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79 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful coffee is the reward for patience ...
The Bodum Santos Vacuum Coffeemaker makes excellent coffee. Smooth, full flavored, hot. This model requires more interaction than a percolator or drip coffeemaker. If you're not willing to participate in the coffee making process, don't purchase this coffeemaker. However, the end result is well worth the few extra minutes required. Some tips that may be useful:...
Published on November 28, 2004 by JT
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
EXCELLENT coffee when it works correctly
This is really the way to make the best cup of coffee on a machine that costs less than $1000 dollars. I'm not kidding. When this device works correctly, it give you the best tasting, clearest (no sediment) and prettiest cup of coffee you have ever tasted Even Using The CHEAPEST Beans or Grinds! PROBLEMS: 1. The spring loaded filtering device, although...
Published on October 3, 2003 by GEORGE PORTER
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79 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful coffee is the reward for patience ..., November 28, 2004
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
The Bodum Santos Vacuum Coffeemaker makes excellent coffee. Smooth, full flavored, hot. This model requires more interaction than a percolator or drip coffeemaker. If you're not willing to participate in the coffee making process, don't purchase this coffeemaker. However, the end result is well worth the few extra minutes required. Some tips that may be useful:
1.) Use coarse grinds to avoid clogging the filter;
2.) When placing the upper chamber on the lower carafe, make sure there is a good seal between the two globes, as this will help in the vacuum process;
3.) Always make sure there is at least a centimeter or two of water remaining in the lower carafe, otherwise the carafe will crack;
4.) Allow the water and grinds to mix together in the upper chamber for a minute or two before removing from heat source (coarse grinds produce a weaker flavor compared to finer grinds, so allow a bit more time for the water to extract the flavor of the beans while in the upper chamber);
5.) Remove the entire coffeemaker from the heat source and carefully place on a cool surface, keeping in mind that the coffeemaker will be top heavy and hot;
6.) If the coffee remains in the upper chamber and doesn't completely drain to the bottom carafe, return the entire coffeemaker to the heat source again for a minute, then remove again to a cool surface;
7.) Purchase a good thermos or insulated carafe to transfer your remaining coffee to (Nissan Thermos is a good brand, check out reviews on Amazon.com).
8.) Coffeegeek.com and Coffeekid.com have additional information on vacuum brewing.
Pros: Coffee is hot, full-flavored, and not bitter. The process is fun. Clean up is easy, if done soon after brewing. Affordable from Amazon.com when on sale. Reusable filter. Coffee is hot, full-flavored, and not bitter. (It's worth mentioning twice.)
Cons: Capacity is only 8 cups (32 oz.). Filter can sometimes be unreliable. Uses more grinds than average peculator or drip models. Extra caution needed when using, as most of the coffeemaker is made of glass. Instructions are scant.
Five stars for a wonderful product.
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
Over the learning curve., August 25, 2004
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
I purchased my unit about a year ago from Amazon.com and after about a month of frustration with the filter constantly clogging, I put it out of sight (out of sight = out of mind). When I could get it to work properly, it was great because the coffee tasted the way it smelled - wonderful. But, it was simply not worth the time and effort to get one pot out of 15 to brew properly. I tried burr grinders and the inexpensive type grinders. I tried coarse grind, medium grind, fine grind and everything in between with no success.
About two-months ago I remembered I had the Bodum Coffeemaker and so I decided to revisit the task of trying to make a 'perfect cup of coffee - and it worked perfectly!
I use the Bodum Coffeemaker almost every day now and it works as advertised 100% of the time. I have developed a system that works for me by taking suggestions from several of the reviews from Amazon.com and from some helpful advice from a Barnies' sales representative about how to store and use coffee beans.
The one thing that I was probably doing wrong the first time was that I listened to a friend who thought he knew about how to store coffee beans. If you want to go from coffee beans to coffee dust, freeze the beans or keep them in the refrigerator - I guarantee you that this will work. It does not matter what your grind setting is on your burr grinder because you will get so much dust that the Bodum filter will clog and coffee cannot get sucked back into the lower chamber.
I now keep my coffee beans in an airtight container in the pantry, grind them as needed and then follow these additional procedures to get great tasting coffee - every time.
Make sure the seal is clean and dry and the top is pressed firmly down onto the lower unit. I use a gas burner at a medium-high setting and do not use a diffuser. I think that the diffuser may be recommended to help keep the handle cooler in case you do not center the pot over the flame. Also, be sure you put the lid on top of the upper unit. And, do use caution, because the handle does get very warm.
I keep the burner on the same heat setting for 30 seconds after all of the water (except what is below the tube) goes into the upper chamber. There is still a little water left below the tube in the bottom chamber that will continue to boil. Turn the burner off after about 30 seconds, remove the upper chamber lid, and you can do one of two things at this point. If you do not want to move the coffeemaker while the top is full, just leave it on the burner and in a couple of minutes, the burner grate will cool enough to create the vacumm in the lower unit. If you want to cut a minute or two off of the procedure, use a oven mitt to hold the handle with one hand while you use the other hand to 'stablize' the top and move the coffeemaker to an adjacent cold burner.
