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Interview: Ask Alan Adler About Flying Toys and the Perfect Cup of Coffee
When he's not lecturing at Stanford or NASA, Alan Adler is working on brewing the perfect cup of coffee and engineering flying toys. His AeroPress is one of the most popular coffee brewing systems available and one of his Aerobie Pro Rings set the world record for the farthest thrown object at 1,333 feet. Alan has agreed to sit down and answer any questions you may have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.
are you mistakenly addressed as "Alan Alda"?
Mr. Alda, how would you characterize your experiences on the set of M.A.S.H.?
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
After reading the article about the Aerobie setting a world record as the farthest flying thrown object in human history (uber-neat, BTW), I wondered: Do you think there's any way that such a design would work as a small drone platform? Perhaps something that can be thrown from the hand, then perpetuate flight at least semi-autonomously?
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
http://www.tidbitsfortechs.com/2013/10/a-techs-guide-to-a-decent-cup-of-coffee/
I'm loving all these coffee related posts lately.
Nobodies Prefect
Tidbits for Techs Technology Blog
Coffee seems harmless, so EVERYONE uses it, EXPECTS you to use it. We'll even eat it out of a cat's ass. That's true horror.
Tell me again how 'drugs' are bad. That's always funny.
I love french press coffee, but drink paper filtered drip because cafestol present in coffee oils increases blood cholesterol. Unfortunately, those coffee oils are delicous so I lose a lot of the flavor as well.
I see the Aeropress is a french press like device, but uses paper filters. Doesn't using a paper filter remove most of the flavorful coffee oils you'd get from using a french press? If the Aeropress lets more of those oils through, does it also let more cafestol through?
Graphs with scales labeled in the appropriate units and measures of uncertainty(error bars) would be highly appreciated.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
The Aerobie Pro Ring is one of the best skill toy inventions ever created.
Can you tell us about the physics and engineering challenges that you had to overcome to break the world record?
Oh, for just 4 more feet, that would have been awesome. ;-)
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
How hot is Major Margaret Houlihan in person?
Do you play disc golf, and if so, what is your long-distance driver?
What are your thoughts regarding pre roasted coffee versus roasting at home? (I personally roast at home with a popcorn popper and find that it produces better results at a lower price. The founding belief being that coffee being a chemically active substance after it is roasted makes it theoretically impossible to store roasted coffee and retain the original flavor since it can't be stored at absolute zero.)
411 Y0UR 8453 4R3 8310NG 70 U5!! -NSA
So, are you now working on a flying coffee maker?
Do you even lift?
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Hello Alan, I remember you having a VW Bug with Aerobie plates. I saw it frequently at Los Altos High school when you would come out and throw. Do you still have it? What ever became of it?
I've long enjoyed my Aeropress for travel. But for the office/cube I've usually used the Clever Coffee Dripper (http://www.sweetmarias.com/clevercoffeedripperpictorial.php) as it produces as good (or better IMHO) results with a little less excitement (misalignment of the Aeropress considered harmful ;>). At home I alternate between espresso and various other techniques.
Do you consider the Aeropress the pinnacle of coffee brewing, or just a really good portable approach? Are you working on any further improvements?
I've been using a metal filter with my Aeropress(es) for a few years now and was wondering if you're ever going to sell a version with a permanent filter? Also, how about a redesign to make the upside-down method a bit easier? (The upside-down method allows for better control over the steep time).
You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
I love my Aeropress, in fact I'm on my second one. However my experience has been that they only last about 2 years. Your company was kind enough to supply me with a replacement when I noticed vertical cracking in the brew chamber, which I thought was causing slippage of the plunger as the gasket entered the weakened chamber.
But the replacement suffers from the same problem, so I'm guessing the gasket has worn down over time too.
Even at two years, the Aeropress represents a great value for making great tasting coffee. But I'm wondering if you had any plans to address these issues or if they're just a limitation of the materials.
Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?
I believe before this decade is out America should produce a device that shoots water through coffee at a controlled temperature and pressure. I believe it should be possible to disassemble and clean it much as you would a firearm. I believe it should cost less than $100, and be manufactured here. I don't care if the robots that manufacture it are made in China; but I want it made here for quality control purposes and I want the beverage contact surfaces to be stainless steel or some other metallic surface that doesn't contain lead, plastic, or other questionable materials. It should use no consumable items other than coffee, water, and fuel. I should not have to buy another one after just a few years. It should show up in antique shops 100 years from now, like the counter-mountable meat grinder I saw a few months ago.
Milk frothing is not a requirement. Milk is for children.
I don't think I'm asking too much, and yes, the "I believe" format of this request is a take-off on Kennedy's Moon speech.
Do you think it will ever be possible to do such a thing?
What do you feel will be the next great leap in technology?
Will it be an advance to something we currently have, such as advances in automotive tech, air travel, space travel, AI?
(safety, aerodynamics, more efficient propulsion)
Or, something completely different and new? Teleportation? Genetic engineering for greater physical and/or mental abilities?
Or, have we plateaued, with no great leaps ahead, just small improvements to what we've already achieved?
Thank you.
Question: Have you considered a modified Aeropress that uses a lever to press the hot water through such that a true espresso extraction with real crema would be possible. Would a stock Aeropress be able to with stand the 12 bars of pressure .....any thoughts or research you've done on this topic would be interesting. Thanks!
