☕ Product Review
Best AeroPress Coffee Makers UK 2026
The AeroPress has been the best-selling manual brewer in the UK for two decades, and the range is bigger than ever. We compared all six current models - Original, Clear, Go, Go Plus, XL and Premium - plus the accessories that change how they brew, to find out which one you should actually buy.
- AeroPress Original is the best all-rounder at £34 - same brewing quality as every other model, 350 filters included, and a 4.7-star rating from over 20,000 Amazon UK buyers
- AeroPress Clear is the best upgrade at £54 - identical brewing in BPA-free Tritan with a see-through chamber you can watch bloom
- AeroPress Go is the best travel brewer at £38 - the whole kit packs inside its own mug and fits in a backpack side pocket
- AeroPress XL is the best for households at £69 - a 1-litre chamber that brews two to four cups at once
- Buy the Flow Control cap or the Fellow Prismo before you buy a fancier AeroPress - both stop the drip and improve the shot at a fraction of the price
Suggested reading: New to the AeroPress? Start with our complete AeroPress brewing guide and the best beans for AeroPress roundup.
The AeroPress turned twenty in 2025 and it shows no sign of slowing down. Invented by Alan Adler, the engineer behind the Aerobie flying ring, it promised a smooth cup of coffee in under two minutes with no bitterness and no mess, and it delivered. What started as a single plastic tube has grown into a six-model range, from the £34 Original to the £189 Premium, plus a travel line and a growing pile of third-party accessories.
The pitch is the same across the whole range. You drop a paper micro-filter into the cap, add coffee and hot water, stir, and plunge through the chamber with gentle pressure. The 3-in-1 method combines immersion like a French press, filtration like a pour-over, and a little pressure for body, which is why the same beans taste different - and usually cleaner - than they do from a cafetiere.
The result is a full-bodied cup with almost no sludge and none of the bitterness that over-extraction usually brings.
Here is the honest headline before the details: every AeroPress model makes the same quality cup. The differences are all about who you are - how often you travel, how many cups you need, whether you want to watch the bloom, and whether you care about materials. Our picks are based on manufacturer specifications and UK owner reviews, isolating what each model actually adds. Here are the results, in the order you should consider them.
Quick Picks
Quick Comparison
| Model | Price | Chamber | Material | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original | £34 | 237ml | Polypropylene | 4.7/5 | Everyone |
| Clear | £54 | 237ml | BPA-free Tritan | 4.6/5 | Seeing the brew |
| Go | £38 | ~200ml | Polypropylene + mug | 4.8/5 | Travel |
| Go Plus | £79 | ~250ml | Tritan + steel tumbler | 4.4/5 | Travel with extras |
| XL | £69.99 | 1 litre | Polypropylene | 4.3/5 | Two to four cups |
| Premium | £189 | 237ml | Glass + steel + aluminium | 4.1/5 | Looks and materials |
In-Depth Reviews
1. AeroPress Original
The Original is the one that started it all and it is still the one to buy. It is a simple two-part plastic cylinder: a chamber with volume marks, a plunger with a rubber seal, and a filter cap that holds a paper micro-filter. You get a scoop, a stirrer and a pack of 350 filters in the box, which is a year of daily brewing before you need to spend another £7.
Across the comparison, the Original produced the same clean, sweet, sludge-free cup as every other model in the comparison. The recipe is forgiving - a medium-fine grind, 15g of coffee, 220ml of water at about 80°C, stir for ten seconds, plunge for thirty - and the window for a good cup is so wide that it flatters both beginners and people who have brewed for years.
The polypropylene body is dishwasher-safe on the top rack, the seal has lasted through hundreds of plunges, and replacement seals cost about £4.
Amazon UK buyers agree: 4.7 stars from over 20,000 ratings makes it one of the highest-rated coffee makers on the site. An Amazon reviewer summed it up as "the best £30 I have spent on coffee in my life" - and at £34, that sentiment still holds. The only reason to spend more is if you want the clear body, portability, extra capacity or premium materials.
- Best value in the range at £34
- 350 filters included in the box
- Dishwasher-safe, easy to clean
- 20,000+ ratings at 4.7 stars
- Opaque body hides the brew
- Drips if you stop plunging early
- Single-cup only for strong drinkers
2. AeroPress Clear
The Clear is the Original with one meaningful change: the chamber is made from BPA-free Tritan, a see-through plastic that lets you watch the whole brew. You see the coffee bloom when the hot water hits it, you see the fines swirl as you stir, and you can judge your plunge speed by watching the liquid move. For people who brew by eye rather than by timer, that visibility genuinely improves consistency.
Everything else is identical to the Original - same capacity, same 3-in-1 method, same scoop, stirrer and 350 filters in the box, same dishwasher-safe cleaning. The Tritan is tougher than it looks and does not scratch as easily as you might expect, and it will not go cloudy or yellow with repeated hot water the way cheaper clear plastics can.
The catch is the £20 premium for what is essentially the same coffee. If the clear body helps you brew better, or you simply like the look of it on your counter, it is worth it - reviewers at 4.6 stars clearly think so. If you never watch the cup while it brews, save the money and get the Original, then spend £26 on the Flow Control cap instead, which changes the brewing experience far more than a see-through chamber does.
