Categorized | $0 - $50, 4 Cup Coffee Maker, 5 stars, Bodum

30 Comments For This Post

1. valroberts Says:
   November 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Never knew coffee could taste this excellent
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   This is the second coffee press I have owned. My first press was a 16 oz. Huge Sky Bistro French Press Mug; bought locally and which I used for many years. Although it’s still useable I wanted a new press that made the same amount and bought a Bodum Chambord 4-Cup Coffee Press from Amazon.com.

   After researching the coffee grind size for a french press and right method for brewing I can only describe, with my choice of coffee, the taste as fantastic with a french press.

   If you really want a first class brew of coffee, you deserve to have the best.

   There is a con to most things and I have found with a few months of using and cleaning this press that the glass is scoring around the top chrome steel band and I feel this may break at this point in the future, but only time will tell.

2. Cindy L. Smith Says:
   November 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am

   This is a fantastic product and price as well.
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   This was bought as a Christmas gift, and has been used every day since. The coffee is wonderful, and the product is of excellent quality.

3. Gary Palangian Says:
   November 21st, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Best I’ve found!
   Rating:4 out of 5 stars
   Maybe I’m naive. Or just too darn picky. This is by far the best coffee press I’ve ever found. Fantastic job guys.

   But I reckon this thing could be improved a lot. Even with the new ‘insulating pod’ in the dome, coffee cools down down very quick. The glass is so thin it just seems to have a hard time providing any real insulation for the content. Is there some reason the glass can’t be thicker? It would also prevent the only way you can break the thing which is dropping the carafe when you’re washing it. Unfortunately, just a couple of inches fall into a porcelain sink and it’s humpty dumpty dreams. Finally, on both of mine, after about 5 years, the ball on top of the dome (I reckon it’s made of bakelite or something like that) came off the rod and I had to epoxy it back on. They should beef up the fitting to really spike into the cool touch knob. (Heck, I don’t reckon you even need to make it plastic, it could be metal.) Then, thread the inside of the ball/handle so it screws together just like the rest of the thing.

   It is the best on the market, but this thing has not changed in 20 years (except for the insulated pod thing in the dome). I guess the market isn’t huge enough for someone to build a better one.

4. E. Howell Says:
   November 23rd, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Sweet coffee press
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   I’m extremely pleased with this product. I use it for both hot and iced coffee. If you are making iced coffee this is a must. I’m a coffee nerd and like the fact that I don’t have to use paper filters anymore. Fantastic for use at work if you have a boiling water dispenser. Simple 5 stars if you don’t already have one.

5. Andrew Cottrell Says:
   November 24th, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Coffee-making too simple? Get this, it’s a pain in the arse!
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   Let’s get to the point: The product works and I recommend it. Buy one for yourself.

   Need more details? Ok! I really like the flavor of the coffee I’ve made with it. The first time I tried it I, like many others, was shocked by how DIFFERENT this coffee tasted. But certainly in a excellent way!

   Taste aside, and regarding the title of this review, it really does change coffee-making into a PAIN in the ARSE. Used to be I’d pop a paper filter into my automatic, fill it with pre-ground coffee, and brew up a whole pot. The whole process was simple and simple and clean-up was no problem.

   With this CURSE OF A COFFEE PRESS, you’re stuck heating up water in a separate container, adding coffee grounds and then water to the press, walking away to kill time for four minutes, then returning and pressing it and serving it, and often microwaving the resulting cup because the water cooled too much in the process. Once you’ve loved your re-heated coffee, you get to the cleanup. For me this involves rinsing all the coffee grounds down the garbage disposal (I’m sure that will make some of you clinch and/or wince), and while getting the grounds out of the glass part isn’t terrible, it’s a PAIN to get them out of the metal screen press part, because they ALWAYS wedge between the screen and the cross-shaped metal piece. Frankly I often rinse it off and then dump the lot in the dishwasher top rack. Not sure that’s acceptable practice but it works for me.

   Also, please note that if you use pre-ground coffee, you’re gonna get grounds in your cup. You get used to it. If that bothers you, get whole bean coffee and grind it at the coarsest setting of your burr grinder (you ARE using a burr grinder, right?!). Then you’ll still get grounds in your cup, but there will be less of them.
   