I can actually hear air being sucked into the lower chamber after all of the liquid has been removed from the upper chamber, which takes less than 10-15 seconds once it starts. I then use an oven mitt to hold the handle, remove the top chamber and put it in its neat holder, and pour my eight cups of great tasting coffee into my twenty-five year old Stanley stainless steel thermos. I now have great tasting coffee - all day long.
After the top and bottom units have cooled, I remove the filter and clean both chambers being careful to not bang them against anything hard. The glass is thin, which it has to be, but seems pretty durable.
I give the unit five stars because I am the one who caused most, if not all, of the original problems by improperly storing the coffee beans which resulted in a lot of dust when they were ground. The taste of the coffee made by this unit warrants five stars.
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94 of 102 people found the following review helpful:
Bodum Santos Vacuum Coffee Makers, November 7, 2001
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
I cannot rave enough about this treasure made in Copenhagen. I have used every conceivable type of coffee maker in the past, but this one is simply the best I have ever used. It is beautiful to look at, very easy to use and clean, and makes the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted. I ordered the electric version of this brand, but when it arrived, it had a defect, so I returned it immediately. I am so happy I didn't order the electric one because it was twice the amount of money that I paid for the non-electric one. I am going to tell all my friends about it--unfortunately you can't buy it in any stores, only through Amazon.com. Congratulations on carrying this absolute gem of a coffee maker!! Joanne Evens, Granite Bay, CA
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60 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
The Bean Baron says "This pot makes the best coffee ever", January 31, 2003
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
I live with a former barrista and coffee guru. He makes the coffee in our house, and he has that magic touch. According to my bean baron, the Santos is the best coffee maker he's ever used. I tend to agree; the Santos gets the most out of the bean's essence and preserves the delicate oils and acids that make for a superb cup.Some caveats with this pot: this pot is made of GLASS. That's a good thing--plastic is less desirable as it tends to grab coffee oils onto its surface. Glass is about as inert as you can get. So, being GLASS, this pot requires care in use. It is a bit top-heavy and the tube leading to the lower chamber is apt to chip if you are careless with the spring-held filter device, which separates the upper brewing chamber from the lower serving and heating pot. And this is a stovetop device, requiring attention to the flame or temperature of your electric element. No plug-and-play here, so this is best for entertaining or weekend enjoyment. For weekdays, I stick with our electric filter machine, which the Guru sets up for me the night before so I can stumble into the kitchen at dawn and press a button to get my caffeine dose. But...when we want exquisite gourmet coffee, this is the one we pull down from the shelf. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR CAREFUL COFFEE ENTHUSIASTS
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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
EXCELLENT coffee when it works correctly, October 3, 2003
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
This is really the way to make the best cup of coffee on a machine that costs less than $1000 dollars. I'm not kidding. When this device works correctly, it give you the best tasting, clearest (no sediment) and prettiest cup of coffee you have ever tasted Even Using The CHEAPEST Beans or Grinds!
PROBLEMS:
1. The spring loaded filtering device, although increadibly simple and easy to use and maintain did not work consistantly for me. Sometimes I would get a lot of sediment, sometimes crystal clear rich brown red coffee (perfect). Sometimes the top globe would drain completely (as it should) and sometimes only half way. I tried various grind coursness, filter adjustment, etc and never could get consistancy.
2. The handle needs to be longer and rounder. It is too short for the weight and feels awkward in the hand because of the way the bottom is cut out and shaped in general.
3. Glass broke on the bottom of the 2 pots. I left it on the stove and boiled out all of the water. 2 pots of coffee later a thin long crack developed leaking the coffee out on to my burner. Would like to see a little thicker glass.
4. Instruction book too skimpy especially for a coffee making technique that few have been exposed to.
5. The plastic stand for the upper glass globe should have a wider base to prohibit tipping.
GOOD THINGS:
1. The glass, although thin is pretty durable (in spite of it cracking on me after leaving it on the burner too long). It is really beautiful glass, even rings when you dry it with a microfibre cloth! Has a high clarity and shine.
2. It is easy to clean. Comes apart in seconds, rinse out, dry (works best with a microfibre cloth I found) and your done. I leave it out because I like the looks of it and people always ask what the heck it is!
3. It is easy and fast to use. Takes a few minutes to dump in the coffee and water (in separate glass globes/pots) and put together and start the coffee making process. It takes a few more minutes to have the coffee sucked into the lower pot and be ready to pour. Probably a 10 minute process total.
4.It's inexpensive! 40 bucks!
5. Makes the one of the best cup of coffee you've ever had even using the cheapest beans or grinds! In fact, I made better coffee at times using cheap grind over using custom roasted fresh expensive beans ground right before I put them in the pot. My suggestion, buy Kroger's brand standard beans (right from the grocery store at about $2.50 a pound), grind them right before you're ready to make your coffee and enjoy.