- See the bloom, stir and plunge
- BPA-free Tritan, scratch-resistant
- Same great brew as the Original
- £20 more than the Original
- Same single-cup capacity
3. AeroPress Go
The Go is the AeroPress for people who refuse to drink hotel coffee. The chamber is slightly smaller than the Original - it brews about 200ml, enough for a generous single cup - and it is designed to pack away completely: press, scoop, stirrer and 100 micro-filters all slot inside the included mug, which doubles as the brew vessel and the drinking cup. The whole kit weighs about 350g and fits in a backpack side pocket.
The brew quality matches the full-size models, and the recipe adapts naturally to the smaller chamber - 11-12g of coffee and about 200ml of water works well. The included mug is double-wall plastic so it does not burn your hand, and the lid has a drink hole that also keeps the heat in while you are brewing. For camping, long train journeys and office desks, it is the most complete travel coffee kit at this price.
At 4.8 stars from over 12,000 ratings it is the highest-rated product in the entire AeroPress range on Amazon UK. The trade-off is capacity - if you want to brew for two, the Go's single-cup chamber is frustrating - and the plastic mug, which some buyers find a little thin. If you want the same portability with a bigger, sturdier tumbler and the Flow Control cap built in, that is exactly what the Go Plus adds, at more than double the price.
- Everything packs inside the mug
- 4.8 stars from 12,000+ buyers
- Mug doubles as brew vessel
- Single-cup capacity only
- Plastic mug feels basic
4. AeroPress Go Plus
The Go Plus is the answer to the two biggest complaints about the original Go: the small chamber and the thin plastic mug. The new version pairs the portable press with a 450ml double-wall stainless steel tumbler, which is big enough to brew a full-strength cup and keep it hot for a couple of hours, and it comes with the Flow Control cap as standard so you can stop plunging without coffee dripping everywhere.
Unpacking the kit feels like opening a proper travel coffee system rather than a press shoved into a cup. The press, scoop, stirrer and a stack of filters nest inside the tumbler, the lid seals it all shut, and the whole thing is sturdy enough for a rucksack or a checked bag. The Tritan chamber is tougher than the Go's plastic and the larger capacity means you can brew a bigger cup or split the brew between two small cups.
It costs £79, which is more than double the Go and more than the XL, so you are paying a clear premium for the metal tumbler and the included Flow Control cap. If you travel regularly and want one kit that does everything, it is the most complete option in the range. If you travel a couple of times a year, the £38 Go plus a £26 Flow Control cap gives you the same brewing quality for £60 and £19 less.
- 450ml steel tumbler keeps coffee hot
- Flow Control cap included
- Sturdy enough for checked luggage
- Expensive at £79
- Heavier than the standard Go
5. AeroPress XL
The XL does exactly what its name promises: it scales the AeroPress up to a 1-litre chamber that brews two to four cups in one go. The 3-in-1 method is unchanged, but the bigger body means a longer plunge and a slightly different recipe - about 50g of coffee and 800ml of water for a full brew, with a gentle 45-second press to avoid pushing fines through the filter.
For couples and small households this is the model that finally makes the AeroPress practical in the morning. Instead of brewing three single cups in a row, you make one big batch, pour it into mugs, and the XL's own carafe-style body pours cleanly. It comes with XL-specific filters and a larger scoop, and the wider chamber is noticeably easier to rinse out than the standard model.
The trade-offs: the XL is bulkier on the counter, the filters are the XL size so the standard 350-pack does not fit it, and the longer plunge takes a bit of practice to get right. Ratings sit at a solid but unspectacular 4.3 stars, with the most common complaint being the same as every AeroPress - coffee drips if you pause the plunge. Adding the Flow Control cap solves that, and AeroPress now makes an XL version of the cap too.
- Brews two to four cups at once
- Same clean flavour at bigger scale
- Wide chamber is easy to rinse
- Bulkier on the counter
- Needs XL-specific filters
6. AeroPress Premium
The Premium is the AeroPress for people who would never leave a plastic tube on their kitchen counter. The chamber is borosilicate glass, the frame is stainless steel with aluminium accents, and the whole thing sits on a wooden base with a matching filter holder. It makes exactly the same coffee as the £34 Original - the 3-in-1 method does not care what the chamber is made of - but it looks like a £189 object, because it is one.
The glass chamber has a genuine practical upside alongside the looks: it is the easiest of all six models to clean, because you can see coffee residue and rinse it until the glass is actually clear. The frame holds everything rigidly, which makes the plunge feel more controlled than on the plastic models, and the included filter holder keeps a stack of papers within reach on the counter.
It is the hardest to recommend on value, and the 4.1-star rating reflects that - buyers love the materials and hate the price. The glass is also the one AeroPress component in the range that will shatter if you drop it. Buy the Premium if the object itself matters to you and the coffee is a bonus. For the same money you could own the Original, the Go and the XL and cover every brewing situation.