6. Ayse Yildiz Says:
   November 25th, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Better than Starbucks
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   I got this as a present from my older daughter’s boyfriend several years ago and just like it. It makes wonderful coffee and is simple to use and simple to clean. All my friends compliment me for making an brilliant cup of coffee. So I chose this year to give this product as Christmas/Birthday gifts to the ones who can appreciate a excellent cup of coffee. And believe me not all of them have qualified!!!

7. Laura Says:
   November 27th, 2009 at 12:00 am

   THEY’VE CHANGED THE DESIGN–FOR THE WORSE
   Rating:3 out of 5 stars
   I’ve had 3 of these. The latest is a serious disappointment. You can no longer unscrew the lid’s plastic liner, which means there is NO way to drain water out of the lid when it gets in there–which it will, sooner or later. Terrible thought, Bodum. The pennies you save by eliminating the metal nut that allowed us to unscrew the lid liner will cost you customers when people realize they can no longer clean the lids properly.

8. Tony Says:
   November 28th, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Fantastic Coffee! Simple to Clean. Very Flexible.
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   I have had mine (4 Cup Version i.e. 16 oz) for a month now and really delight in it. I grind my own beans and for 16 oz I use 4 tablespoons. I let the water boil in the kettle, then take it off the heat for about a minute, then pour it into the coffee grounds and let it sit for exactly 4 minutes. The coffee really tastes fantastic, even lighter roasted beans, which often taste disappointing in my drip brewer.

   This is a very flexible product, allowing you to either add time for the brewing or add extra coffee to the mixture to get the taste right for you, regardless of whether the beans were light, medium or dark roasted. Once you get the right combination (which isn’t that hard) you will delight in your coffee even more with this product.

   Cleaning is simple. Just rinse out the containter in soapy water and run the filter under the faucet. I use a tooth brush for the hard to get at places but the whole procedure takes all of about 90 seconds.

   Some people on this sight have complained that the filter doesn’t go all the way to the bottom. It isn’t supposed to. The “Press” in French Press does not necessarily mean squeeze the grinds. It simply means that you press the plunger until it has went all the grinds to the bottom of the container. Once it has beed pushed down to its maximum you pour the coffee and delight in.

9. David Heafey Says:
   November 29th, 2009 at 12:00 am

   So THIS is what coffee is supposed to taste like…
   Rating:5 out of 5 stars
   WARNING: after using a French Press to make coffee, you will be spoiled rotten; coffee from a drip coffee maker will taste like crap.

   Before I get into my impressions of coffee from a French Press, here’s my morning coffee ritual:

   - measure out 12 ounces of water in a pyrex measuring cup, microwave for 3 minutes.
   
   - while water is heating, measure out 3 tablespoons of coffee beans. Grind coarsely.
   
   - place grinds in French Press and, when water is heated, add enough water to dampen grinds. Mix a bit and then tip the press, slowly adding remaining water down one side (dampening the grinds first helps prevent them from floating to the top and staying there).
   
   - place press cover on and wait 5 minutes (the toughest part!)
   
   - as in the instructions, push the press down, turn the lid to open and then pour into mug.
   
   - optional step if you like your coffee super hot: microwave for 30 seconds

   The formula in the Bodum material is 1 tablespoon of GROUND coffee per 4 ounces of water. I find that too strong, so I’ve settled on 1 tablespoon of beans per 4 ounces.

   The info in the product literature is right: you can literally taste the oils in the coffee resulting in an incredibly smooth, full taste. I found it to be such a drastic difference that it’s very hard for me to drink a cup of coffee from our drip coffee maker.

   This is not, in my opinion, a tool solely for the coffee snob. I really look forward to my morning coffee ritual knowing full well what’s at the end.

10. M. Tron Says:
    December 1st, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Best way to make coffee…
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    This coffee press makes tasty, rich coffee. The press makes coffee with more sediment than a drip/filter coffee maker. Make sure that’s what you like before you buy a press. The press has more clean-up than a drip machine, but I reckon the press makes better coffee especially when making only 1 or 2 cups. After preparing my coffee with the press, I do find that I have to warm it up again because it cooled during steeping.

    It’s vital to note that the 3-cup coffee maker really makes a large (12 oz) cup of coffee. Bodum considers 4 oz to be a cup. The three-cup press is best for a person who makes one cup as a time.

    The coffee press is well-made and sturdy with the exception of the glass, which is thin and prone to breaking. I don’t reckon this should be a deal-breaker. One just has to be careful.

