Bodum Chambord Coffee Press
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Bodum Chambord Coffee Press
Customer Review: Good coffee, easy clean-up, no measuring lines on the carafe
Summary: 4 Stars
QUICK SUMMARY: I'm not a coffee connoisseur, so I can't say how much better this coffee maker makes coffee over a drip coffee maker. But the coffee this French Press makes is tasty, using it is simple, and the clean-up is very easy. The only thing I'd like better is measuring lines on the carafe (I'm particular with my units-of-measure).
Background: A few days after getting this coffee maker, I did a blind taste test by brewing coffee made with this French press and with my Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker. I used the exact same coffee blend and amount (course ground for this maker, finely ground for the drip maker) and the same amount of water, then poured the finished brews into two different coffee cups and had my wife taste them both. The French press coffee steeped for four minutes. My wife noted the slightly stronger aroma and slightly stronger taste of the French press coffee, but both were similarly good-tasting. She gave me the same blind test, and I struggled to pick the coffee made with the French press, which was (to me) *very* slightly stronger in taste (I noticed no noticeable difference in aroma). In short, neither of us found that this French press made a superior cup of coffee over our drip coffee maker. That said, there are other reasons to like this French press.
WHAT I LIKE:
- It's a nice, simple way to serve guests a special kind of coffee they may especially enjoy
- Using the pump-action was very easy and (with coarse ground coffee) has no chance of clogging the filter
- I prefer the glass carafe that won't leach chemicals into my coffee vs. plastic-based carafes
- The small, compact size makes it easy to stow away (rather than leaving it on the kitchen counter)
- Very nice to make just two mugfulls of coffee to share with your significant other
- Cleaning the filter and carafe was much easier and faster than I thought it'd be
- No paper filters makes this a green product
- No heating element (use a thermos mug or carafe instead) also saves energy, too
What could be BETTER:
- In order to get the perfect mix of coffee grounds to water, it'd be helpful to have measuring lines on the carafe so I could fill the carafe to the exact same water level each time I use it. If I'm trying to brew, for instance, just 12 or 24 ounces, it's guesswork unless I fill the carafe with a measuring cup, creating an unnecessary step in the brewing process (not a big deal, but just unnecessary).
Conclusion: Since I can't really tell a big difference between the coffee this maker creates from my Mr. Coffee drip maker, I can't say that I love this product, but I do love that other people will like the coffee this maker makes, and that it's a green product. Recommended!
Customer Review: MONEY WELL SPENT!
Summary: 5 Stars
Some of the BEST MONEY I'VE SPENT IN RECENT YEARS was for the purchase of my Bodum Chambord Coffee Press and My Aerolatte Milk Foamer. When I ordered my Bodum Chambord Coffee Press, I never DREAMED that, after ONE CUP OF COFFEE, I would NEVER WANT TO MAKE ANOTHER CUP OF AUTOMATIC DRIP COFFEE AGAIN! Granted, it is a LITTLE BIT more trouble than automatic drip, but it is WELL WORTH THE TIME. If you plan to purchase a coffee press, do yourself a favor and spring for the Aerolatte Milk Foamer (approx. $15) to go with it. You WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!
Since I tend to do my due diligence ABOUT 5 TIMES before I purchase ANYTHING, I read other purchasers' NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS before deciding on the Bodum Chambord. My final decision in favor of this press was simply that, fragile or not (per other reviews), the Chambord offered the ability to replace the beaker when broken. Note that I said "when" and not "if". That's because I'm EXTREMELY CLUMSY and will, at some point, MOST ASSUREDLY BREAK ANYTHING THAT IS BREAKABLE.
I have now had my Bodum Chambord press for almost 2 months, and have not broken the beaker YET. As a matter of fact, I believe 2 MONTHS to be a new personal record. I should note that, while my water is heating for coffee, I allow hot tap water to sit in the press in order to preheat it. Although the beaker IS made of VERY THIN GLASS, It has outlived the MUCH HEAVIER, heat resistant measuring glass that I WAS using to heat the milk for my coffee. When (again noting my clumsiness with the use of the word "WHEN") I replace the beaker, I will most likely replace it with the BPA FREE polycarbonate beaker. (BPA is the chemical which is believed to leach into foods and liquids from plastic containers)
One complaint was that the metal was flimsy and bends easily. I'm not sure what that person was doing with their coffee press.. I'm trying VERY HARD NOT TO USE MY IMAGINATION... Mine doesn't bend at all with NORMAL use.
One person complained about plastic parts. My Chambord is ALL metal with the exception of the lid and handle.
Someone complained that the coffee didn't stay warm. It is, in fact, true that your coffee press IS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS. Your coffee will DEFINTELY cool after you make it... It IS EASILY REHEATED, though. As a matter of fact, I make my coffee in advance. I then refrigerate it, and reheat it by the glass as I want it (I can ALMOST HEAR the coffee snobs shudder).
Still other reviewers complained that, after pressing, coffee grounds remained in their coffee. That has NOT been a problem for me AT ALL.
Don't listen to the whiners. Buy the coffee press and ENJOY!
Customer Review: Bodum chambord great little way to make coffee
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this French press as a gift for my son. I had resurrected my old French press after a trip to Paris prompted us to want cups of coffee similar to those we enjoyed in France. I began using my old Bodum (having found good and very simple directions for making good French press coffee and following them changed my opinion of the pot which I'd previously stuck at the cabinet back and labeled a bit silly and not worth the fuss its use required).
