Appliance Reviews

Now that I have the fuel and tried it out with some pre-made fondue cheese I found at the grocery store, I can say that this fondue pot works great! (This is using the glass insert to melt the cheese.) I struggled initially to find fuel for this pot which is probably why it is on sale. The brochure that comes with it says to use "Sterno Canisters" gel fuel and nothing else. From what I can tell, there are no Sterno items that fit this pot. So I called Bodum and they said Crate and Barrel carry the fuel. This fuel normally cannot be shipped via mail order or internet sales but you can find it at Crate and Barrel locally or online at a few places.
The fuel that works is Firestar brand gel chafing fuel which is made in Switzerland and sometimes called "paste". It comes in packs of 3 and is very inexpensive(about [$] per pack of 3). These are packed in foil containers that fit inside the burner of the pot. I have also seen it for online purchases shipped via ground only.

This fondue pot is cleverly designed as a double boiler. A glass liner, supported by a metal frame, is immersed in water. No more scorching fondue again! The intelligent and stylish design keeps the fondue evenly heated from the first bite to the last! Bravo to bodum.

I previously owned a (much) smaller version of this press, which made an excellent cup of coffee. But that was the problem. It only made a CUP of coffee. I usually have two, and what if others want coffee? It takes a while, going one cup at a time.

Needless to say, I upgraded to this larger press, which makes about 3 times more coffee. It makes the best coffee ever - I could never go back to a junky old drip coffee maker after this. Yeah, it's more work than a drip coffee maker, but really, would you rather have quick, easy coffee that tastes bad, or a delicious cup of coffee that takes 5 minutes more?

Using this is like steeping tea - you boil some water, grind some coffee beans (I hope you're grinding your own coffee beans!) and pour the water over the coffee grounds to let them steep for 4 minutes. Then you push the knob down, which filters delicious coffee into the water and leaves the grounds at the bottom of your pot. Then, voila! You've got about 3 cups of yummy coffee, depending on to what extent you water your cup down with cream and sugar.

If you're one of those people who just CAN'T WAIT for their coffee, you'd be better off getting a typical drip coffee maker. But if you love coffee, and want it to taste as good as it possibly can, you have to buy this press.

I was given my first Bodum Chambord 8-Cup Coffee Press as a gift. I confess, I was totally skeptical when I tried my first cup. Fortunately, I was amazed from the very first dark, rich sip. EUREKA! Coffee made from a coffee press is FAR superior tasting to coffee made in an electric drip coffee maker (the taste is only rivaled by the yummy lattes pulled by my local barrista). While the Bodum press is simply and beautifully designed, its most outstanding feature is its sturdiness. Other coffee presses I have come in contact with have easily fallen apart when faced with coffee that is ground a little too finely or a slippery-fingered dishwasher. The press is simple to use, cleans up easily with hot, soapy water, and looks lovely sitting on my counter. It is also my favorite gift to give coffee lovers.

The Chambord brews your coffee right at your table. It's probably the richest cup of coffee you'll experience. It's made virtually the same way the cowboys made their coffee. The big exeception is that the grounds are pressed whereby all the coffee oils are present. It's as simple as making instant coffee, with 10X the flavor.

It's slightly cheesy in its construction, but it does the job as well as any kettle I owned in Europe. Cheap and very cheerful.

My Bodum presses have always made great coffee, but unfortunately, they don't ever last very long. I think Bodum must have something wrong with the process they are using to blow glass these days. The last three of these presses (yes, three) that I've had have all cracked from what must be expansion/contraction problems since the only thing that happened before I had coffee on my feet was adding hot water to the carafe. I've been very careful with all of them, so abuse is not the culprit. If it were not for this less than minor problem, I'd give it five stars - however, since the average cost of a cup of coffee increases with the number of presses that I have to buy, I'm giving it 2 stars.

