Able Brewing Disk for Aeropress Review

If you’re anything like me, you probably drink a lot of coffee. And, if you’re anything like me, you probably drink too much coffee — way too much. So I find myself at a lot of coffee shops and, usually, I just have whatever the barista recommends on that particular day. When I’m at home, though, I love to experiment with different ways of making some joe, and with different beans. Having experimented extensively, my travels through the valley of the bean have taught me that one of the most inexpensive ways to make excellent coffee is the Aeropress by Aerobie (yes, the same people that made that weird Frisbee). The Aeropress is a great device to take camping; its ease of use and incredibly easy cleanup make it highly portable. Its ease of use lends itself well to a the obligatory before, after, and during lunch coffee, and it’s just shy of being as easy as heading to a coffee shop.

While the Aeropress is hard to beat in terms of convenience and quality of brew, its use of paper filters isn’t ideal (the filters are about $3.50-4 US for 350). The Able Brewing “Disk Coffee Filter” helps with this.

I have been using the Able Brewing Disk over the standard filter for over two weeks now, and can say with certainty that it has changed the contents of my garbage/compost can — my use of paper filters has dropped drastically. While I set out to make brewing coffee easier, the Disk does require a bit more work to clean and maintain rather than paper filters. Still, I’m not throwing out three filters a day, and I’ll never have to face the dreaded “oh my god I’m out of paper filters” moment.

The construction of the disk is great. It is exceptionally strong and doesn’t seem to bend, even when trying to do so. The metal is smooth with no burrs, although the edges do feel like they might tear skin. Despite trying to purposefully over pack the Disk (I even tried reducing the grind the a similar size as the filter’s holes), I have yet to clog the thing. What’s more, scrub it up with a good bristled brush, and it looks brand-new again. Nice.

Throughout my two week stint of Disk-use, I’ve done some taste comparisons between using old school paper filters and this futuristic Disk device. Tasting each cup side by side, I couldn’t taste any significant differences between paper and metal filtration. As much as I might love this disc, it appears that bean freshness and the grinder/grind used when brewing is what makes the biggest difference. Still, the Disc is an A+ in my books. I’ll definitely continue to use the Able Brewing Disk when getting my Aeropress on.

– The Aeropress + Able Brewing Disk produce a “damn fine cup of coffee.“

The Disk is available online and in many coffee shops across North America.  $12.5US $16 CAD

Note: I am looking forward to trying out Able’s other products, too. I’ll be trying out the “Kone” soon, which replaces the paper filter in a Chemex or any other pour over device. They also have an entire “Kone” brewing system, which is their interpretation of the pour over method.