The Bodum is so simple...just a metal frame, a glass carafe that fits into the frame and a plunger/lid that are integrated into one piece (which can and should be often disassembled for a quick cleaning). For me, the key to being happy with the Bodum is two items: A grinder for grinding the beans very coarse. I use a #1 setting on the KitchenAid Pro grinder and it works very efficiently, and a means of easily heating water for the press. I purchased an electric pot (again -- the French connection as one of these was available in the kitchen of the apartment there and we found it to be faster and no mess for both tea and FP coffee)and its quick, easy heating surpasses both the microwave and the stovetop for quick boiling water.
If you want to add a bit of coffee experimentation to your new year, try the French press. I have become a confirmed user and rarely drink anything except pressed coffee. It is not a clear American brew. It has sediments and speaks a lot more of the beans from which it came. I find that I enjoy my coffee more and drink less of it. A couple of French press cups satisfies my AM needs while I have a tendency to keep drinking from the electric drip pot in search of a taste that never seems to be satisfied.
A note: the sizes of French press can be confusing. Most manufacturers relay capacity by stating a number of cups. This usually seems to refer to cups of espresso-like size. So, for the Bodum unit I purchased, it will not make 8 true cups equivalent to 64 ounces. It is actually about half that amount of ounces, depending on how close to the top it is filled. I find the 8 cup Bodum works great for two reasonably sized mugs of coffee. I use the smaller Bodum (I think it's called the 3-cup) for just myself, and have the larger Bodum (perhaps called the 12-cup?) which I use when we make after-dinner coffee for guests.
If you buy this press and are not familiar with how to use it, be sure to look at some websites for suggestions. They provide some fun insights and helpful suggestions from longtime French press users.
Customer Review: Very effective low tech gadget
Summary: 5 Stars
If this truly makes the best coffee you will ever drink, then I am out of luck - I guess I just don't like coffee much. I will tolerate it, with milk and sugar, but I will never be all "oooooh, coffee!" To me it will always be merely a means to an end (caffeine). My husband bought me one of these when I made the mistake of mentioning out loud that I should try to get into coffee drinking, since my current wake up beverage is diet pepsi - effective, but odd. So I tried, and now I have this press, and 2 half bags of coffee I don't really have much interest in drinking.
Pros - it does work well! As long as the coffee is ground coarsely for a french press, none escapes the filter. No new filters to buy ever. No electric outlet needed (yeah you need to boil water seperately but you can sit this anywhere on your counter and not have a coffee maker glued in one spot). It looks so clean and sleek, compared to a coffee maker. Easy to clean - just unscrew the end of the pusher thing and rinse everything with hot water, let dry.
The cons are - it's smallish, so if you are making for a crowd, you may need to brew a few batches, or have 2 of these. If it's drying upside down and you just grab the handle, the glass part easily slides out and can break (haven't broken mine yet, but you need to be on guard!). You can't program it to start in the AM before you wake up, so my way around that was to make coffee at night and drink it cold in the morning - which I guess shows how truly not into coffee I am, if I am OK with that. I guess I will just never be a coffee nut.
HOWEVER - I just realized recently that you can use it to brew loose tea. And it works great! I like a big jar of hot tea with hot milk in the evening and since celestial seasonings has discontinued their best flavor ever (almond sunset) I am on a quest for a stand-in, so have been trying some loose teas which I was previously intimidated by. The bits always seem to escape the tea ball, and the mesh squeezey thing which works better is 1. always missing because my kids like to play with it (I think it might be in my back yard) and 2. only makes a little at a time. So I have been using this for loose tea and it is AWESOME. You can make a bunch at once, and nothing escapes. (I hate loose stuff in my tea)
So yeah - this thing works, and it works well. But it also works great for tea! And I do really like tea. So I feel like this discovery has opened a whole new world of tea snobbery for me.
Customer Review: DELICIOUS COFFEE
Summary: 5 Stars
PROS and WHY I BOUGHT THIS:
-easy to use
-coffee is delicious
-beautiful on countertop
-perfect size for me (only coffee drinker in the house and I drink about 16oz of coffee in the morning, I never measured the brewed product but I get 1 1/2 big coffee mug of brewed coffee.. I just brew less if I feel like drinking less than that; rather than having to own 2 different sizes)
-can use to brew loose tea, if you don't already have a teapot
NOTES (because I don't really think they're cons):
- a few extra steps to get delicious coffee and a little more cleanup: I love fresh ground coffee so I don't mind the extra steps
1. boil water
2. grind coffee (coarse ground) they say it's better to use a burr grinder, but I just have the regular grinder, don't want to buy another one, and I think it's fine
3. brew, and be gentle when pressing (it is made of glass and you don't want to make a mess)
4. cleanup is taking apart the mesh/strainer and washing it: it's easy to disassemble, just twist the pole thing.. it's a little hassle but I really suggest doing this to get the little pieces of ground coffee out
5. enjoy your coffee!
BOTTOM LINE:
-money well spent, I do not regret getting this coffee press; even my husband (who doesn't drink coffee) agrees the coffee is delicious
-I would recommend this to others and/or give it as a gift for other coffee lovers
-get a bigger size if there is more than 1 coffee drinker in the house and/or you drink more than 6 oz of coffee at a time
-and I bought this on Amazon (cuz I shopped around and it was cheaper for me here on amazon, and i have prime so shipping was free and fast and in excellent condition)
EXTRA NOTE ON AMAZON and PRIME MEMBERSHIP: We do A LOT of shopping on Amazon because I am bargain hunter! I love to get the lowest price on a product and MOST of the time the prices are lower here on amazon. Plus amazon has great customer service... The prime membership may seem high but we get our money's worth because the shipping is FAST, by UPS or Fedex etc.. (sometimes comes in 1 day) no matter the weight and there is no minimum purchase to get the free shipping (your order total can be $1)... AND AMAZON IS NOT GIVING ME ANYTHING TO SAY THIS, it's just my honest opinion.