Invented for a single cup of coffee - this coffee maker has quite a following and even world championship contests. After getting "into" coffee (yes, I've been drinking and enjoying coffee for years but never really "into" it) my wife wanted an espresso machine and down the coffee rabbit hole I went. Normally, I may brew 4-8 cups of coffee in our automatic drip coffee maker - sometimes it would be only me that drank any that morning and we'd waste half a pot regularly. With coffee bean prices going up and having access to a decent grinder I looked at other ways to make my morning "grog". Now I'm just a beginner at the AeroPress (only a few short weeks) but I've YET to make a bad cup of coffee with it. Even if you factor in "beginner's luck" or closely following directions/recipes found on YouTube (weighing coffee and water, checking temperature, applying the correct amount of pressure) which I'm not - I still seem to get great coffee time and time again. I'm no barista, in fact, until about a month ago I don't think I could have spelled barista - that doesn't mean I haven't been able to appreciate good coffee - I've had very good coffee here in the US in nice Italian restaurants and great Italian espresso in Italy (though it's been a few years). The AeroPress is not going to make (likely) the best cup of coffee you've ever had but I'm willing to bet it will not make the worst either (even if you've gone "rogue" and completely ignored any AeroPress recipe or technique). Before I explain why I think the Travel AeroPress is "best" AeroPress let me share what my experience is with the directions that come along with the coffee maker (regardless of model). Other's will likely agree and it's almost a theme for reviews or how-to videos that you should only read the directions that come with the AeroPress on the way to trash can / recycle bin where they should be deposited. Some may claim that these instructions are just plain wrong - others claim that they're ambiguous but could be followed with some success. When I attempted to follow the directions I made good coffee but just not what most of us would consider to be a "cup" (five or six ounces or more) of coffee. I won't go into detail about how I make mine today since there's hundreds if not thousands of videos on social media that are great in showing how to make a single, double or even three cups at a time - the inventor has presentations on making a cup and talks about some of the history and evolution of the device - worth watching for sure. So why do I think the Travel AeroPress is "best" AeroPress? Well for a few reasons. First if you plan to "take it with you" either to work, school (college/university) it's designed to be contained in one items - technically you do not need a cup or mug but unless you plan to brew "inverted" you may need something to pour your water into (hint the inner cylinder / plunger holds what I think is a perfect amount of water if you're using volume not weight measurements) freeing up the cup to make the coffee in the non-"inverted" way. If you're not traveling or bringing your AeroPress with you to work/school etc. I still think the Travel AeroPress is the way to go simply because it stores away in itself - the non-travel version really doesn't take up a lot of space but if your kitchen is like mine parts and accessories get lost and if I can keep things together there's far less of a chance I'll loose things. All put together the coffee maker is about the size of one of those extra large mugs that typically says "World's Greatest Dad" or "I'm not a crazy cat lady". I also find the cup to be very handy in pouring hot water (to wet the filter paper - if you're in to that) along with a place to wash/rinse the AeroPress itself if you are away from a sink - the edges of the included cup make pouring work compared to the normal round edges of a "normal cup or mug" - no tendency to spill down the front and make additional mess. The stir is a nice design and again it stores away inside the plunger along with the scoop. The filter paper container is also nice - even if you make a few cups a day you'll likely not have to re-stock the travel container very often (maybe on the weekend check to see if you're getting low). So I do not believe you can go "wrong" with any AeroPress models - the thing works great - if the "regular" model was 1/2 the price I'd probably have to "opt" for that but the difference in price between the two models is only a few dollars and for me at least I think the compact, store inside itself design is worth it. "Size Note" - the original AeroPress is a tad bit larger (the cylinder is taller so more volume) - making a larger cup (or two smaller ones) in one press might be the deciding factor. Enjoy your coffee!