[mrmondo]

I've tried a great many ways of brewing coffee including several Aeropress setups - I can honestly say that Aeropress is no better than your standard French press - it's not even close to espresso or even a handpresso or similar device.

[moultano]

However, it is much easier to clean than a French press, doesn't require a particular grind size, and you can use either a paper or metal filter if you are worried about cafestol or like oilier coffee.

[beloch]

A french press can be cleaned simply by rinsing it out, with the occasional more thorough cleaning. Also, you can vary the grind size considerably. It's only superfine grinds that will clog the filter.

I have an aeropress, but I rarely use it. Maybe I'm just a clutz, but I always have to wipe the counter down after using an aeropress (especially with the inverted method), while a french press is pretty much mess-free. The aeropress is very fidly. That's great if you're in the mood to experiment but not so great if you just want a decent cup of coffee. I do like the results of the aeropress for making iced coffee, but generally prefer the flavor of french press coffee. Paper filters remove a lot of coffee's flavor-rich oils.

The one deal-breaker that some people have with french presses is the sludge they let through, especially when used with a low quality grinder that doesn't produce grounds of uniform size. If you can't stand sludge and have a crappy grinder you pretty much have to use something with a paper filter.

[moultano]

The aeropress is self cleaning. You just plunge it into the trash.

[beloch]

Yeah, and then you rinse off the grounds that stuck to the edges. Then you go back and rinse out the funnel for putting the grounds into the aeropress. Then you rinse off the stir-stick. Then you clean up all the grounds that didn't make it into the funnel. Then you get the drips that escaped if your inverted technique wasn't flawless.