The real test - inverted.
Using the inverted method allows you to control the extraction time, as the coffee has no where to go until you flip it over.
Using the AeroPress Flow Control Cap with the inverted method allows you to really taste the difference in the cap itself.
Given both brews had the same contact time with the water, I suspected the brews would be very similar. However, there was a surprisingly noticeable difference in taste.
While the standard cap made a good, well rounded and balanced coffee, the AeroPress Flow Control Cap produced a better experience. It blunted the edges of the bitterness and emphasized the sweetness in this brew.
The other great benefit is that the Cap provides a much less stressful experience when it comes to the flip. No heart-in-your-mouth moments as you take the AeroPress from inverted and place it on your cup.
Overall
The AeroPress Flow Control Cap is a worthy purchase.
It won’t allow you to make espresso (we’ve covered this). But it will make your brews better by allowing you to rock ‘inverted’ style brews without the potential of third-degree burns.
Great for home and on the go.
Righto - sounds good. Doesn’t the Fellow Prismo do the same thing?
Um. Yes.
The Fellow Prismo has been doing this for a number of years now.
The Flow Control Cap is basically a rip off of the Prismo, and does the exact same thing.
Since AeroPress was purchased by Tiny Capital Ltd, they have really expanded their product range (see the AeroPress XL, the coloured AeroPress sleeves, the Organizer Stand, etc). The Flow Control Cap is in the same vein.
There is a small price difference between the two products.
You can get your hands on the AeroPress Flow Control Cap for $42.50 from Ozone Coffee here in New Zealand.
The Fellow Prismo can be purchased from Excelso Coffee for $59.00, but it also comes with a reusable metal filter. If that’s your jam, than the Prismo offers better value.
But, I still want espresso!
People searching for espresso at home are really after a coffee with big mouthfeel, a lot of body, and some bold-ass flavours. Unfortunately, the AeroPress Flow Control Cap won’t satisfy those desires.
However, there are some alternative tools (let’s be honest - they’re toys, not tools) to make some espresso style beveraginos:
An espresso machine! There are some great, easy to use and affordable home espresso options these days.
Stovetop Moka Pot - again, not espresso, but it’ll create a very similar body, texture and the bold, ‘strong’, flavours of espresso. Very cheap, easy to use, hard to get wrong, yummy as anything.
French Press - very much not espresso, however it will create a awesome coffee with a lot of body and strong flavours. It won’t satisfy those ‘creamy' mouthfeel dreams, but they’re cheap as chips and easy to use. And if you’re making coffee for guests, you can smash out a liter in no time.
Nespresso- wash your mouth out.
If you look closely at the product page on Aeropress website, they specifically say it does not make "real espresso", only "espresso-like crema" under some conditions. Nor should anyone expect actual espresso out of an Aeropress anyway :P
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