So you thought that you’d change something in your life today and wanted to improve yourself?

Ahh, the only reasonable conclusion of self improvement pointed you in the direction of pressing your own coffee!

Well let me tell you a little about the Chambord 8 Cup Coffee Press, made by Bodum.

Once, several months ago, my Mother-In-Law and I were talking about coffee. Nothing new there, we usually chart the unknown territories of coffee land. But she must have decided to give me a coffee press for Christmas back then, or at least subconsciously. I received this as a Christmas present from her.

What it is.
The Chambord 8 Cup Coffee Press is a 34 oz capacity pot that has a metal support on the outside and a metal cap with a push rod that runs through the center of it. In the box you will find the coffee pot which is tankard shaped and made of Borosilicate Glass with a stainless steel framework around it for support and eye appeal. There is also an assembly that is a rod which passes through a hole in the top of the removable top which provides a means for applying thrust to the pressing assembly at the bottom of the rod. The assembly at the bottom of the rod is comprised of a stainless steel support, a fine wire mesh middle, and a top piece which has holes in it and a spring around the edges to help keep pressure against the sides of the pot as you press the grounds down through the liquid.

How used.
To use it you put your coffee in the bottom of the glass pot and then add hot water. **Do NOT use boiling water!** The directions refer to the notion that boiling water introduced into the pot could be catastrophic. I can see how this could be the case as the glass could shatter on you and that makes for a bad cup of coffee folks.

Then you take a wooden or plastic stirring implement and stir your ground coffee and hot water until you are satisfied that they are perfectly blended. (I’m laughing because even though this is a ridiculously SIMPLE concept, I can help but think that everyone would take great pride in the method that they would employ here.)

Here’s the complicated part. Now you have to let it sit for at least 4 minutes. Difficult I know when your eyes won’t open up beyond imperceptible slits as you beckon wakefulness to take hold of you.

Now you take the plunger, that you have previously assembled and attach it to the top of the pot. Don’t worry, they make this super simple also so there is not much stress involved. Then you SLOWLY push down on the plunger with just the weight of your hand. The plunger is designed to travel the length of the coffee pot from top to bottom and push the grounds down, down, down, through the now steeped coffee liquid until it is pinned down to the bottom of the pot like a newly debuted wrestler on the WWF circuit.

Now slowly pour the fresh and wholesome beverage into your own personalized mug and enjoy.

My opinion.
Ok, I’ve had lots of different coffees. And though I’m not a world traveler by any means, I’ve been exposed to several different ethnic groups that all have their favorite coffee blends and methods for preparing them.

I would rate the coffee that has come out of my Bodum Chambord as high, if not higher, than any of those cups of coffee that I have previously tried. What the heck, I’ll rate it higher because you know what? You can use ANY blend to make your favorite coffee with this thing; just change the coffee, how it’s ground, add liqueurs, spices, or drink it straight up. Your imagination is the limit.

The kind of coffee brew that you get out of this thing must be due to the fact that the bean is not scalded. It’s rich and dark, but not acidic and harsh. I find that a lot of the finer coffees that are made with a drip coffee maker can be harsh. The coffee that this produces also has some of the coffee bean oils still in it, which is a pleasure to my taste buds. American automatic drip coffee makers remove most of the coffee bean oils with the paper filter. You will also discover that there are going to be some particulates in your drink when you use the coffee press. This is normal, and produces a body that is hard to duplicate without a press.

Overall, I would have to rate the Chambord 8 Cup Coffee Press a 9 out of 10, and a “must have” in the kitchen for any connoisseur of coffee.

You won’t get the typical 8 cups of coffee out of this device that would fill your average coffee cup. Actually you’ll only get a maximum of 4.25 oz per 1/8th capacity which is a joke in my book. When is the last time you were served a 4.25 oz cup of coffee? But I do get at least three nice cups of coffee out of the pot when I fill it all the way up with 34oz of water. So plan preparation accordingly.


Recommended: Yes