Bodum34 oz Columbia Thermal French Press Coffee Maker, Insulated Double Wall Stainless Steel, Chrome

Mmmmmh...Smooth & Rich java. I read all the reviews on the 8 & 12 cup stainless steel models, plus all the reviews on the glass model. I put "French Press Coffee Maker" on my Christmas list, and based upon my inability to choose between the 8 & 12 cup stainless presses, Santa brought me both. Unbeknownst to me, my daughter got me the glass version...so now I have all 3! Although I thought the stainless models would be preferable for both their insulating & unbreakable properties, now that I have all 3, the glass model is my favorite, because it's gorgeous! The chrome plated stainless steel housing is gleaming, the glass has a clarity and delicacy that is just stunning, and overall it's lighter weight, and just plain more comfortable, in my opinion, for the feminine hand. Plus, you can see how the coffee is brewing (color) during the 4 minute brew process. The downsides of course are 1) probable eventual breakage of the glass carafe, but they're readily available, and easily replaceable, and 2) that there's no insulation...but French Pressed coffee (or any for that matter) is best consumed as immediately as possible. I love the stainless models too, because (of course) they do keep the coffee very warm and*or borderline hot, depending upon your individual interpretation of those terms, for at least 30 minutes to an hour, they're virtually unbreakable, and they are also stunningly beautiful...very contemporary, and at the same time, timeless in design. All 3 models come with a measuring scoop (8 cup models take about 8 level scoops, and produce about 3 large mugs of coffee, or perhaps 4 more conservatively sized (smaller) cups. The 12 cup model is 50 percent larger, so figure approx. 5 or 6 cups with the larger stainless model (good for company where you want to serve more people at once). I also got a very inexpensive Procter Silex electric kettle to super heat the water superfast, it works great! Also, Santa brought me the matching sugar & creamer set. It etails for $20 for the set, go ahead & splurge...you'll own your French Press for perhaps a lifetime, and the sugar*creamer set makes for a stunning table display. It matches perfectly with both the stainless and the glass models. Tips...water is supposed to be "just off the boil", and I found the electric kettle just perfect. Secondly, this is hot stuff, keep away from children's reach! Thirdly, after emptying the grinds, a simple rinsing and soft cloth drying is all that's needed after use. Lastly, you do need fresh ground coffee. Trust me on this. When you see and taste that delicious, smooth, cup'o'joe with a very fine oil slick on top (fresh oils from the freshly ground beans!), you'll never be happy with canned, drip brewed, stale coffee again! I find the French Presses equal in ease of use to my old Drip coffee maker (which, incidentally, is in perfect working order, and is now in the garbage). I'll post this review on all items mentioned (8 & 12 cup Stainless Steel French Presses, Glass Carafe French Press *called the "Chambord", and the matching sugar*creamer set. Happy shopping!

I purchased a Thermos Nissan 34-Ounce Vacuum Insulated Stainless-Steel Gourmet Coffee Pot for work and liked it so much that I decided to give the Bodum pot a try. As far as making coffee, the two are equal in every way. Your choice should depend upon how you plan to use it and your aesthetics.The Nissan is a rugged-looking pot. It almost cries out "take me to work, take me camping, bang me up, and make me look well used." The instructions with the Bodum, on the other hand, recommend using a plastic spoon to stir the coffee so that you won't mar the surface. Though it's stainless, its finish is flawless. One looks and works great in my work environment, where things get banged up. I plan to take it camping too. The other looks great in my home. The first small edge the Bodum has is that the filter stopper has a rubber ring to make it more efficient in keeping the coffee in. The second small edge is that the Nissan has a little lip near the top of the interior. While it's easy to clean, coffee tends to sit in that lip and because the filter passes it by, that coffee ends up in your cup. (Use less water and the problem is solved.)While I like the coffee, I've never really liked my glass French presses. The coffee (or tea) gets too cold too quickly. (It's even too cold for my taste after the recommended 4 minute brew time.) In contrast, having an insulated pot is great. I mainly use the Nissan at work for making tea. I can make a pot of loose leaf and enjoy it over a couple hours. It's also great using the Bodum on weekends, when I want to savor a pot of French press with my morning paper.One design flaw that both share is that the lids are not insulated and neither can "stop off" the coffee. I think a little insulation would significantly extend the time that the coffee would stay hot. A little better sealing would make it easier to not spill coffee as I walk it down the long hall from my office bubbler to my desk.

I bought this for a camping trip but I wanted something attractive enough to keep in my dining room and use at home too. I didn’t want aeropress bc of the plastic or bialetti bc it looked too small for a few adults to get as much coffee as we wanted. This made enough for 3 adults to get 1.5-2 generous cups per pot (I didn’t want to rebrew in the same morning bc we had activities planned). It is cute enough to use for guests at home not like a sturdy but ugly Stanley. I did not use coarse ground coffee bc I figured some grounds would seep through anyway and they did. I just used regular ground coffee from ALDI, nothing fancy. It was perfect for what I wanted. Read the directions before use bc I did and I can see how easy it would be to scald yourself if you don’t. It keeps coffee very hot while we were having breakfast but it isn’t so insulated that leftover coffee was still hot when we left for a few hours and came back. I recommend it and am happy with the product.