11. City Girl Says:
    December 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Fantastic coffee
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    Simple to make one to two cups of tasty coffee. Only problem is with clean-up; simple if you don’t mind rinsing grinds down the drain but if you want to throw grinds in garbage, they are kind of wet.

12. Carolyn Rampone Says:
    December 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Best Coffee
    Rating:4 out of 5 stars
    To me, the coffee made with a French Press is the best. If you want a smooth, rich cup, this is really the only way. Pay attention to the description though, it’s 8 4 ounce cups, not the typical 8ounce “cup” you are used to. If you drink from a huge mug, you might get two out of it. Spend a few dollars more and get the larger model, it is well worth it.

13. Starry Eyes Says:
    December 4th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, people.
    Rating:4 out of 5 stars
    People amaze me. SO many of the negative reviews of this product have to do with confusion over the serving size and have nothing to do with the quality of the coffee. If you read the instructions or do a small research before choosing what size to buy, you will clearly see that in “coffee” terms, a “cup” is considered 4 oz, not 8 oz. So if you need a larger size, buy a larger size. Don’t blame the coffee maker because you can’t do math. Also, don’t give a glass item a negative review because you dropped it and broke it. You knew it was glass when you bought it–just be careful.

    Now that that’s out of the way, let’s really address the coffee. The Bodum makes a fantastic, robust, full bodied cup of coffee. Pansies need not apply. Aside from a $600 espresso maker, for the right coffee lover, this is probably the best at-home coffee experience you can get. Before you choose on using a French press–any French press, you should realize that there are benefits and drawbacks–just as there are to any method of brewing. Yes, you will have some sludge in your cup. It’s unavoidable. If that offends your delicate sensibilities, perhaps the French press is not for you. But, if you are looking for a REAL cup of coffee–bold, strong, flavorful–this is probably the best method of brewing. The press method of making coffee is all about freshness and flavor. Coffee beans have natural oils that contain a lot of the flavor. Paper filters in drip coffee makers take away this flavorful component, but give you have a cleaner cup of coffee. You have to choose which is more vital to you. If you want to TASTE your coffee, give the Bodum French press a try. It’s definately a small more work to heat your water separately and brew this way, especially if you are grinding fresh when you drink, but the the extra flavor is well worth the effort in my opinion.

    Also, don’t overlook the importance of the beans. If you don’t have fresh, excellent quality beans it doesn’t really matter what brewing method you use. For the best overall experience, I recommend fresh beans that you grind at home with a conical burr grinder on COARSE setting, and brew immediately in the bodum in the appropriate size of your choice. And READ THE INSTRUCTIONS of how much coffee to use. It’s not a mystery, people. Use one scoop (included) for each 4 oz of water. Measure your water in ounces before heating to make sure you have the right proportions.

    As a note, I bought the 8-cup model that is sold with a warming “coat” included, which is a fantastic addition. The coffee tends to cool down very quickly since the glass is thin and there is no built-in heating element or insulation. The box I bought advertised that the coat is apparently free, so if you can find it for the same price with the warming coat included, I would highly recommend it.

14. A. Lidaka Says:
    December 6th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Fantastic press!
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    I’ve owned two Bodum presses and have loved them both. No problems with either.

    The first coffee press I owned was an 8-cup one, which made too much coffee if I filled it. I chose the 4-cup model more recently and find that it’s a small too small.

15. Robert W. Freeman Says:
    December 6th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Awesome
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    It takes more time to use than just throwing coffee into the coffeemaker, but it’s worth it when you really want a excellent cup of joe.
    
    My wife thinks the container is for flowers, but that’s life.
    
    Pros: Fantastic! cup of coffee.
    
    Cons: Not fantastic when you’re in a rush.

16. Grand Shopper Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Plastic on the lid
    Rating:3 out of 5 stars
    I own a stainless steel French Press by Frieling. It leaves a few grounds in the cup each time so I thought I’d try the 8-glass Bodum. The Bodum lid has a plastic piece through which the coffee pours each and every time. So, while the Bodum doesn’t leave grounds in the cup (only the annoying sludge), I’m returning it because of the plastic. Hot water and plastic do not go together. Plus, a previous reviewer mentioned that the Bodum plunger doesn’t go all the way to the bottom. It should; but it doesn’t.

