If you’ve looked at coffee equipment in the past few years, you’ve probably seen the AeroPress. It’s a simple plastic plunger — a little bit like a French press — that’s gained acclaim as a quick, easy method to make surprisingly good coffee. Recently FastCompany interviewed AeroPress’ creator Alan Adlter about how he invented the device.

His key revelation? That you want your coffee to brew quickly:

I wanted to experiment with a much quicker process, and I got the idea of building what became the AeroPress. By applying air pressure, it took the brew time to below a minute.

What’s interesting to me is how similar this is to the idea behind espresso; less time for the coffee and water to mingle means a less bitter cup of coffee.

You might also recognize Adler as the guy who invented the Aerobie flying disk toy.