Do you think there's a possibility of making a version of the Aeropress out of something other than plastic? I love my Aeropress but often wonder whether pouring near-boiling water into a plastic tube every day is all that healthy for me. (I've got one of the old blue-tinted ones; I suppose I should look into whether the colour change in the newer models was due to a move away from BPA plastic...)
For those that don't know, the record was done at Fort Funston. A lot of us that fly RC gliders in the bay area go to FF because of the unique topography there. It's basically a seaside cliff.
Wind rushes off the pacific, hits the cliff, and with no other place to go heads up, creating lift. (Sometimes called slope effect)
I'm guessing the answer is probably no, because it's not something that's easy to do in plastic, and in a hotel room you can get by with heating the milk in a microwave, while there are other devices out there for stove tops or camping stoves. But I'd love to see one if there's a practical way to do it.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
From a design standpoint, do you think the Aerobie's 'flying ring' shape is optimal for the task of longest throw by a human?
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
I've bought a few Aero Presses over the years, for myself and as gifts; I think they're ingenious. I mostly use them as directed -- but I'm intrigued by the possibilities for creative, "off-label use," as in these videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cm6ZAwoM78
I've done the upside down method a few times, and I also used my Aeropress to filter the coffee from some homemade coffee liqueur a few summers ago -- did a great job of that.
So: You have all the chance in the world to experiment; do you have any suggestions or favorite ways to use an Aeropress besides the package directions? Do you typically use it in any way different from the standard instructions?
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Loving my Aeropresses (office and home), but one thing bugs me slightly. If you lock the end cap on for storage, the rubber bung part can only be stored inside the tube, which causes it to degrade more quickly. If you have the rubber bung protruding past the end of the tube, the end cap obviously doesn't fit on. Could the design be slightly tweaked in some way to allow storage as a single piece without degrading the bung?
As a credentialed geek who loves coffee, I of course purchased an Aeropress straight away upon hearing about it. I used it every day for about a month, experimenting with type of coffee, grind, water temperature, and pressure/amount of time pushing the water through. PROS: It's easy, and the coffee is good. No reason you can't make a delicious cup of coffee with this once you nail down the perfect combination of the above 4 things. CONS: (And this is the reason I stopped using it.) It uses a LOT of coffee to make one good cup of coffee, more than any other method. Your usage will just about double per cup over other methods. The other drawback for some is that it only makes one cup at a time and then you have to reheat the water while you clean it and refill it etc. for the next cup. My recommendation: If you've never tried a "mocha pot" stove-top espresso maker, give it a try. (They have electric ones too but they cost a lot more.) Of course the easiest and simplest to use and clean up is a simple cone filter over a carafe. Many people swear by the taste and simplicity of a French Press pot, but they are a little messy. Enjoy the journey!
Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.
Both the Aerobie and the AeroPress embody design traits I really like: they're durable, have few pieces, and work simply by dint of ordinary (vs. extraordinary) human-muscle power. Basically, they remind me of simple machines. (As in the wedge, the lever, etc.) What are your favorite likely areas for further improvement?
Will you come up with good improvements on ... ... wrt ergonomics and efficiency, I think there is a long way to go ... ...)
- Flashlights? (Muscle-powered flashlights have gotten much better, thanks to LEDs, but they still mostly suck.)
- Sailboats or kayaks? (What could modern materials and thinking bring to small person-powered / wind-powered watercraft?)
- On that front, paddles / oars
- Whistles? (Pealess whistles have come a long way, but progress isn't over)
- Waterguns? (Where is the next SuperSoaker-style leap?)
- Bicyle fairings? (A semi-standardized clear fairing would be useful for lots of people, esp. as some big U.S. cities improve their cycling infrastructure.)
- Juicers? (A human powered AeroJuicer sounds like a good idea to me
Not to say that for any of the above items that there aren't smart people working in the field ... but Hey, there were lots of coffee makers and coffee making methods before the Aeropress, too.
p.s. What about smaller and bigger AeroPresses, for light travel and for bigger gatherings? :)
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Loved you in that series :)
There are many ways to apply heat to coffee beans so that they reach the required temperature for the Maillard process and pyrolysis to begin. How have you found various methods affect the taste?
I agree that the Aeropress does a superior single cup brew. The french press can, however brew good coffee if fresh coffee is finely ground just before brewing. It will decant quickly, the screen is only used to prevent the pouring of the sludge.
What do you think of all the complex recipes people come up with on the aeropress, and what technique do you use? Normal or inverted method?
Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
I need to brew enough coffee to fill an Olympic-length pool. I was planning on inviting the Paris metro area over for a cuppa, if you must know. I know that I'll need about 105 metric tons of coffee (~$200k) for this adventure, but the coffee pot I have is a bit undersized for the task. Any idea how one would go about generating that much java?
Say! I'll need somewhere to keep it, too! It may take quite some time to serve coffee to that many Frenchmen. I am sure there would be time for high society to snub the endeavor and for a mob of cafe owners to lynch me before I was halfway through, but in the hypothetical meanwhile I'd certainly want some way to keep the coffee hot. I understand that there are active heating methods both ancient and novel, but I'd like to keep my operating costs down. What kind of container could I put it in? What is the longest amount of time I'm likely to be able to serve hot coffee to Frenchmen?
Yours,
Man with 1.057 x 10^7 Coffee Cups
Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
Have coffee and thrown toys things you've always wanted to improve or is there a story behind how you started working on these things?