Customer Reviews

Bodum 3001-581USA Santos 12-Cup Vacuum Brewer, Graphite Blue

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you like coffee, or if you LOVE coffee like I do, you are really missing out if you don't have one of these machines. Bodum has been known for its attention to brewing processes to make a great cup of coffee, but in the past the press versions they've come out with have been messy and labor intensive to eke out maybe two cups of coffee. If you drink more than two cups, this can be a frustrating process.

Not anymore.

This machine will let you have up to five BIG cups of coffee (12 regular cups) and the results are remarkable. First off, the machine offers the new vaccuum method of brewing. It's actually quite fascinating to even watch the brewing process. You put your coffee in the top funnel part and the water in the bottom carafe part. Turn it on and the funnel sucks the water up into its top, brews the coffee and then releases it back down into the carafe. It takes all of about five or six minutes to completely brew. And you can say goodbye to paper coffee filters forever.

I have not had the problem of it hissing up and bubbling over from the top part of the machine at all. My guess is that the person who did this filled the carafe part too full.

However they do it, the coffee you get from this machine has to be THE best cup of coffee I've ever tasted in my life.

And the machine itself is space conscious and elegant and well, just plain funky and cool.

Cleaning isn't a big deal, you just have to be conscientious about it. The carafe and the brewing funnel on top are made of a thick plastic, so they're never overly hot to touch. Once the coffee is brewed, I let the funnel sit for about 10 minutes, then I dump the coffee grounds in the garbage and wash out the funnel right away. The process takes all of 5 minutes, and is not difficult... think washing a glass, about the same level of difficulty.

And from what I've read for its use, the bottom carafe part just needs a quick rinse out with plain water after you've finished using it. No soap, nothing more complicated than running it under the tap and dumping it out.

Nothing could be simpler.

But the coffee you get cannot be compared to any other product out there.

I would highly recommend getting one of these devices. I've been overjoyed by the results.

I was just reviewing my account to see when I had ordered my Bodum. Turns out it has been a year and a half. The reason I looked was because I remembered reading the reviews when I ordered this coffee maker and the negative comments related to the longevity of this unit.

So what have I learned about this coffee maker after 1 & ½ years?

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First - it makes a really great cup of coffee. This should be clearly evident from the other reviews.

This is not a coffee maker for the quick cup-on-the-run person.

You will need a sink to wash out the coffee grounds. Dumping the grounds in the trash and adding new ones will not make a good cup of coffee.

It is kind of a pain to try and clean the kettle

Most importantly - immediately after brewing a pot of coffee - transfer the coffee to a carafe and turn off the hot plate

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I believe the reason that some people have had problems with this coffee makers longevity is due to water migration across a seal in the bottom of the kettle. The seal is between the hot plate and plastic bottom of the kettle. If you leave the coffee in the kettle with the warmer on and then lift the pot you will see there is water on the base. This water came from the inside of the kettle. The kettle base is clear and you can see all of the electric items in the base of the kettle. The water will damage the electrons given time. Therefore removing the coffee after brewing and not using it to keep the coffee warm will extend the life of the coffee maker. Simply transfer it to a vacuum carafe.

If you buy this coffee maker it is because you are looking for a great tasting cup of coffee. If you are that much of a coffee snob to go to this extra trouble, you already know that keeping coffee on a hot plate degrades the taste.

Bought 2 of these, one for a gift because we loved it. But we had to use it after the first pot's base stopped working. Used the second base with the first pot - the pot began leaking into it's base. Brought out the second pot - the base stopped timing the brew correctly, sometimes double boiled it, sometime never stopped boiling. The brew was really hot and the design did keep the coffee from getting bitter, but won't drop that kind of money every 6 months for a coffee pot.

I bought this item when it was sold at Starbucks. The coffee is okay, but the filter between the top and bottom is flimsy plastic and will tear after a couple of months. Starbucks provided replacements, but only after ruining several batches of coffee (the grounds at the top end up in the carafe at the bottom). Not easy to clean - the bottom pot is not submersible in water, and the neck is very narrow and hard to get a sponge into. I thought it was fun to look at, but when reality set in I stopped using it.

I bought this coffee maker for my husband for Christmas almost 2 years ago. He is quite a coffee connoisseur. We have been through many different coffee makers over the past few years but this one we have stuck with. It keeps the coffee piping hot even after sitting for a while. It makes an excellent cup of coffee (and it is fun to watch the water infuse with the ground coffee). And the reason I bought it in the first place is because it won many accolades and awards in the culinary field.

My only complaint is that the underneath of the pot has all of the wiring therefore cannot be submersed in water. You can only wash the inside thoroughly and must be careful about getting the exterior wet.

