So, more than a DIY juice review (I’ll get to that eventually), this is a little show and tell on the Aeropress coffee maker used as an extraction tool for NET. I had thought about getting a buchner funnel, hose, Erlenmeyer flask and hand pump….so glad I didn’t. This thing is super easy to use, cleans up quick and it really has no parts to break……unless you are super abusive to inanimate objects or just clumsy.

So, let’s get started!

Here we have our set up: Aeropress, 70mm Grade 5 qualitative filter paper and 1 month steeped tobacco. I will mention, I used the coffee filters which came with the Aeropress for the first run filter process and did a second filtering with the Grade 5 (2.5 micron) qualitative paper.

Close up of the macerated tobacco in PG.

You’ll also need a jar to receive the filtered NET; I just used an old Ball jelly jar. Tobacco is dumped in the Aeropress.

Used a spoon to get all of the tobacco and PG out of the cook jar.

Applied the plunger (a bit of PG was rubbed on the inside of the Aeropress to help keep the plunger from being sticky)

With a bit of downward pressure…the NET starts flowing. The plunger will come to a full stop eventually. That’s when you walk away and go do the dishes, watch TV or screw off on the ELR forum. Come back in a bit, push down on the plunger…walk away. It doesn’t take long to complete the process with the regular coffee filters (20 micron or less). It’s the NET passing through the Grade 5 (2.5 micron) filters that will take a while…perhaps, overnight.

First run complete!

Remove the bottom of the Areopress and discard the spent tobacco.

UPDATE NOTE: I’ve started using a stainless steel “ricer” to squeeze the solvent from the tobacco; much faster process and you don’t leave behind so much solvent in the tobacco using the ricer.

Transfer NET into clean jar, 'cause we’re getting ready to do the process again with a Grade 5 filter.

The 70mm, Grade 5, 2.5 micron filters will be slightly larger than the filter cap; no worries…just press the 70mm filter down inside the cap and install on Areopress as usual. No leaking will occur.

NET is poured into the Aeropress and same procedure is followed as in filtering round #1.

This time, we’re going to set the project in a safe (overnight) place, press the plunger and walk away. Maybe press the plunger every hour or so, go to bed, go to work, cook dinner or again, screw off on the ELR forum. Within 24 hours, the process should be complete.

Note: This process is typical for 75 to 150ml of NET maceration. I would suggest filtering in small batches, so as not to overload the filter paper with gunk from the tobacco.

Warning: Once you install the plunger…don’t stop the pushing process or pull the plunger out of the Aeropress; you will suck the filter out of the filter cap and back inside the Aeropress. Bad situation! NET juice everywhere! Bad! Bad! Bad!

Review of the maceration (as promised):

The end product is awesome. The tobacco was a local tobacconists pipe tobacco blend of Virginia, Perique and Latakia (kinda heavy on the Latakia……smokey!) called Pynes Pleasure. If you don’t like a hearty, smoky, campfire quality to your vape, buy tobacco which has little or no Latakia in the mix; there’s plenty of other loose tobaccos or cigars from which to choose, believe me.

However, that is exactly the nature of the NET which was produced from this local blend; it has a hearty, wood-smoke flavored aroma, yet there is sweentess from the Virginia and sweet/sour fruitiness from the Perique. It’s all there in one NET concentrate because it’s there in the tobacco blend.

The best couple of parts about NET is the true tobacco flavor you get from the juice and it’s very inexpensive to produce. There is the initial startup cost of the Aeropress and filters (roughly $45) and the PG base ($??? your choice). Bulk tobacco usually runs around $3.50 per oz… You can make roughly +/- 1500ml of vapable end product with 150ml of NET concentrate from that 1 oz. of tobacco, assuming you use +/- 10% NET concentrate in the mix. Very inexpensive!

So, there you go…the Aeropress as a NET tool! Kinnikinnick tried, tested and approved!