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.
