The standard recommendation for the Aeropress, including from Adler himself, is to use 175F water, much less hot than you'd use in other preparation methods.
In Seattle at least, there is near-universal consensus among every coffee shop I've been to using an Aeropress that 175 is much too low. Most go closer to 200.
What’s your definition of “proper”? You get a different flavor profile if you vary the water temperature. My favorite for single origin light roasts is very fine grind, not too much 170–180° water, and short steep time. It requires somewhat more beans to get strong coffee compared to a brew using more, hotter water and a long steep time, but the resulting cup of coffee is much tastier IMO.
I have an early one, use it a lot (near daily for years), no cracks (only issue is the rubber plunger head pops off often when removing). Those with problems, can you indicate which material it is? (BPA, BPA-free, translucent gray, big lettering on side, etc.)
Had mine for 3 years now. It's looking cracked/scratched, but still works just fine. Not bad for £25; I'll buy a new one in a heartbeat if/when it breaks.
If you leave it full of grounds for any length of time, it starts to corrode the interior of the tube (it starts to look 'scratched'). This can lead to seepage.
That's a good point. If you wash it immediately after use, you can push the plunger all of the way into the cylinder (with the filter cap off) until it pops out the other end. It will spin freely and not put any pressure on the cylinder during storage. Then you can just rest it on top of the filter cap in a small dish and drop the accessories in the top. Of course, you can argue this adds unnecessary stress by doubling the number of plunges, but I haven't had any issues with it.
Same. I've had my eye on the AeroPress for a long time and I'm very intrigued, but I can't get past the "hot water in plastic" thing. I'm sure there are at least ten other worse things I do every day, but ...
Heh, that's the traditional way of making coffee. Eg Turkish, or how it's used to be made here in Norway:
* Put kettle on, bring water to boil (now, the rough frontiers-type pours in coffee right away, enjoying the bitter, ruined taste that comes from too high temperature)
* take off heat (the hipster adds a thermometer, the scientist adds a thermometer, and takes the time, notes down the time, and uses a stop watch for next brew session)
* add coffee (if not already added), let the mix sit for an appropriate amount of time
* Either a) pour coffee into a cup, pour back in kettle - let settle -- pour into cup (traditional bonefire way[1]) or b) pour over a strain (hipster way)