Summary, Bodum needs to tweak this product a bit. I'm searching on-line for another brand of vacuum pot today to replace my broken $40.00 bodum so I can compare.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
great coffee, bad instructions, May 17, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
I was a little skeptical at first, when i looked at some of the mixed review from people who didnt like it...i received the coffee maker about three days after i ordered it and immediately proceeded to try it...i followed the instructions as best as i could, but the coffee was very weak...I dug around on the web and found some helpful tips..for one , its best to heat it slowly, at medium heat is good...when the water finally makes it up to the top, there should still be some water that stays in the lower half, about a centimeter or so...just leave it on the burner to boil for about 30 seconds or so, and the top half will brew the coffee... then just take it off of the burner and let the coffee come back down... one thing to remember...this machine doesnt make a quick cup of coffee, but it does make a very good one...a few minutes of time and some user interaction is required...if that is too much work for you, then this isnt the coffee maker for you, but if you have a little bit of time and patience, you wont regret it.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
Not enough o's in "Smooooth" to describe the coffee it makes, January 14, 2003
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
My wife bought this Christmas gift for me off of my Amazon.com wish list. It's everything other reviewers have said about it: easy to use and clean, fun to watch, sturdy, and oh yeah, it makes a *great* cup of coffee.The difference between the coffee from this gizmo and that from a drip, percolator, or press is that there is absolutely no bitterness in the coffee. I can make a good cup with my drip or press makers, but there's a hint of bitterness that this maker just doesn't produce. My theory is that the longer the water stays in contact with the grounds, the more bitterness you get. With a drip, perc, or press system, the water is flowing through the grounds (or in contact with them) for several minutes. With this maker, the water is in and out of the top bulb in a minute or two (at most). Result: coffee that's just a spoonful of sugar away from tasting like coffee candy. One tip for those using it for the first time: Make sure you center the filter over the hole in the top bulb. It's not a big deal, but it definitely speeds up the flow of water in and out of the bulb and improves the flavor.
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
in defense, March 3, 2006
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
I've been an Amazon customer for quite a few years, but I haven't before felt the need to review a product. This time, I felt like I had to defend this from other reviewers.
Before I bought this coffeemaker here I read great reviews on wholelattelove.com. But here on Amazon, it's plagued with a few bad reviews. People have said their coffee pot has cracked, other pieces have broken, etc. The instructions included clearly state that some care needs to be taken- you are putting glass on a very hot surface. If you're not careful, it will crack. But that's true of all glass - it's not a design flaw in this product. In fact, the bottom globe was thicker and sturdier than I was expecting. It looks more fragile in the pictures than it actually is. It seems some people can't follow directions, and they want to blame anybody but themselves.
Yes, when it's ready to be taken off the stove, all the water is in the top globe, so it's a little top heavy. Have some common sense.
And a couple people seem to be giving this product a bad review because of bad service they've received from Amazon. This isn't the place to complain that Bizrate had items mixed up, or that Amazon sent you a used product. Again, common sense...
This thing makes GREAT coffee - every bit as good as a french press, and with less sediment. I've used it everyday for two months, and haven't had a single problem. I think it's fantastic, and I haven't regretted buying it for a second.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
Five months of great coffee, March 7, 2003
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
As most of the other reviews have stated, this could be the best coffee you have ever tasted. After five months of use, I have several tips to make the brewing process even easier.The two most common complaints mentioned in the reviews are the cleaning procedures and the increased time to brew the coffee. I use the Bodum cordless electric water pot (available at Amazon) to first bring the water to a boil which takes about five minutes. Transfer the boiling water to the carafe and attach the upper globe with the ground coffee. Place the coffeemaker on the stove with medium heat, and within a minute the water will move to the upper globe. After two minutes, remove from heat and it will take about two minutes for the coffee to return to the lower carafe. Using this technique, the total time from start to finish is less than ten minutes.
As for cleaning, if you rinse the carafe with water soon after finishing the coffee, it will not leave stains in the carafe. If stains do accumulate over time, just put a tablespoon of electric dishwasher detergent in the carafe and fill with boiling water. Let it sit for ten minutes and rinse out well with fresh water.
I hope these tips will let you enjoy your Bodum even more. I think I will brew a pot right now!
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Great coffee for true java-heads, January 6, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Bodum Santos Stovetop Glass Vacuum 34-Ounce Coffee Maker (Kitchen)
I received this for Christmas, 02. Everyone is fasinated watching this coffee pot brew. It really is a great way to make coffee. If you want fast, unattended coffee, you probably won't like this pot...it takes a bit longer to brew than a drip, and you can't just leave it and go shave in the morning, but it IS worth the time and effort.If you plan on brewing on the stove, be sure to buy a diffuser if you have an electric range. (Not needed for gas stoves) I love my vacuum coffee pot. It arrived well packed, but there were no instructions in the box. No problem, since I knew how to use one, and ... has a excellent tutorial on brewing with this style of pot. The glass seems very thin and fragile, but it's sturdier than it looks. Obviously impacts will break it, (So be careful moving it around,) but an electric range on high will NOT overheat the glass and cause it to crack. I'm not sure what the tolerance for open flame on a gas stove is, but I would guess you probably can't break the glass with anything less than a blowtorch. I highly recommend this for anyone willing to make the sacrifice of convience (small sacrifice here,) for quality.
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