Customer Reviews

Bodum Chambord 8-Cup Press with Bonus Pavina Thermal Glasses

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bodum makes some of the best french presses you can buy, and the fact that this one comes with 2 of their double-walled pavina glasses makes this a fantastic package.

For those who are unsure about french presses, the idea is that you place coffee grounds or loose leaf tea in the glass, add hot water, steep, and then place the press on top and "press" down to filter out the grounds or leaves. Simple as that.

It makes amazing coffee and tea. For the coffee, it allows some of the oils found in coffee beans to remain in the coffee, retaining much of the flavor that would not be found in normal brewing mechanisms. Loose leaf tea also tastes better in my opinion because of the distribution of leaves while steeping. Blossoms and leafs are allowed to soak in the hot water, open up fully, and release their true flavors, which often times a small steeping ball or bag will not allow. This Bodum french press is extremely well put together and easy to use as well.

As for the extra glasses, these have quickly become my favorite glasses I own, and I'm am going to purchase some more soon. They are a good size (about the size of a normal mug), and when using them for hot or cold beverages, your hands always stay separated from the temperature of the beverage. The vacuum seal allows no transfer of heat. I use them for everything from coffee and tea to soda now. The glass walls are thin and seem easily breakable, and it is cautioned against using spoons or stirrers that might scratch or damage the wall. I have never had a problem with it though.

This is long, but I thought it was a nice favor to the community to give you all the information that I didn't have in my initial search for a quality coffee maker. Let me address the thermal glasses first and get that out of the way: they are nice, sleek and highly effective...but they are fragile...handle with care. As for the coffee press, it works great! It is a very basic, manual, old-fashioned approach to making coffee...no power controls, no fancy bells and whistles, no percolation...just mix water and ground beans, and then press. So, if you don't mind the manual work required (it really isn't that bad), you will definitely appreciate the taste and quality of the output. If you would rather use processed coffee and push a button, this product is not for you. You should stick with an automatic coffee maker or at least something more automated than this. But, if you are concerned about plastic or rubber taste/contamination that are associated with most "convenient" automated coffee makers, then you might want to consider this product. This coffee press is glass and stainless steel...that's it. The lid is plastic, but it doesn't come in contact with the coffee. The press apparatus has three components: a top frame, a mesh filter and a bottom frame that are sort of "sandwiched" together...and all stainless steel. It is very simple, which also makes for a straight forward clean-up. Just dispose of the coffee grounds and rinse the glass carafe and steel components. As a note, I'll usually go a week or two (or three or four!) with just rinsing with hot water and drying on a rack, and then occasionally throw everything in the dishwasher for a thorough wash. The only potential problem I foresee with the device is the bottom frame of the press. Its design could result in a little rusting in one particular joint, but I haven't had a problem yet. If you keep it clean and dry, though, it may not be a problem. A replacement component would be cheap anyway. So, here is the process: I can boil my water and grind my beans (about 3 minutes...the grinder by the way is not included with this product), mix/stir/brew the water and ground beans in the carafe (about 4 minutes), pour my cup, and rinse the components (a few minutes) and put them on the drying rack...done in about ten minutes. It really isn't much slower than an automatic maker, and it is a much better tasting cup of coffee than any other maker I've used (I've tried them all). Additional tips: use a wood spoon to stir the coffee grounds in the carafe and to scoop the grounds out afterwards (the carafe is made of a fine, delicate, laboratory-like glass)...don't worry about breaking it otherwise, because it sits in a sturdy, protective metal frame. Also, don't grind your beans too much, and you will have very little to no grit at the bottom of your cup (and you'll still have plenty of flavor). Also, I recommend working with Amazon and the third party vendor, Liquid Planet, as both parties were helpful when my initial order got lost in the mail. I reported it, and within a day, I received the package. Plus, they reimbursed me the total shipping cost, and I didn't even ask them to do that. Great service and a great product! I highly recommend Bodum products! Go get yourself a good coffee bean, and you will come to realize how much better (and cheaper!) this is, BY FAR, than that one place we've all heard of...I think it's called Barstucks.

My press has been making coffee for nearly a year. Great coffee. Solid construction. This rating is for the product, not the shipping or packaging. Albeit the shipping and packaging were fine, too. Pressing coffee uses at least twice the coffee grinds. Can't live without it.

I wasn't expecting quite the hassle related to this product's packaging, but color me unimpressed. The first set arrived with one of the bonus glasses shattered; I contacted Amazon and they were quick to overnight a replacement to me. The second set arrived in even worse condition as both the glasses and the press were completely shattered in the box. Generally speaking, that's an awful lot of broken glass to deal with in two days.

