Bodum Chambord 4 cup French Press Coffee Maker, 17 oz, Chrome
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Bodum Chambord 4 cup French Press Coffee Maker, 17 oz, Chrome
Customer Review: Simple, yet elegant
Summary: 5 Stars
I got the 4-cup model. It makes 1 "big cup" of coffee, with a little room for cream, if I'm in the mood. (my big cup is about 2x the size of a standard American coffee cup)
My wife does not drink coffee, so the smaller model was perfect for me. I may purchase a larger model at some point, for entertaining guests.
Pros
-Makes fantastic coffee, if you follow some easy rules: coarse grind (reduce sediment), don't use too little grounds (over-extraction = bitter coffee), grind your own beans (GRIND YOUR OWN BEANS!!!), if not back-to-back... wash between uses (oil buildup = bitter coffee), don't leave extra coffee in the press (it will continue to steep, which is bad)
-Simple to use, simple to clean. Everything comes apart with little hassle
-Dishwasher safe (Though I use it too much to ever let it sit in the dishwasher.)
-Sturdy (The commenter who mentioned busting the bottom out was probably using Hulk strength when pressing, stirring with metal (which creates micro-fractures in the glass), or possibly cleaning with cold water too soon after having the hot coffee in the press. (which is also bad for glass... duh))
-You will experience flavors you never knew coffee had before.
Cons
-More work to clean up than a filter-brew machine (but worth it)
-Glass is breakable, don't drop it or hand it to a 2 year old. (They make unbreakable plastic models, but the oils that buildup to make coffee bitter cling to plastic, and don't cling to glass. It's a chemistry thing, according my Chemical Engineer brother.)
-It has ruined me for other coffee. I used to tolerate the bad office coffee, now I can't stand the smell of it. When I travel, I miss the french press but buy coffee from a chain of some sort, but it's still not as good as my own press.
Fantastic press!
Side Note: I have heard that the Aero-press makes a great cup of coffee too, but I'm hesitant to try, because it still uses a filter, and you lose certain flavor components of the coffee to the filter, no matter what you do.
Customer Review: Haven't had long but works great so far
Summary: 4 Stars
Makes real tastey coffee. Never really understood how much better coffee could be outside of using drip machines until I tried this the first time. It really delivers a much more complex flavor of the coffee; it tastes like it smells.
The only hard part I guess would be fine tuning to your likeness the strength/time-length to let the grounds steep in the water before pushing the plunger down.
Also the coffee obviously would not stay warm for long in this thin glass container so its good to only use as much as you can drink right away. (thats why I got this small press) Probably no harm in just using the microwave to warm up the excess if its not as hot as you would like when poured. The press is a "4 cup" press but it actually only holds about TWO Large/Regular sized coffee mugs worth of coffee. If you are drinking the coffee out of small china or dainty traditional coffee "cups" it may actually be four cups.
It's really easy to use: Pour some hot water (just below boiling but not boiling), stir in the COARSE ground coffee(do not use regular or fine grounds or they will clog the screen), and let it sit about 4-5 minutes depending on how strong you want it. I use about 4 tablespoons of coarse grounds for water about one inch below the top of the press (like the picture shows)--you arent supposed to fill with more water or it could overspill.
Its very easy to clean. I usually just rinse it out, use my fingers to press in the edges of the screen on the plunger a bit because grounds do get stuck in there. I use soap once a week just to make sure the residue or oils aren't building up too much because I know this can cause bitterness in the coffee eventually.
If you havent tried French Press coffee. I highly recommend it.
Customer Review: Great product, but misleading
Summary: 3 Stars
I received this item for my birthday. What a wonderful way to make coffee! The taste of the beans really comes out with a press. I brewed up a pot in the press and a pot in the regular drip machine just to see if there was a difference and it is huge.
The only downside really is that it takes longer. You have to boil water, grind beans and then let it sit for 5 minutes or longer. The drip machine is easy, add the stuff, push a button and get on with your morning. This is not for someone who has a time crunch in the mornings.
I still use my drip machine for those mornings when the kids are moving slow and we are in a hurry, but I will never use it again when I have time to boil up some water. I couldn't be happier with the way this product operates. The quality of the coffee produced is amazing without any grounds ending up in my cup.
Now for the misleading part. This item states that it has a 4-cup capacity. However, if you read the fine-print, it states that it is only 24 oz. This is barely enough to fill my travel mug. If my husband wants some coffee, then we have to brew it up again which takes twice the amount of time. Had this been more obvious, we would have purchased the 8-cup press which is actually only two travel mugs worth.
I would happily recommend this product to any coffee enthusiast, however I would warn them about the capacity!
Customer Review: Great coffee
Summary: 5 Stars
I was making a week long trip and wanted to insure I had good coffee to drink first thing in the morning. I took my large stainless steel travel mug with me and ordered the Bodum Chambord 17 ounce French coffee press be shipped to me at my travel location address. It arrived without delay before I did. It took me using it a couple of times before I correctly calculated the right quantity of coarse ground coffee to use - 3 scoops, pour in the boiled water, stir, wait a couple of minutes, stir again, and slowly press. I put my milk and sugar in my mug first and then poured the coffee. PERFECT! Best coffee I could ask for! Yes, it does require the use of more coffee, but you do get a better tasting coffee. I like French Roast because it is full of body and robust. But based on my personal experience I truly believe for anyone who wants to take the few extra minutes to make a truly FINE cup of coffee, any blend of your choosing will taste good.
The only draw back I had was in not being able to keep the coffee in the pot piping hot. Thus the use of an insulated travel mug and pouring the hot coffee into the cold milk. If you heat your milk or cream first it won't cool down the coffee. I didn't have access to a microwave at the time. When I arrived home I pulled out my insulated teapot caddy to insulate the pot and trap the heat after the coffee is made. Worth the effort! JD
Customer Review: Quite Good
Summary: 5 Stars
I really like this little thing.
I only found out about the coffee presse because my future mother in law uses one for coffee (whenever she drinks it). She only uses the conventional coffee making machine for when she has guests and needs to make larger batches. This little tyke is perfect for the 1 - 2 cups you make for yourself or someone else. It's perfect for when my fiancee and I (or just him) want to drink coffee but do not want to make too much. I like the idea of seeping the water in the coffee grinds (which we now grind ourselves) just like tea, because the coffee retains more flavor. Also, it's really really easy to use. Clean up is a breeze because you take everything apart, rinse, and let dry. I don't like cleaning coffee makers because a. they're more cumbersome, and b. I've always had it in for the place you pull out to put the coffee filter. That thing has ridges so to clean every ridge perfectly drives me NUTS... and it's never clean!!! But with this puppy I never have a problem. I love it. Doubt that my coffee maker will ever make it out of the shelf... EVER AGAIN!!!