DELTER VS AEROPRESS

See our video breaking down the AeroPress and Delter Coffee Maker: 

One of our most asked questions for 2019, we have decided to dedicate a full blog article looking at the differences between the new Delter Coffee Maker and AeroPress Coffee Maker.

For a long time, there has been no contender against the AeroPress Coffee Maker, the infamous portable travel espresso maker which is enjoyed by countless fans all over the globe. But this has all changed with the bold arrival of the Delter Coffee Press. Does the Delter have what it takes to go up against the global brewing institution that AeroPress has established? We believe it does, and more, we believe it may even have what it takes to topple it.

We were one of the first in the world to rigorously test the Aussie-designed Delter - from its secretive infancy in prototype form, all the way through to the very first production model. And we have been blown away by its capabilities at every single development step along the way.

After hundreds of emails and questions received by our customers asking about the differences between AeroPress and Delter, we have decided to break it all down and take a closer look at each device, so you can make your own decision on which portable coffee press is for you.

AeroPress Coffee Maker

Launched in 2005, the AeroPress has become a staple in every brewing enthusiast's line up, and more broadly, has become a mainstream commercial success. And for very good reasons. It’s affordable, easy enough to use and at the time of its inception, made vast improvements to the clarity of filtering achieved against the rival French press immersion brewers that have become synonymous with coffee itself.

The AeroPress is also incredibly easy to travel with and its build of materials (currently polypropylene) means it’s virtually indestructible. It also happens to be one of the simplest devices out there to clean, with that satisfying ejection of the coffee ‘puck’ after each brew.

So, what are some of the features unique to the AeroPress?

Immersion Brewing

The AeroPress uses the same technique as its ‘French Press’ predecessors for coffee extraction, known widely as immersion brewing. Once the filter is attached to the chamber, coffee is added to the brew chamber followed by heated water, usually just off the boil. The coffee extraction process starts immediately, with the hot water dissolving the soluble coffee particles, and over time the ‘ideal extraction’ is reached, where overall flavour is balanced. At this time, the user will then plunge the coffee ‘beverage’ through the remaining insoluble coffee grounds via the filter, and into the cup.

While this process is widely known and accepted, it has many potential flaws including uncontrolled extraction, and unwanted agitation. This is particularly made apparent using the “inverted method” on the AeroPress, where the user flips over the device while water and coffee grounds are mixing, which generally causes an intense ‘spike’ in uncontrolled agitation due to rapid mixing of particles with the water, and this results in an over-extracted coffee - or at the very least – an unrepeatable brewing result.

 

Delter Coffee Maker

The Australian designed Delter Coffee Press launched from nowhere in late 2018 with a whopping ‘350%-funded’ Kickstarter campaign, which was achieved in just 7 days.

With ‘underdog’ status, and remaining largely unknown to the world at this point in time, the Delter offers some incredibly thought out engineering features that not only trump the AeroPress, but also any other brewer on the market. It short, it pioneers a completely new way to extract coffee, full stop.

In an industry that is saturated by an immeasurable number of companies and their ‘unique’ brewing products (which are all practically the same), it simply amazes us to see that a small business with unknown status can come out of nowhere with the most revolutionary product that we have seen to date.

So, what makes Delter so unique?

Injection Brewing

When we first learned of the ‘injection brewing’ process, we admittedly rolled our eyes, probably just like every other enthusiast out there when they first hear the claim by the Delter team.

However, when we got our hands on the Delter for the first time and saw it in action, our indifference was immediately transformed into excitement. The jet-seal, combined with the unique plunger design, allows the user to inject water through the coffee by a set volume and time, under pressure that can be controlled. In one sense, this ‘volumetric’ approach is very similar to that state-of-the-art espresso machine with wooden handles, featured in your local specialty café.

The main advantage of this feature is that the user can gently pre-infuse the coffee - or even bloom if desired - in addition to controlling the overall time and pressure of the water and coffee contact. The result is a cleaner taste that has much more clarity in the cup, and less tendency to get bitter results from unwanted agitation.

Interestingly, the nature of the jet-seal also means that coffee extraction occurs more quickly, so there is less waiting around for the ‘ideal extraction’ to be reached.

 

Differences Between Delter vs. Aeropress Coffee Makers

Brew Method

As discussed in detail above, the AeroPress uses ‘immersion method’ brewing, and the Delter uses ‘injection method’ brewing.

Immersion means less control and more likelihood of bitter coffee.

Injection means more control, and less likelihood of bitter coffee.

Brew Volume

AeroPress has a set volume of approximately 220ml. There is no work around to this if you want to make larger batches of coffee, or a serving for 2 or more people, apart from diluting a stronger ‘shot’ which we all know is less than ideal. The volume markings are ambiguous at best, and not normally used.

The Delter has accurate water level volume markings, and you can easily brew a batch of 400ml. This is due to the jet-seal design that keeps coffee and water separated. For a larger batch as an example, you can dose 25g of coffee, and then simply refill the brew chamber after the first 200ml is plunged through.

Cleaning

AeroPress wins here. No other device has that satisfying ‘pop’ when the grounds are neatly ejected.

Delter cleaning is still very simple. You raise the plunger after the brew to press through air, which ‘dries’ the grounds. Then you twist off the cap, and can tap grounds out and rinse. Overall, it’s about 5 seconds longer to clean. The brew chamber on Delter remains crystal clear as grounds are never in contact too, so it gets points for those who appreciate aesthetics.

Filtering

While AeroPress advanced leaps and bounds from the traditional French Press, it still has that annoying ‘grit’ in the bottom of the cup, which is due to the bypass design (slots around edge of cap). Don’t press too hard, or those grounds will find their way over the filter and into your finished cup..

When we first used the Delter, we found the cap a bit tight, but then learned why. It has an o-ring seal that creates a ‘non-bypass’ filter effect. Make sure you twist the cap fully tight with this in mind. The result is sensational, and the filtering is much more akin to a V60 pour over. For those who don’t know, this is basically as clean as filtering your coffee can get.

Materials

The AeroPress has evolved over the years, with current materials used being polypropylene. This material means it’s not possible to have a clear chamber, but the build is solid.

Delter uses Tritan Copolyester, which is clear and looks like glass. It’s also indestructible and will withstand any environment you find yourself in.

Portability

AeroPress speaks for itself, just visit their Instagram page to see countless brewing shots on mountain peaks and remote locations all over the world.

Delter is on par here, if not slightly more portable, as you can grind your coffee and screw on the cap before you go on your wilderness adventure. Once at your destination, just add hot water and you are good to go. 

Should you buy the Delter or Aeropress Coffee Maker?

Both products are great value when you weigh up all of the features. Both products are also incredible innovations for their time. But if we had to choose, we would simply state that it’s now 2019, and no longer 2005.

Purchase the AeroPress Coffee Maker and Delter Coffee Press here. We ship worldwide!

See the AeroPress Coffee Maker and Delter Coffee Maker in action: