Bodum French Press Coffee Maker

by Mary
(California USA)

My Bodum French Press Coffee Maker is simple and low-tech, but it's the best I've ever used. I have had it for five or six years, and it makes perfect coffee each and every time.

I was visiting a friend and she had a Bodum French Press. She made me a cup of coffee and I couldn't believe how good it was. My old coffee maker was on its last legs, so I decided to purchase a Bodum for myself.

I think the model I have is the Bodum Chambord coffee maker.The Bodum is capable of making about six small cups of coffee, or three large mugs. It's the perfect coffee maker for a single person or couple. All you have to do is put the coffee in the bottom of the carafe and cover it with boiling water. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes (depending on how strong you like it) and insert the press.

No filters needed....just press and pour. There are no parts to break down or wear out. A Bodum could literally last you a lifetime! All you need to do is wash it and it's ready to go again. The handle and press lid are made of high-quality plastic. The metal parts stay shiny and still look new, after daily use for over five years.

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I use a Bodum French press coffee maker. As someone who doesn’t drink coffee every day, this coffee maker is perfect for me. It’s capable of making about 4 large cups of coffee, but I usually only need to make a cup or two at a time.

It was fairly inexpensive and, although I am not a coffee snob, the coffee seems richer in taste than the coffee made in my previous coffee maker, a small 4-cup drip model.

To make coffee in my French press, I add hot water (heated in a kettle on the stove) to ground coffee in the glass container of the French press. I cover it with the lid and let it brew for about 4 minutes, then I press the strainer through the coffee and pour it.

This method keeps more of the oils of the ground coffee beans in the coffee, making a richer, more robust flavoured drink. It might be a little more work than the standard drip machine, but again, I don’t mind since I don’t drink a lot of coffee.

Cleaning it is not too difficult either. The glass container can be washed easily or it can be removed from the holder and can go in the dishwasher.

It took me a while to figure out how to clean the strainer, which is a metal mesh piece attached to a flat piece of metal, where coffee grounds like to hide in between. I just couldn’t get it clean until I realized they both unscrewed from the plunger. Now I have no trouble cleaning the whole thing.

For someone who is dedicated to drinking good coffee and doesn’t mind a little extra effort, or for someone—like me—who doesn’t drink coffee often, but wants it to be good when they do, a French press is a great coffee maker.

I have had many automatic coffee makers: Sunbeam, Mr. Coffee, Black & Decker, and at least several more. None of them can touch my Bodum French Press. I'm a Bodumite for the rest of my life!