Customer Reviews

Bodum New Kenya 34-Ounce Tea Press, Black

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased the Bodum New Kenya tea presses in both the small and the medium sized models. I really enjoy good quality loose tea, and the tea presses make it very convenient to brew this way (although the tea presses do also accommodate bagged tea, according to the instructions). For the small press I add about one and one half tablespoons of loose tea to the strainer, and about three tablespoons for the medium sized press. The amount you add, as always, will depend on your own preferences.

I would have given the New Kenya presses 5 stars, but for one feature that I believe has the potential for eventual failure, due to extended use. The plunger portion of the tea press is surrounded by a soft plastic gasket, to seal it closely to the basket when pressing the tea leaves. Because this gasket is made of such a soft material, I can see that it has the potential to wear out over time, much in the same way that other gaskets can become worn.

It doesn't appear that this gasket comes off or separates from the plunger, so I imagine that if it does wear out, the entire lid and plunger assembly will have to be replaced. Potentially, that could be costly, but with the reduced price that Amazon currently offers these models, it might be a moot point. The New Kenya models are the first Bodum tea presses I have purchased, so I do not know if all of the Bodum models have this same type of plunger assembly.

Perhaps I am being overly cautious, but I depend on the reviews of others many times when making purchases, so I want to be as honest as possible. (You can decide whether or not my concern is important to you!)

The most significant points are that this press is simple to use, allows you to control the strength of your brewed tea, and is also very easy to clean. Oh, yeah, and did I mention that it makes one heck of a great cup of tea!? Cheers!

JANUARY 13, 2011 UPDATE: I am happy to report that both gaskets on both pots are still working perfectly. The only thing that is keeping me from changing this review to 5 stars is that I do miss the lid on these tea pots. It would be nice to have one to cap off the pot after brewing and removing the plunger assembly.

The Bodum New Kenya medium tea press looks great and makes using loose leaf tea very easy. You add the tea, add the water and when it is done press down. I paid 12.95 and that is a very good price for a Bodum tea pot with press.

Be aware that the Bodum tea pots are light glass and plastic. You're not getting Wedgewood or Yixing here. But if you are familiar with Bodum and find it useful, then this is a good looking piece and a great value.

Pros: Easy to clean (all dishwasher safe). The plunger/brew basket effectively stops the tea from steeping further by isolating the tea at the bottom of the plastic basket, from the rest of the pot. While it does not say so on the box, I have observed no ill effects from heating water in it in the microwave with the plastic brew basket and plunger assembly removed. Pours cleanly without any dribbling down the side.

Cons: If you fill the pot too full, tea can float from the plastic chamber and get into pot "at large." Not a problem if a modicum of care is taken.

Plunger mechanism works as claimed. Although made of plastic, it appears to be well designed and should last years like my coffee press. I use it for iced tea. I brew the tea, press the plunger to stop brewing and then place in the refrigerator. Too easy. I don't give it five stars because it is not air tight. It is not good for overnight storage (my coffee press can be closed by turning the lid).

DO NOT BUY ANY BODUM COFFEE OR TEA PRESS THAT CONTAINS GLASS. BODUM USES A SPECIAL GLASS THAT IS EXTRAORDINARILY FRAGILE AND BREAKS FOR NO APPARENT REASON.

I love Bodum Coffee and Tea Presses. But I would NEVER recommend anyone buy one with a glass beaker or kettle. You will need to replace the beaker or kettle frequently, since the special glass Bodum uses is extremely fragile, and breaks repeatedly for no apparent reason at all. I replaced four beakers, two glass tea presses, and several beakers from milk frothers in short order before giving up. Make no mistake, you do not have to bang the glass against anything for it to break. It simply cracks spontaneously for no apparent reason

Bodum has come out with some presses with a LEXAN clear plastic beaker.
These do not break. I assume they came out with the LEXAN product because of problems with the glass. Be warned.

Unfortunately so far as I know, Bodum does not have a LEXAN tea press.

Relatively junky product, mostly cheap plastic and just not very well constructed. The plunger doesn't stay up by itself so when you make a pot, you have to somehow keep it up or it will plunge on its own and stop most of the brewing process. Just not worth the price, glad I didn't buy a more expensive Bodum if this is their standard quality.

This teapot is a good balance between cost and quality. I like the Kenya model because it protects the glass a little and acts as an insulator to protect from the hot/warm glass. The only downside to this pot is because it has a plastic filter, the filter holes are a little bigger than I would prefer and it tends to discolor after some use. But neither of these issues bother me that much. If you want to get a great glass teapot get the one with the metal filter. But if you want a relatively low cost teapot that will do a good job then this one is a good option.

I was given two boxes of excellent green tea from a Tawiwanese friend and until I bought the New Kenya Tea Press, I could never get the proportions right or tell how long to seap the tea. With the New Kenya, even if you put too much or two little tea in the press, you can adjust the flavor and strength by the color. Best of all you can pour directly from the attractive seaping pot without a mess. Every pot I've made so far has been great. This New Kenya is a fitting complement to the New Kenya coffee press.

I received this as a gift a while back, and I've been regularly using it for over a year now.

The plunger does a great job of separating the leaves from the water and preventing over-steeping. I was pretty skeptical of how this would work...and I didn't actually trust it for a while and would remove the basket and leaves just in case.

But, after forgetting it a few times and just getting daring a few others, I noticed that the tea never bittered, always turned out good.

It isn't terribly difficult to clean, but it does have a few places that aren't easy to get to. The space between the plastic wrapper and the glass can get stained, and that is pretty much permanent.

One thing that's sort of a curse of this type of product is that it doesn't keep your tea warm for very long...so if you don't go through a pot this size in an hour and a half or so, you might consider just using a basket in a mug. I usually get to it in time, and I use this thing for iced tea brews as well so it doesn't matter there (I pour the hot tea into another pitcher full of ice).

For what it's worth, the thing is no more fragile than any other glass kettle. Don't drop it and you'll be fine. It isn't made for travel, that's for sure...but I've had mine for over a year and no form of regular, reasonable usage has caused it to so much as chip.

I am not much of a tea drinker but my wife drinks the stuff regularly. I bought her this over the holidays and she loves it! Makes brewing a batch of tea very easy. The press works quite nicely to keep the leaves 'n such out of the finished drink.