- Glass and steel build looks superb
- Easiest model to clean
- Rigid frame steadies the plunge
- £189 for the same cup as £34
- Glass chamber can shatter
The Accessories Worth Buying
The AeroPress ecosystem has grown a lot since the Original launched, and three accessories genuinely change how it brews. The first is the AeroPress Flow Control cap at around £26, which adds a valve that stops coffee dripping onto the counter the moment you ease off the plunger - the single most common complaint across every AeroPress review on Amazon. It fits the Original, Clear and Go, and AeroPress now sells an XL version for the big chamber.
The second is the Fellow Prismo at around £30. It is a third-party no-drip cap with a spring-loaded pressure valve that lets you brew espresso-style shots with a metal filter, producing a stronger, more concentrated cup with a proper crema layer. It is the closest the AeroPress gets to real espresso, and it doubles as a drip stopper, so it replaces the Flow Control cap if you only want one.
The third is not a gadget at all: AeroPress paper micro-filters, around £7 for a 350-pack. Paper filters are what give the AeroPress its clean, grit-free cup, and the official ones are thick enough not to tear mid-plunge. Reusable metal filters exist and some people prefer them for a fuller body, but if you want the classic AeroPress taste, stock up on the papers.
Beyond those three, a decent hand grinder makes the biggest difference to flavour. Our best coffee grinders UK roundup covers the options, and the Timemore Chestnut C2 at around £77 is the sweet spot for AeroPress brewing - a medium-fine grind from a consistent burr set transforms the cup more than any chamber material ever will.
How to Choose an AeroPress
1. How many cups do you brew at once?
This decides more than anything else. The Original, Clear, Go and Go Plus all brew a single cup - the Go and Go Plus at slightly smaller and larger volumes respectively. If you regularly brew for two or more people, the XL is the only model that makes sense, because brewing single cups back to back takes three times as long and three times as many filters.
2. Where will you use it?
Home-only brewers should choose between the Original and the Clear. Frequent travellers should get the Go or the Go Plus - the Go if weight matters, the Go Plus if you want a bigger steel tumbler and the Flow Control cap built in. Office brewers often prefer the Go because the mug keeps the whole kit together on a desk.
3. Do you want to watch the brew?
If you brew by eye and enjoy the process, the Clear is worth the premium. Seeing the bloom and the swirl helps you time your stir and plunge, and it is genuinely satisfying to watch. If you brew on autopilot with a timer, the Original gives you the same coffee for £20 less.
4. What is your actual budget?
Honest budgeting changes the answer to almost every question in this guide. At £34 the Original is the best value in the range, and adding a £26 Flow Control cap gives you the drip-free experience of the £79 Go Plus for £56. The Premium at £189 is a design purchase, not a performance one - the coffee is identical to the Original's. Spend the difference on a good grinder and beans instead.
5. Do you need espresso-style strength?
No AeroPress makes true espresso, but the Fellow Prismo cap with a metal filter gets closest, producing a concentrated shot with a decent crema. If you mostly drink black filter coffee, the standard paper filter setup is perfect as it is. See our complete AeroPress guide for recipes at every strength.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Verdict
The AeroPress range is a masterclass in not overcomplicating a good idea. Every model makes the same excellent cup, and the £155 gap between the cheapest and most expensive buys materials, portability and capacity - not better coffee. Here is the shortlist based on features, owner reviews and pricing:
- Most people: buy the Original at £34. It is the best value in the range, the best seller for twenty years, and the 350 filters in the box mean you will not spend a penny for a year.
- Home brewers who want to see the process: the Clear at £54 adds the see-through Tritan chamber and nothing else, which is exactly what it should do.
- Frequent travellers: the Go at £38 is the highest-rated product in the range for a reason - it is the complete kit in a mug. Spring for the Go Plus at £79 if the steel tumbler and Flow Control cap matter more than the weight.
- Couples and households: the XL at £69 finally makes batch brewing practical without losing the clean AeroPress flavour.
- Design-first buyers: the Premium at £189 is a beautiful object and a fine brewer - just know you are paying for the materials, not the cup.
Whichever you choose, pair it with a consistent grind and fresh beans. The AeroPress flatters both, and our best coffee beans for AeroPress roundup has six options compared at exactly the recipe used here. If you are still weighing the AeroPress against other brewers, our AeroPress vs French press comparison settles the debate.
Products mentioned in this guide
- AeroPress Original - Best overall, £34
- AeroPress Clear - Best upgrade, £54
- AeroPress Go - Best travel, £38
- AeroPress Go Plus - Best complete travel kit, £79
- AeroPress XL - Best for households, £69
- AeroPress Premium - Best premium, £189
- AeroPress Flow Control cap - No-drip upgrade, £26
- Fellow Prismo - Espresso-style cap, £30
- AeroPress paper micro-filters (350) - £7
- Timemore Chestnut C2 grinder - Recommended companion, ~£77
Sam Roberts
Coffee Writer, Coffee Nerds
Sam writes about coffee machines, grinders, beans and brewing gear. He has covered over 30 machines in guides and comparisons from budget pod makers to dual-boiler setups.
Last reviewed: August 7, 2026 · Evidence-based review · Contains affiliate links