This product would be perfect if you could place the pot into the dishwasher.

In regards to the previous review about the filter, ours is almost 2 years old and still going strong. No problems at all.

If you want a great cup of coffee but don't mind hand washing the coffee pot, this is your coffee maker!

I give five stars for one reason: great coffee. You might be able to get better coffee out of a stovetop vacuum coffeemaker, but this maker is inexpensive for a vacuum coffeemaker and more convenient because it is electric. I have not had any problems with parts breaking down, and the brew beats the taste of drip coffee in a heartbeat. The taste even beats most of the local coffee shops in my area.

The only drawback is cleaning, which must be done by hand. You also have to be careful with the filter; the filter can come unscrewed, which breaks the vacuum and keeps brewing from occurring. This is remedied by tightening the filter after washing.

I also recommend grinding your own beans and using filtered water for the best flavor.

i am not really a daily coffee drinker, but my boyfriend had complained one too many times about having to leave the apartment for coffee on the weekends. his last coffee maker had not survived the last move and he just hadn't had the time to shop around for a new one. so, i bought him a coffee maker for his birthday. again, not being a heavy coffee drinker i had no idea where to start, but after a good bit of research i kept seeing the bodum name pop up - as well as the vacuum brewing concept. i watched the video, i read reviews from multiple sites and i decided that the santos (the clear version) would be the one i would get. (i got the bodum antigua grinder too - also great)

we opened it and used it immediately. it took a couple of tries to figure out how much coffee to use for our taste, but on the second pot he got it just right. again, i'm not really a coffee drinker, but i think that's because i had never had a good cup. this was great coffee. just the right temperature, not bitter, just right.

cleaning was just as easy. i didn't pull out the filter with the coffee grounds in it. just looking at the machine for a second will tell you that you're bound to flip something on you if you try it. just rinse the grounds out first - easy. rinse out the coffee grounds, pull out the filter, wash and dry. simple.

now we've only had this machine for a few weeks so i can't yet attest to its longevity, but so far it's just great. it's easy to start, fun to watch and simple to clean. very smart design, durable, looks great on the counter, and most important of all it makes the only cup of coffee that i've ever been able to really enjoy - without flavored syrups or sugar or milk.

this machine is definitely worth the money!

I have had no problems with the coffee maker, including the filter. I run the top portion and filter through the dishwasher and rinse the bottom out after every use (I got the orange so the color does not look bad with a little coffee stain). It is over a year old now.

The coffee is great - as the accompanying video explains, the lack of a paper filter allows more of the essential coffee oils to permeate the coffee. Everyone who visits is enthralled by the coffee brewing process and loves the taste. For better or worse, I drink more coffee than ever now!

I have had both the stove top and the electric Santos and the stove top wins hands down. I found with the electric model I cannot choose how long the water and coffee brews - it is all automated. With the stove top - I can let the water and coffee brew together a little longer and I've found that it makes for a more complex cup of coffee. I have had the stove top model for years and thought that the electric model would be a nice upgrade - WRONG! The coffee tasted and looked rather weak when compared to my stove top. I eventually just gave my electric model to my local thrift store!

I'm online to buy my fourth Bodum Electric Santos coffee maker. There is no coffee maker, anywhere, with a more attractive design. However, even if it was ugly, I'd still buy another. The taste of the coffee is perhaps equaled by some commercial equipment such as that which Starbucks uses. However their product seems to vary and coffee from the Santos is great every time. Since I also like tea and the taste of tea is even more variable than coffee, I tried buying a new Santos for tea brewing only, even though neither Bodum nor any other source was recommending the unit as a tea maker. After trying the new unit I was amazed that tea could taste so good and even more surprised that Bodum and it's retailers were not touting the Santos as an electric tea maker. I have never found any other tea maker that was electric and could be programmed and that would turn on and off at my preset times. The Bodum does all this and more and makes better tea than traditional methods, most of which I've tried many times, in many corners of the world.

On the down side the Santos has a hard to clean heating element base, and the seal around this element gives out after 1.5 to 2 years of use. Apparently it can't be repaired, so I've resigned myself to not worrying about it and not begrudging the approximately 10 cents per day

that I pay for privilege of drinking the best tea brewed anywhere. I wish the unit lasted longer. Bodum's had a number of years to improve it, so hopefully they will be rewarding our loyalty with a new unit that not only lives up to its European heritage of quality but also the old world standard of longevity. If you want common tasting coffee or tea, buy a common coffee maker, otherwise buy the Bodum Santos and both you and your guests will share an uncommon delight, day after day, for many, many, many days to come.