Several months ago I received as a gift an 8-cup Bodum French Press. Silly me.....I let it sit on the shelf without giving it a try. I finally tried it, and wow! it makes fabulous coffee, and it's so easy to do.

~ Product Description

The Bodum 8-cup French Press is elegant to look at; it is basically a glass container fitted inside a metal holder with a handle. The glass container comes out of the metal holder for cleaning. The stainless steel (looks like to me anyway) top has a plunger attached to a filter mechanism, which you press down after steeping to filter out the coffee grounds.

The metal holder is designed with four little "feet" so that the glass container does not touch the surface or counter while hot. Very nice design. The black handle is very large and comfortable to hold while pouring. This awesome coffee maker looks beautiful sitting out on my counter when not in use.

~ So How do You Make Coffee in This?

First put some water on to boil, as you need boiling water to steep the coffee. Remove the lid and filter mechanism from the French Press - it just pulls out easily. You need to use coarse ground coffee in a French press - this is very important. Figure maybe around 1 tablespoon per cup of coffee, but I had some trial and error before I found the perfect measurement for my tastes. Place your coarse ground coffee right into the glass container, and add boiling water. Place the lid back on the French press, but do NOT press down yet. Just put the lid on the hold in the heat while the coffee steeps. I'm still practicing with the time for steeping, but about 5 minutes seems good for me. If you like your coffee stronger, let it steep longer.

After steeping, slowly...slowly...press down on the plunger to filter the grounds. Pour and enjoy!

One thing I learned, make sure the lid has the slots for pouring centered over the spout, or it won't pour well at all.

~ Cleaning

I do not believe this is dishwasher safe, however I'm not entirely sure as I no longer have the instructions. I've been washing it by hand, but it's so easy to do. All the parts rinse and wash easily, and I don't find it to be a chore. You do need to dump out the grounds in the bottom of the container, of course.

~ Final Thoughts

The Bodum 8-cup French Press makes fabulous coffee - rich and full bodied, and much better tasting than my automatic drip maker. I was reluctant to try it at first, because it seemed hard to use, but that is not the case. It's very easy to do, and the wonderful coffee it creates is worth any perceived extra effort. Clean up is a snap. I'm hooked!




Recommended: Yes