17. A. Lim Says:
    December 7th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Brilliant coffee every time!
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    Brilliant french press, well built. Produces an brilliant cup of coffee every time. This is my ideal coffee press.

18. Craig Robart Says:
    December 9th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Does the job for 2 and looks stylish too.
    Rating:4 out of 5 stars
    Such a simple device, not much to say except that the parts are of high quality, holding up well, and look fantastic on the counter. Only downside is that if you need more than 2 large cups of FANTASTIC coffee, then you have to repeat the process. But hey, if you NEED NEED NEED more than 2 cups of caffeine, you need a different drug, LOL!!!

    Since we were new to this new way of coffee-making we also bought the Bodum grinder AND Electric Tea Kettle (Bodum makes high quality stuff) I reviewed below:

    Now that I’ve had a few weeks to try this out, I LIKE IT! After hours of reading reviews on grinders, and wanting to stay under $100, I bought this one to use with the Bodum Chambord French Press and it works flawlessly. We have to use the lowest setting for coarse ground and it seems to do the job perfectly for French Press style. There is a time-to-grind knob (up to 40 seconds for the quantity you want to grind) that you just set and leave it once you know how much you need every morning. For 4 cups of coffee, our knob is set for around 15 seconds. Wake up, press the red button, remove the cup of fresh grounds, pour into the French Press, add the near-boiling water (from our Bodum Electric Tea Kettle) and Voila! (The only bitch is cleaning out the French Press unit).

19. Peggy McGuire Says:
    December 10th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Coffee press review
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    I broke my Daughters’ press, so I sent for the Bodum Chambord 4-cup Coffee Press. It was delivered very quickly, and the price was reasonable. My Daughter was pleased with it. Thank you

20. Felidae Says:
    December 11th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    ugh – plunger stops too far away from the bottom
    Rating:1 out of 5 stars
    I had a french press before that I loved to use when I traveled. It broke, and I got this one. Well, some bozo chose that french presses shouldn’t go to the bottom because someone might push too hard and break the glass, so they all seemed to be designed now to stop way before the bottom. The result is that you can’t really press the grinds, and when you pour, a lot of the liquid remains with the grounds at the bottom. You have to hope it “drains” eventually out if you hold it upside down. It doesn’t taste as excellent either.

    Ugh. Reckon I will look for another brand where the French Press can really do what the name promises. Press the coffee.

21. Jingshu Xue Says:
    December 12th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    I didn’t get to use the product, because when it arrived broken.
    Rating:3 out of 5 stars
    I was told the Bodum is a premium brand for manufacturing coffee presses. I placed an order for a 3-cup french press as a gift for two friends. They are a married couple and tired of drinking commercial instant coffee. The photo presented on Amazon looked like a 3-cup one is huge enough for two people to use at the same time. Thus I recommended and bought a 3-cup coffee press for them.

    But, after the deliver guy left, I opened the package box to find the glass of the press already broken. And the size looks kind of small for two people, especially when I am going to give it as a gift. So I returned the 3-cup press and ordered a 4-cup one from Amazon. The money was returned to my account promptly. I was impressed by how convenient and efficient to return a product on Amazon. My friends like the 4-cup french press very much and are using it frequently.

22. Patricia Lanham Says:
    December 13th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Wonderful coffee!
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    We gave this Coffee Press to our daughter and son-in-law as a housewarming present for their new mountain house, along with a coffee grinder. They were so thrilled and reckon it is the best coffee ever! They just like it.

23. T.R. Says:
    December 13th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Fantastic press
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    We bought the 4 cup press, perfect for a huge iced coffee or two in the morning. Design is well engineered.
    
    I want to point out that this is made in Portugal and not some communist Asian country.

    The only design flaw is that coffee grounds get lodged in-between the steel mesh and plunger plate after use. It helps to have a faucet in the kitchen that sprays like a shower head to help get those grounds out of there. This isn’t a deal breaker by any means, just don’t forget to clean this area.

24. Stanley H. Cohen Says:
    December 15th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Bodum Press
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    Works fantastic. I suggest transferring the coffee to a thermos jug to keep it warm.

25. Tim Kneeland Says:
    December 15th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Best Coffee I Ever Made
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    Very pleased with this item. The coffee I make with this is brilliant. Only wish they had one twice its size. Certainly recommend purchasing.

