The Trestle is an extra-portable device that combines K-Cups with AeroPress for an even quicker brew on the go.
BY JOSH TAVES
SPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photos courtesy of Josh Taves
Innovation excites me, especially within coffee. So when I come across a device that takes one successful innovation and combines it with another revolutionary star, it really piques my interest. This is why I got my hands on a simple underdog device called the Trestle Adapter as soon as I could—and then kicked myself a few times for not thinking of it first.
The Keurig and the AeroPress Come Together
Let’s be honest: Like it or not, K-Cups have taken the world by storm, and are here to stay. They honestly don’t get a ton of media coverage and are often scoffed at in the specialty-coffee scene in comparison to their general market share. However, I personally get excited about taking a widely adopted technology like the Keurig and exploring ways to improve the quality of it to allow for the greater acceptance of the specialty industry. Specialty instant coffee packets definitely come to mind on this trend.
An example that also follows a similar start is the AeroPress. Despite its now high regard in the specialty world, it was initially sold as a home espresso maker for the general public. The AeroPress thus lived in relative obscurity for the first portion of its life—that is, until quality-minded coffee folks started pushing the limits of what it could do when the right principles were applied.
Is the AeroPress an espresso maker? Technically, no. Has it been adopted by the coffee industry and been responsible for starting a craze? Resoundingly yes. But enough about the AeroPress—we are here to talk about Keurigs, another often maligned convenience coffee that takes coffee and brews a weak cup at ineffective brewing temps. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if it could achieve the same end goal as the AeroPress?
About Planetary Designs
The Trestle Adapter comes from a company you’ve probably heard of for their Airscape Storage Containers, Planetary Designs. The Trestle falls under their BruTrek line of “travel-ready, outdoor-friendly travel presses and drink ware.” Based in Montana in the United States, Planetary Designs has a general ethos of outdoorsy, sustainable adventure, and it shows in all areas of the brands they produce.
Understanding the Inner Workings of The Trestle
The Trestle is a simple device that consists of three BPA-free plastic parts for a small, lightweight footprint. The “base” of the adapter is removable for easy cleaning and mimics the flange on the AeroPress that sits on top of the vessel you wish to brew into.
The brew chamber accommodates the K-Cup shape, with a tiny one-way valve and a sharp, needle-like structure at the bottom. Lastly, the shower screen fits tightly into the bottom of the AeroPress. It even has a small, sharp cone shower head for even distribution of water into the K-Cup.
How To Use the Trestle
In conjunction with the Keurig, when a K-Cup is placed into the Trestle’s brewing chamber, the sharp cone of the shower head will pierce the lid, and the needle at the bottom will pierce the bottom of it, allowing water to percolate through the grounds.
Typically, however, you need a water source to supply the flow through the cup: This is where the AeroPress comes in. Fill your AeroPress with hot water, let it sit for a desired amount of time, and press the water through the K-Cup, yielding a single cup of coffee. Cleaning up is even more simple than with a regular AeroPress brew, in that all you have to do is take out your used K-Cup and rinse and dry the brewer.
How the Trestle Solves Keurig Brewing Issues
There are a lot of problems solved and questions raised for the Trestle Adapter, but let’s focus on a few. The brewing principles behind most Keurigs are inherently flawed, but what if they weren’t? With the Trestle Adapter, you can fine-tune your water temperature, brewing/saturation time, flow rate, and coffee-to-water ratio, which, in my opinion, solves most of the issues inherent with this method. “But Josh,“ you may say, “the K-Cup itself is still filled with old (and probably low-quality) coffee.” However, the Trestle is also compatible with most refillable and reusable K-Cup pods so that you can put the fanciest, freshest coffee you want into the system. Opens up a lot of new doors, doesn’t it?
Closing Thoughts
So, let’s be honest. Is the Trestle Adapter going to make the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had? Probably not, but if you spend a lot of time making coffee outside or on the road like I do, I bet it will find a pretty important spot in your travel setup. I, for one, will definitely start looking for my favorite K-Cup brand in order to get the best use out of my new Trestle AeroPress Adapter. And for only $28 USD, I bet you’ll like it too.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh Taves (he/him) is the head of business development for Stovetop Roasters in Michigan. He’s been working in the coffee industry since 2006 and enjoys taking advantage of all the great adventures the outdoors has to offer. He is also the inventor of the Rattleware Cupping Brewer and a 2017 USBC Finalist, so he knows his way around lots of different coffee gadgets.
