Bodum CHAMBORD French Press Coffee Maker, 3 Cup, 0.35lt, Copper, 0.35 l

I have been using mine since June and I am very happy with it. Bodum advise using wood or plastic spoons rather than metal which can scratch or chip the glass causing it to crack the thin heat resistant glass when you pour the very hot, but not boiling water in. The glass beaker has the following warnings printed on it: read instructions before use, not for stove top use, children and hot fluids should be kept apart, hot fluids must be handled with care, always use coarse ground coffee, always stir before pressing down, using a plastic or wooden spoon not metal, before pressing down ensure that safety lid is in the correct position, press down very gently. Their instructions list spare parts with part numbers for their 3,4,6,8 and 12 cup models. The top is shiny chrome matching the metal frame. It incorporates a filter which allows the coffee through while allowing the top to grip the glass preventing it from falling out when you pour the coffee out. A good idea. They recommend using coarse ground coffee to avoid letting the grounds out into the cup. Getting the right size maker is not too easy. Coffee measures are given in cups, fluid ounces, ml, dl and litres, but not mugs. A standard cup is 125 ml. So 3 cup = 375 ml, 4 cup = 500 ml, 6 cup = 750 ml, 8 cup = 1 litre, 12 cup = 1.5 litre. I drink my coffee in mugs. A standard mug is 275 ml. (3 cup) and the large mug that I use is 450 ml. So I needed the 4 cup model. The recommended ratio is half to 1 rounded tablespoon of coffee per cup. I use Lavazza Oro 100% Arabica coffee, a timer set to 4 minutes and the Kitchen Craft Stainless steel coffee 15 ml (1 tablespoon) measuring spoon from Amazon. Don't be tempted to make do with an ordinary spoon to measure out the coffee. The larger surface area of a conventional tablespoon means that when heaped you will have 22 g of coffee, but when level you will have just 5 g. This is a huge variation and you will not get a consistent strength. Using a proper hemispherical spoon designed for powders such as coffee will give you 8 g of coffee when level and 11 g when heaped. This is much less variation, which will give you a much more consistent strength.Leave boiling water to stand for 2 minutes to prevent scalding the coffee which spoils the flavour. I pour the boiling water into my mug first, then onto one heaped spoon of coffee. This procedure gives me the correct amount of water, warms the mug, and takes the water down from boiling, helping the flavour and not stressing the glass so much. With just one fully heaped measuring spoon of coffee per large mug I get nice strong consistent coffee. I thought I had cracked the glass beaker on mine by not heeding the instructions about metal spoons and using water that had not been allowed to cool for long enough. Several on-line retailers provide spare beakers. The cheapest I found was from John Lewis for £8 plus £2 delivery. Their 5 cup 600 ml beaker fits perfectly. Happiness.

Classic quality cafetière. Bodum the original and still the best. Bought the top of the range at a sale price. Works perfectly and with the Blue Mountain coffee I bought with it. It produces beautiful coffee when you want a change from espresso, cappuccino or lattes 😉

This cafetière is a classic shape, but has had a slight upgrade from the original design, as the lid part now has an “emergency” filter and (if you rotate the lid 180 degrees from that) a small tab which completely closes off the spout. This extension does slightly slow the rate of cooling, so is a good idea. The only downside to the addition is that the filter now has its highest point about one inch lower than before. If you need to really fill your cafetière as much as possible (to the bottom of the spout) the plunger now rests below that level, and putting it in without thinking about it can result in boiling hot coffee grounds being squirted out of the spout.The glass remains the standard shape which means that in the event of you breaking it, spares are readily available, and replacing the glass is very easy, even for people with dexterity problems. Buying in replacement parts is better for the environment, and the broken glass can be put in the “glass and metal recycling” bin in most areas. It's also easier on the wallet.Construction quality remains good. The mesh of the filter on the one I bought does seem to stick out more than I remember my older set's filter doing. However, I'm sure that it will bed in and work as well as those on my older units. Over all, I recommend this product to anyone who needs a large cafetière at a good price.

This is a cute, stylish-looking coffee maker that is very practical and makes good coffee.I purchased a 0.35 l (12 oz) or three-cup version of this coffee maker in copper to use as my personal coffee maker at work. It makes three cups, what this means is that there is enough volume to make three espresso-sized cups, or about 1 mug of coffee. You can vary the strength of the coffee, so you can make coffee for one, two or even three people. The glass beaker inside is removable, allowing for easier cleaning and replacing if you break it. It works like a normal French press: a three-part mesh filter is attached to a plunger, which is then is pushed down, separating your coffee grounds from the water. There is a nice sturdy black handle to carry it around. The top lid rotates, which allows you to either pour water from the spout through a little filter, or to close off the flow of water to the spout.Pros:- The colour is very attractive. It’s a nice, shiny copper that borders on rose gold and which attracted positive comments from my colleagues- The Bodum brand is famous for French presses- Small and compact - perfect for coffee for one, but also you can share with two or three people if you like (and you are all happy with tiny coffees)- Easy to clean - thanks to removable parts- Brews excellent coffee. Even my Italian colleagues agree with this, so it must be good.- Sturdy- Smooth plunging mechanismCons:- The metal parts supporting the beaker are a bit wonky, so the beaker leans to one side a little.- When removing the beaker, the metal parts feel a bit thin and fragile- The turning mechanism of the lid was confusing at first, so I found the coffee difficult to pour. It turns out that you have to turn the lid around every time so that the correct part is over the spout. Otherwise, it will block the flow of coffee out of the beaker- The ‘Bodum’ sticker was difficult to remove, although once I did, it was fine and left no marksComparing the pros and cons:Overall, this coffee maker is a great all-rounder because it makes good coffee easily and quickly, looks good, and is sturdy and compact. The cons are small compared to the pros.Target audience:This coffee maker would suit those who want a portable and compact coffee maker, to use either for themselves or to share with people who enjoy espresso. It would work well for anyone living in a small space such as students, or for keeping on an office desk. As it’s quite stylish, it would suit someone who cares about things looking shiny, cute and well-made (at least if you don’t look too closely!). It would not work well for people who want to share large coffees with others.Value for money:I bought this for £22 on Amazon. I think it was decent value for money. Whittards sell a very similar one for £20, which is a bit more gold-looking. Bodum specialises in French presses though, while Whittards specialty has historically been predominantly tea, not equipment, so you may be paying for Bodum’s reputation a bit there.Overall:I have not experienced any problems with this product. The only reason I have knocked off a star is because it is slightly wonky and, for the money and the reputation of the brand, you might expect more. For general office and everyday use it has held up very well, I have used it on a daily basis for a few months now with no problems whatsoever.