OXO recently entered the portable coffee press market with their Rapid Brewer. At first glance, these brewers seem similar to an AeroPress. After spending a little time with them, it becomes clear that AeroPress is the better choice.
The OXO Rapid Brewer does less than the AeroPress. It brews a very small amount of coffee and is not as versatile as the AeroPress. An AeroPress is faster than the Rapid Brewer. It is also lighter and travels better. Lastly, the Rapid Brewer is harder to clean and has complex parts that are prone to breaking or can’t be cleaned at all.
Reviews are already piling up of people unhappy with the results, or complaining that the OXO Rapid Brewer is inconsistent and finicky. One user states the OXO is an “over-complex, worse AeroPress.”
OXO Overview
The OXO Rapid Brewer is made up of 4 parts, stacked or screwed into each other: the pump, a water chamber, a grounds holder with filter and the catch cup.
OXO’s Rapid Brewer makes concentrated coffee, hot or cold. The instructions recommend using fine ground coffee, a 2 minute brew time for hot coffee, and 5 minutes for cold brew. After brewing, you add water to get the desired serving size and strength. The OXO Rapid Brewer weighs 1 lb, 1 ounce (480.5 g). As of the publishing of this article, OXO’s Rapid Brewer is priced $5 higher than the AeroPress Original.
Coffee Flavor
You are investing hard-earned money in quality coffee beans. You deserve to taste the best of the beans, not a hot mess of bitterness. Getting the most out of your beans is a delicate dance.
There is a direct connection between grind size, brew time, and bitterness. Too fast and the coffee tastes bitter like the pith of an orange. Too long and you get the carbony, burnt match bitterness. That bitterness will overpower all the flavors you are looking for, like someone smoking next to you while you try to enjoy a meal.
The OXO Rapid Brewer is very particular about the precise grind size. That means you must do more fine-tuning and be more attentive to all the variables to keep from brewing bitter coffee.
The window of success is much larger with AeroPress. Since any grind size works in an AeroPress, you have more options for hitting the sweet spot. Also, the standard paper filters that come with your AeroPress filter out more oils than the metal filter used in the Rapid Brewer. Coffee oils carry cafestol, one of the bitter compounds in coffee.
Both brewers use pressure to brew. The Rapid Brewer delivers pressure in pulses with peaks and troughs. The pressure applied by the AeroPress is even and stable. Keeping pressure consistent and gentle is key to having a predictably delicious brew. If you do like the effect of pulsed pressing, you do have the option to plunge in pulses with the AeroPress.
Another benefit of AeroPress’s ability to use any grind size is that you have the freedom to fine-tune the mouthfeel and body of your coffee. The texture of your coffee is connected to the amount of micro particles of ground coffee present in your brew. Grinding fine makes more micro-fines which gives more texture. A coarse grind gives fewer micro-fines and a more delicate body in the cup.
Similarly, because the OXO Rapid Brewer is designed to brew a concentrate, diluting with water will always lighten the body and mellow out flavor, even on AeroPress. Being forced to dilute gives you less freedom to choose how you want your coffee.
Diluting a concentrated brew works to create a light-bodied coffee, but the tradeoff is the loss of rich flavor. A better solution is to brew a full AeroPress using a paper filter. Paper filters are the easiest way to get crystal clear flavor and a delicate body. They catch the grit and oils that get in the way of a clean cup. To really clean up your coffee, try using two or three paper filters.
Coffee Volume
If you push the OXO Rapid Brewer to its limit, it makes 6.75 ounces (200 ml) of beverage, less than the AeroPress Go, our smallest coffee press which makes 8 ounces.
In fairness, the OXO Rapid Brewer makes a decent espresso-style coffee. Its only real talent is as a small serving, concentrated coffee maker — making about 4 oz (120 ml). There is a trend of people using the OXO to make “turbo shots” or “SOUP” espresso — variations of espresso using coarse grinds or low pressure. But the AeroPress makes these as well, more easily and without the tedious cleanup. AeroPress is the perfect affordable espresso alternative.
The AeroPress also gives you more flexibility with grind size and amount of coffee made.
If you like French press or larger cups in the filter style, you will be disappointed by the OXO’s weak coffee after diluting to their recommended 1:2 or 1:3 ratios. Diluting the OXO’s concentrate beyond a 1:1 ratio weakens the coffee flavor. For anything larger than 8 oz, the AeroPress can still brew a flavorful cup, with or without diluting. This also means the AeroPress is better able to brew coffee for more than one person at a time.
AeroPress also has a global community of enthusiasts sharing recipes, techniques and innovations. Check out some AeroPress recipes here to get inspired.
Ease of Use
The AeroPress and the OXO coffee maker have a similar number of steps to make coffee. Neither needs a specific technique or practice like traditional espresso, vacuum syphon, or stove-top Moka pot. Don’t let that fool you into thinking they are the same.
The OXO coffee maker needs a very specific grind size. It relies on the resistance of the grounds to slow the drip and flow of water. If you get the grind size wrong, the concentrate is weak and flavorless. AeroPress can make incredible coffee from any grind size, fine to coarse. We recommend starting with a medium-fine grind size. After you get comfortable, experiment with other grinds, filters, or a Flow Control Filter Cap.