As it turns out, the bonus thermal glasses - beautifully designed, based on one of the four that actually arrived intact - are extremely delicate. There's little in the way of protection or padding inside the product's box apart from a little flimsy piece of cardboard and some bubble wrap that ostensibly separates the press and the glasses from each other. In my case, these bits of protection were not enough to get the job done and the contents were able to shift around and bang into each other. Maybe I just have bad luck, who knows.

Regardless, I point my finger squarely at Bodum and not Amazon, as both product boxes individually arrived with plenty of cushiony plastic air pillows. It's clear that this particular box set needs something more substantial inside to withstand the rigors of transport. Needless to say, I called Amazon again and was offered a full refund.

Not wanting to chance another damaged shipment, I went to a local store and picked up the exact same French press, sans bonus glasses, and am enjoying a delicious cup of coffee as I write this review. The press works quite well and is - amazingly! - still in one piece. Kudos to Amazon's awesome customer service for picking up Bodum's slack, and I guess kudos to Bodum for making an easy-to-use press when you can find one that's not broken. Now just invest some R&D in better packaging.

I have long wished to try coffee from a French press, but had yet to invest in one. When Amazon offered this set at such an unbelievable price, I couldn't refuse. Now that my press arrived and I've had time to test it out for a few runs, I can now see why there is so much hype among coffee enthusiasts about coffee from a French press.

My order arrived in perfect condition and within minutes I was enjoying a nice cup of freshly ground columbian roast. The included thermal glasses almost overshadow the performance of the press. After pouring a cup of freshly pressed coffee into one, I picked it up and was immediately struck by the lack of thermal transfer. The outside of the glass was cool, giving no indication of the temperature of it's contents.

I couldn't be any happier with my new purchase. This may well be my most treasured kitchen tool.

I had to send the item back because the glasses were broken. Amazon has been slipping in the QC department. The item was shipped in a big box with no protection to prevent it from sliding around. I had a similar press which I really liked. The coffee has a richer flavor because the oils (and fine grind dust) pass through the mesh filter. There is only a small amount of sediment left behind in the coffee cup, which does not bother me. This is a decent deal, but only if you can get the items shipped without breaking.

UPDATE: I re-ordered the item and everything arrived in perfect condition. Amazon packaged the item with extra bubble wrap in the shipping box to prevent it from sliding around AND they put an extra piece of wrap around the glasses in the product box.

Opened mine on Christmas day and found the pot with a 1-inch wide chip at the rim. It seems to be a manufacturer issue rather than the shipping issue, as others have noted, because the shipping box from Amazon is well cushioned. The customer service at Amazon is really nice. If Amazon has this in stock, they would offer me a replacement. But now all I can do is wait.

In terms of coffee making, the press does not go all the way to the bottom - at the lowest position, it leaves about 1 inch below it. So if you only want to make a small amount of coffee, e.g., 1 (American) cup, the coffee grounds will not be pressed tight at the bottom. Just an observation, may not be a problem.

Edited on Jan 07, 2009: Amazon replaced the broken item as soon as it was back in stock. The replacement item is very well packed and arrived safely. Kudos to the Amazon customer service!

For twenty dollars, absolutely the best value possible on Bodum quality. I use mine as a press for loose tea to make iced tea, and it works just as well as my other Bodum press (for which I paid much more) does for coffee. That is to say, unparalleled. If you are a fan of drip coffee, you are doing yourself a tremendous disservice. Press coffee is miles better, richer, deeper. Jump on this while it is on sale!

I've used the Chambord for years and have really appreciated it when we have a power outage and I can boil water on my gas stove for this French press. I always keep some coarsely ground coffee on hand for those times but daily grind coffee for this press. It's important to use the correct grind or the filtration system will not produce the best coffee. The system will last for years and years with proper treatment like washing it right away, being sure the filter is clean, depressing the plunger very slowly, and not knocking or dropping the glass. For the record, the 8-Cup is actually around 32 ounces which is about 2 standard travel coffee mugs. I'd also recommend placing a towel over the Press to keep the heat from dissipating if you like hot coffee, as do I. I do understand that the Pavina glasses are very delicate, but at the cost of only a few dollars more than the Bodum Chambord 8-Cup Press without the bonus glasses, I think it's worth taking the leap. I've used the glasses in the past and think they are comfortable, lovely, and should last as long as my Riedel glasses. All in all, this is a wonderful combination and surely will sell out soon.

I bought one for myself and one as a present for a friend--we both love them! The Pavina thermal glasses are my favorite to use out of all the glasses I own. It is true, they are very fragile, but the extra care is worth it.

When I received both boxes, one had a shattered glass. I called amazon and they didn't hesitate to overnight me a replacement and didn't even make me return the broken item. What great customer service! As other reviewers have said, it isn't amazon's fault (although labeling the boxes FRAGILE might help!). Bodum could package these better. If you have a problem, just let amazon know and they'll make it right!