26. M. Johnson Says:
    December 16th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Simple, yet elegant
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    I got the 4-cup model. It makes 1 “huge cup” of coffee, with a small room for cream, if I’m in the mood. (my huge 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 buy a larger model at some point, for entertaining guests.

    Pros
    
    -Makes fantastic coffee, if you follow some simple rules: coarse grind (reduce sediment), don’t use too small 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 terrible)
    
    -Simple to use, simple to clean. Everything comes apart with small 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 makes micro-breaks in the glass), or possibly cleaning with cold water too soon after having the hot coffee in the press. (which is also terrible 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 ancient. (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 terrible 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 excellent as my own press.

    Fantastic press!
    
    Side Note: I have heard that the Aero-press makes a fantastic 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.

27. Walter Nagy Says:
    December 18th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    works fantastic
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    High quality construction, works fantastic and make two full mugs of coffee at a time.

    Looks nice enough to always keep on the counter.
    

28. H. Justice Says:
    December 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Makes very excellent coffee
    Rating:3 out of 5 stars
    This is the second coffee press I have bought. The first one had a plastic filter that kept breaking after a few weeks use; even when it was carefully used.

    The Bodum is certainly made to last but I don’t like the metal legs/handle attachment so I finished up using the carafe from my ancient broken coffee press that has an easily removed rubber bottom for better cleaning. The Bodum filter is rugged but not as excellent at keeping all the grounds where they belong in the bottom of the carafe as the plastic filter with the rubber seal that breaks easily.

29. M. Smith Says:
    December 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Coffee at work doesn’t get better than this
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    I had to add to the clamour about this french press, since it’s transformed my mornings at work. I use an espresso maker at home on weekends, but rarely have time to make a cup before work. Like most offices, ours has dreadful lukewarm “coffee,” so the only solution is $4 from the shop down the street. No more! Combined with my Aroma 1.5L electric kettle, I now have a huge mug of incredible coffee in about 8 minutes (mostly spent doing other things while the water heats and the coffee steeps). I like that the glass is wrapped in metal for added protection, and the stay-cool handle is comfortable for pouring. It cleans up very quickly, too. I figure that this press will pay for itself in just a couple of weeks, since I won’t be buying $4 coffee any more.

30. Chris Hall Says:
    December 19th, 2009 at 12:00 am

    Best coffee I’ve ever made
    Rating:4 out of 5 stars
    This was my first experience with a coffee press. After reading reviews up here I bought this Bodum Chambord 3-cup model at a local home goods store. One note to keep in mind: By “3 cups” they mean 4 oz per cup, or 12 oz total. I knew this going in as I wanted something where I could make a single cup honestly quickly, rather than using my 12-cup Cuisinart coffee maker.

    Anyway, here’s my list of positives and negatives on this model:

    Positives:
    
    - Best coffee I’ve ever made. I had always received compliments with the Cuisinart, which made very hot and excellent cup of coffee. But my first experience with a press has really made me a believer in this method. It just makes a very rich, smooth cup of coffee that I could not achieve with the Cuisinart.
    
    - Perfect size for one cup (American-sized).
    
    - Actual press component works well; not a lot of grounds/coffee sludge passes the screen.
    
    - Looks excellent

    Negatives:
    
    - The glass in the carafe is quite thin. Honestly it’s only a matter of time before this thing breaks. Even in the instructions they say to use a plastic spoon to stir the coffee “so as not to chip or break the glass” (paraphrase). I’m really surprised they didn’t use a thicker grade of glass.
    
    - Cleaning can be a bit cumbersome as the carafe is honestly narrow. Obviously you don’t want these course grinds going down the sink so you have to dump into the trash. Once you’re ready to clean of course all the grounds are pressed down onto the bottom. A female with small hands may be able to delicately reach in there and wipe clean with a paper towel. My method is to use the plastic spoon to scoop out what I can into the trash, then with a paper towel try to squeeze a couple of fingers in there to wipe out the residual. I still end up having to slosh with some water to get it all, and inevitably a small % of grounds goes into the sink.

    In summary, if the glass of the carafe was higher grade I’d give the unit 5 stars; it’s really do terrible that Bodum when cheap here. But it really does make an outstanding cup of coffee, and it’s very simple to use. I don’t have any regrets purchasing as I didn’t want to plunk down a lot of money for my first press before knowing if I would like it. Now that I know that I do, I will likely buy a larger 8-cup unit, perhaps steel or at least one that is wider and allows for simpler cleaning.

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