51 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!

We've used French Press coffee pots for years - the glass ones with plastic lids. I kept breaking the glass beaker. And, I love my coffee extremely hot, which resulted in a lot of needlessly thrown away coffee that was lukewarm. And along came this new stainless steel themal 12-cup (well, it's more like 6 cups for us, as we use big mugs) coffee press . . . well, I am a picky person, when it comes to preparing and drinking coffee, and I absolutely adore this thing! I love the fact that it goes into the dishwasher with no worries about breakage. I love that it keeps your coffee warm for a pretty darn long time (even hot enough for me!). I love how it looks, how it cleans up, how the plunger goes down smoothly and rarely leaves coffee grains in your cup. If I've got to find something to complain about, I will mention two things - but they hardly count because once you're aware of them, it's not a big deal to avoid their effects: 1. it's a good idea to make sure the arrow on the lid is pointing away from the pouring spout when the pot is sitting, as this keeps the heat in better; but do remember to turn the lid so the arrow is pointing at the pouring spout before trying to pour, or it will eventually backpour down the side of the pot. (but it's pretty easy to train yourself to do this) and 2. the lid gets pretty hot, so watch those tender fingers while turning the lid. I use the fingers with guitar calluses on them to do this, but you can always use a potholder or just do it real quick. I haven't found it to be so hot that it actually injures ya' anyway. OK, anyway. Love it; love it; love it. I do not regret spending the money. We've had this about a month now.

Start with good beans and grind your own if you can. I haven't gone as far to roast my own, but I'm good for the moment. What I like about this french press is that it is unlikely to end up in broken glass anywhere. The plunger fits nicely, the outside shape is pleasing (note it is cylindrical inside so the pot looks far bigger than its actual capacity) and if you follow the directions, you get excellent coffee. I actually like the pinch of sediment - it gives some body to the coffee near the end. You can always leave the last sip. My perfect method, you can develop your own. 1) Get your coarse grind ready. The filter is fine enough to work with standard grinds too (not too fine or espresso) 2) Heat water to a rolling boil - Emsa perfect beaker in the microwave or a kettle, either way. Good bottled or filtered water. 3) As soon as the water's boiling, take the beaker or kettle off the heat, then open the pot, drop in the coffee. By now the 212 deg F water has cooled to below 205 (190-205 is about perfect, I believe) 4) Pour in the water, cover with the plunger extended all the way up and set your timer. 5) Right before the fourth minute, slowly push the plunger down. It will meet reistance at the surface of the coffee, so gently push it all the way down. I like to serve the coffee right away. I can't see it remaining hot for the claimed two hours, but I also worry about bitters from the grounds seeping into the coffee over time. When poured right away, the coffee is smooth enough to drink black even if you're a latte-with-sugar drinker. Few drip machines can measure up to this because you're in control of the water temperature, the brew time, and the separation from the grinds. It cleans easily - you could simply rinse off and be OK. I drop in hot water, a spot of dish soap and run the plunger down, rinse and dry. There are no grooves and crannies where coffee or soap can get stuck everything's smooth - like the coffee. No worries about breaking thin glass either.

I've long preferred the taste of French press coffee to that produced by drip machines. Although I've had a Bodum Chambord press at home for over a decade, two problems limited my use of the press: 1) If more than one mug of coffee is made, the coffee cools down very quickly through the glass walls of the Chambord; 2) I have broken three Chambord FRAMES (plastic) yet the glass beaker survived...pointing to a weakness in the plastic frame. Maybe expansion of the glass when filled with hot water--or in the dishwasher-- stretched the plastic. I bought the Chambord from Starbucks back when they made colored plastic frames. Bodum replaced the frame once. I now have a complete but unsafe Chambord (with cracked frame AGAIN) and a spare beaker from an earlier plastic Chambord, which was a gift (that makes three cracked plastic frames in all, and no broken beakers). Two years ago, I gave a steel Friesling press to friends who own a boat and whose owner is a daily coffee drinker. They were pleased with it. At the time, the thermal properties were less important than having it be unbreakable for marine use. My year old Bosch drip machine is flimsy, makes so-so coffee, and takes up a lot of space on the counter. Setting it up and cleaning it after use takes as much time as using a French press. Browsing through Amazon for a sturdier Chambord with a metal frame, I ran across the Columbia by Bodum. I don't know when it was introduced, but I don't remember it being an option when I bought the Friesling two years ago. I was attracted to the unbreakable steel design, the modest price ($40, not much more than a Chambord of similar size), and the potential to keep coffee warm, though earlier reviewers warned that it doesn't function like a true thermos. That said, it makes delicious coffee. I preheat the container with hot water, which helps retain heat. The Columbia will keep unused coffee drinkably hot for an hour, and warm for about two hours. The top is not insulated, it is only single wall plastic, so one should not think of this as an insulated double wall steel thermos with a French press inside. The plastic chrome top is subject to fingerprint smudging, far more so than the steel container itself. Because the top is of lower quality than the body of the press, I gave it only four stars. All parts are dishwasher safe. Like all French press devices, the coffee uses should be of a coarse grind. Using fine drip ground coffee will result in clogging of the filter, or the filter will not sequester all of the grounds below the coffee when you press the ground to the bottom. Buy a grinder, or use a grinder at the store to grind your whole beans, using the coarse setting. Many of the burr grinders for home use have a dial to adjust the coarseness. If you use a blade grinder, achieving a uniform coarse grind is more difficult and is somewhat of an art; these grinders are better for producing a fine drip grind. I use a an electric Bodum Ibis kettle which boils water in a few minutes. Preparation is the same as for any French press device: pour hot water over coarsely ground coffee, stir with non-metallic utensil, cover, wait five minutes, press grounds to bottom and pour out the coffee. If you want a French press device that can keep your coffee hot for hours, buy this product and pour the coffee into a double wall thermos as soon as the coffee is ready. Or, if you only need the coffee hot for an hour or two, use this device without a thermos. Pro's: beautiful, unbreakable design; makes delicious coffee; when filled to capacity, can make four big mugs or 5-6 small cups of coffee for a small crowd; all parts dishwasher safe; uses far less counter space than a drip machine. Con's: need to use thermos if you want coffee hot beyond 1-2 hours (but much better heat retention than a glass Bodum press); cheap-looking plastic cover whose chrome lid doesn't match the brushed steel and which is subject to fingerprints; you still need a big drip coffee maker or urn if you are serving a big crowd. With respect to the last "con", there are now two drip coffee makers sitting on racks in the garage, used only when there is a crowd. The rest of the time, a stylish steel press sits on the counter in the kitchen, occupying far less space than it's predecessor drip machine ever did. Since there are no plugs, the press can be moved around the kitchen if more counter room is needed for say a baking project. Much easier than unplugging a drip machine and moving it elsewhere without breaking the carafe. Bodum also makes a matching sugar-creamer set for those interested in a complete look.

