Axiom #1: You can't make good coffee unless you're willing to keep your coffee-making device clean. Really clean. Remember how much better your coffee tasted right after you bought your (fill in the blank) machine? That's 'cause it was CLEAN. Old coffee shmutz tastes bad. It will transfer to your cup of coffee. Especially if your device has plastic parts.
So clean it. Every time you use it.
We just got an AeroPress. It's great. It's cheap and it makes excellent shots of espresso. The only thing is you have to buy yourself an excellent burr grinder (not cheap), or go to an excellent coffee purveyor, get 1/2 pound ground at one notch coarser than espresso, and be willing to buy it often.