AeroPress is the faster coffee maker. Every AeroPress can brew hot coffee in under a minute. OXO recommends a 2 minute brew time for hot coffee, even with the fine grind size. Both can make cold brew in about 5 minutes. Classic cold brew steeps for 12 to 24 hours to get the richest flavor (and the most caffeine). The water in the OXO will drip through the grounds if left that long, but the AeroPress with a Flow Control Filter Cap can steep for days, until you decide to press.
Traveling
Whether you are looking for a portable coffee maker for camping, a compact coffee maker for small kitchens, or a portable cold brew coffee maker, AeroPress leads the pack for best portable coffee makers by a large margin. For 20 years it has been the choice for people looking for eco-friendly coffee makers to take on adventures. AeroPress is a legendary travel coffee maker.
AeroPress is lighter. The OXO Rapid Brewer weighs 1 lb, 1 ounce (480.5 g). An AeroPress Clear with all the accessories is only 9.7 ounces (275 g). Leaving the scoop and stirrer at home brings the AeroPress down to 8.15 ounces (231 g). If you want to shed even more weight, the complete AeroPress Go kit is 11.4 ounces (323 g), but if you pack only the bare essentials: brew chamber, plunger, cap, and filters, it slims down to 5 ounces (142 g).
The OXO Rapid Brewer doesn’t fit on top of all common coffee mugs or travel tumblers. It forces you to pack the catch cup, just to be able to pour the coffee into your mug. It may be a small inconvenience, but being able to press straight into the cup keeps things simple and makes one less item to pack.
Whether fire-side or in a hotel room, cleanup is faster and easier with the AeroPress. Cleaning the OXO Rapid Brewer takes time and a lot of water. Wet coffee grounds cling to the grounds chamber of the OXO. It takes a lot of rinsing or wiping to get the Rapid Brewer ready for the next brew. This makes it more difficult to travel or backpack with. If you are traveling, clean water can be a precious commodity and it is a shame to use it all to rinse grounds.
Variations and Versatility
We already discussed the problems with diluting the concentrate to make larger servings. The AeroPress brews a larger range of serving sizes without risking weak coffee.
You can make AeroPress coffee in the style of so many other brew methods. By changing things like grind size, amount of water used, temperature of water, and types of filters, you can make a cup that is indistinguishable from coffee made on a Bodum French press, Chemex, V60 pour over, Origami brewer, UFO, Kalita Wave or other single-cup brew method. Because of the volume and grind limits of the OXO Rapid Brewer, emulating these styles is much more difficult, if not impossible.
We offer a variety of attachments and filters that seamlessly integrate with any AeroPress to let you personalize your coffee experience.
Both brewers can make concentrated coffee and cold brew. It is just easier with an AeroPress. If you want to make a treat or signature beverage like an affogato, Vietnamese iced-coffee, espresso martini or cold brew negroni, be kind to yourself and use an AeroPress.
Above all and thanks to the ability to control all variables of the brew (temperature, grind size & time), AeroPress is world-renowned for the versatility it offers in recipe making with infinite variations for anyone who wants to get creative with their brewer. This is what made AeroPress a legendary brewer in the barista community and what led AeroPress to having their own fan-made World AeroPress Championship which happens every year in over 70 countries worldwide.
Clean Up & Durability
Cleaning your AeroPress takes less than a few seconds. Pop the grounds into the compost, give a quick rinse or wipe off the plunger. If you need to make a second serving, add a fresh filter and start brewing as soon as your water is hot. When you are done, set the pieces out to dry.
French press lovers have traded their French press for an AeroPress in favor of easy cleaning. Cleaning the OXO Rapid Brewer feels like cleaning a French press. The grounds don’t knock completely out of the brew chamber and you will end up scooping out grounds and using more water to rinse it clean.
In the long term, the integrated metal filter of the OXO will begin to collect a buildup of coffee oils, even with regular and prompt cleaning. A quick soak in a coffee cleaner like Cafiza or Puro Caff will break down the coffee oils. You can’t separate OXO’s filter from the plastic casing and the coffee cleaners will damage the plastic.
The pump mechanism of the OXO is stamped “do not submerge.” Water trapped inside creates an ideal environment for mold growth. Some customers have complained that after a month of use the valve stopped pushing air. There is no way to open the pump chamber to clean or repair.
Summary
While the OXO brewer gets some things right, it is not in the same category as an AeroPress when it comes to the experience of brewing coffee by hand. The Rapid Brewer produces a less flavorful coffee, brews more slowly, less consistently and has a much more involved cleanup.
- With the AeroPress, it is easier to brew without bitterness. You’ll be able to taste the best of your beans.
- The AeroPress lets you tune your coffee’s mouthfeel, smooth and light or full-bodied.
- The AeroPress paper filters keep out the grit without any fuss.
- The AeroPress is lighter and travels better.
- The AeroPress is faster and easier to clean.
- The AeroPress has a wide selection of accessories to tune your brew.
- The AeroPress is more durable and has no inaccessible parts that need cleaning or repair.
- Any AeroPress is the best choice for making coffee at home, in the office, or on the go.
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