well made and nice design!

My office has its own drip coffee maker, but the coffee tastes absolutely horrible. Everyone complains about it, but no one was doing anything about it. So I bought this huge insulated french press, and brought it into my office along with an electric kettle and a simple coffee grinder. This is a large french press, so it's perfect for a situation in which many people will be drinking coffee, or a situation in which a couple people will each be drinking a *lot* of coffee. The short of it: this little unit makes wonderful coffee. I have been using it twice a day for about 8 months, and it has never let me down. It keeps the coffee hot for about an hour (on average) and cleanup really isn't that hard. Details: I use about 3/4 cup of coarse-ground coffee for a full batch, and steep for 4 minutes 30 seconds. I could use a bit less and steep a bit longer (the directions advise a max of 6 minutes), but I don't want to risk overextracting from the coffee beans, which would make the coffee taste bitter. I boil the water first and let it cool for a minute or two while I'm preparing everything else. This avoids the awful taste of scalded coffee (which we are all familiar with from drip methods). Pre-warming the carafe by soaking it in hot tap water really extends the length of time the coffee stays hot, because the heat of the coffee isn't wasted on warming up the inside of the carafe. If I pre-warm the carafe and keep the lid closed (so that the mesh pour opening is aligned with the handle of the press and not the spout), the coffee easily stays hot for an hour, sometimes two, depending on how full the carafe is. A full carafe will stay hot longer than a carafe with only a few cups left in it. There is always a little sediment at the bottom of each cup of coffee. You can't avoid this (no grinder is perfect), and since this sediment provides much of the flavor of the coffee, would you really want to? Cleanup: People complain about cleaning french presses, but it's really not that hard. Here's what I do: Rinse off the plunger and lid; Dump the used coffee grounds in the trash; Rinse out the carafe; Wipe fine coffee dust off the plunger and carafe with a wet paper towel; Rinse once more (no soap). Then I make sure to dry the outside of the carafe very well, just to avoid water spots. I let the filter and the inside of the carafe air dry. Once a month or so, I will take apart the filter (yes, you can do this, but it's well-designed so that you don't have to do it often) and thoroughly clean the whole unit. In my office, very few people use the old coffee maker anymore. When I decide to make coffee, a crowd forms around my desk! French presses, when used correctly, make truly fantastic coffee.

A very sturdy press that holds a lot of coffee, and keeps it warm

I was so excited to buy this because I’ve had many bodum presses in the past; all were great quality, and this one was on an amazing sale. Sale or not it was a waste of money. I was looking for a press to make large quantities and keep the temp longer. This press is just a fail though. It only stays warm for maybe 30 minutes which I guess is slightly better than glass but not much. The part that really upsets me though is that the press itself with the silicone seal around the edge is useless. No matter how much or little grounds or water, no matter if I’m make 1 cup or 4, no matter the grind of coffee bean the press does not stop the grounds. The issue is that it oozes around the silicone edge instead of actually forcing it through the metal press. So I spend 3x as long as a regular pot pressing this repeatedly for best results, but still have to wait another 3-5 minutes after pressing for the escaped grounds to settle on top the press. At which point I can ever so slowly begin to pour… at the end I still have to use a spoon to fish out grounds. I considered that maybe I got duped by Amazon and received a knock of, but nope… brand name is etched into the bottom as usual. I’m honestly so frustrated with my bodum press at this point I’m not sure I’ll ever buy another. This is a 60$ press that’s not worth 10 if it can’t stop the grounds. Also, since the grounds leak so much it becomes pertinent that you can see what’s happening in your press- there is no way to have visibility of your pressing while using this thermal model.