Once you get the hang of it, a coffee press is much easier than an electric coffee maker. I especially like the fact that I don't have to turn it off when I'm done. And it makes great coffee, even with cheap beans.

The 12-pot size is best for most people. Two people will drink roughly this much in one day. One person will need two days.

I have had to replace the glass in my 12-cup press, but only once in five years.

I am very pleased with my coffee press. I bought it as a house warming gift for my boyfriend and we probably use it twice a day (whereas before we would often not bother with the regular coffee machine simply because of it's bulky size and poor tasting coffee). This press looks great on the counter and is very easy to clean. Form AND function for forty bucks! You can't go wrong.

After reading several of the reviews, it seems that alot of the problems with the Bodum are solved by the Infuze. It is still plastic, but that's probably best for an oft used kitchen appliance. It has a clock and you can set what time you want it to start brewing, and it'll keep the coffee hot for 2 hours after it's done. Both the top and bottom pieces have handles and the base comes with a slot to put the top funnel in after brewing so your not laying it down on the counter. I have one and love it. Everybody I make coffee for thinks it's great.

I originally gave this pot a rating of 1 star but would like to change it to 5 stars. After a very minor correction, the Bodum-3000 now makes an excellent & rich cup of coffee. I had originally complained about its producing a thin, weak brew but have since discovered that this was due to the silicon band preventing contact with the heating base. It took 2 seconds to remove this band and the result is that the brewing process was lengthened by a couple of minutes. I could immediately taste the difference--what was once dishwater became GREAT coffee. Bodum contacted me by email & was extremely helpful, offering to do whatever it takes to satisfy me. So, I now enthusiastically recommend the Bodum Santos 3000, both for the wonderful coffee & customer service!

I've owned this machine for about three years. I took note of many complaints in the various review venues about its needing a lot of coffee to taste good. I personally confirmed that it seemed to require an inordinate amount of coffee to get a rich robust brew. I was getting my coffee by mail from Starbucks, who supply mail orders only in "universal" grind. I wondered if this grind was too coarse to permit optimal extraction. So I experimented with a burr grinder (I chose a hand model, but there are others, e. g. Capresso). Sure enough, with a finer grind, I'm using half the coffee I used to, and it's quite reasonable in cost now. The brew time is fairly short, especially with smaller amounts of water, and both the grind and the amount of coffee have to be adjusted according to the amount of water I use: relatively more coffee at a finer grind for small amounts, relatively less coffee at a slightly coarser grind for larger amounts, to take into account the fact that larger amounts of water result in a longer period of contact of the grounds with hot water and steam. If the coffee brew is bitter, it's been overextracted and you need a coarser grind. This is not as much of a hassle as it seems, because once you learn how to manage the variables for your coffee and your personal taste, the situation is stable, and the electric Santos makes a great cup of coffee. The same machine is sold by Starbucks at a higher price in the stores, the same price online.

I loved this little kettle--while it lasted. It was the perfect size for my daily morning cup of tea at the office, quickly and quietly boiling enough water for about two large mugfuls, then promptly shutting itself off. I'm also a big fan of Bodum's clean lines and jaunty colors. The one-piece design might annoy some users, because you have to unplug the entire kettle in order to rinse/fill it, but for me this seemed a fair tradeoff for enhanced portability. Lightweight plastic housing is another potential complaint, but again this can be an asset if you're looking for convenience above all else. The biggest drawback is the placement of the metal heating element: it comes into direct contact with the water. After a year of regular use, my kettle's heating element is covered in grim rust-colored spots which I'm not too eager to ingest. So I'm afraid it's time to upgrade to a sturdier, if less fun-looking, electric kettle. In all, a great device if you're willing to take convenience and cuteness (and frequent replacement!) over longevity.

Excellent little appliance for the price. In an office with no coffee bar you have to either get water and heat it in the microwave or use someones coffee maker and heat the water. In my office the only good place to get water is a water fountain that is refrigerated water and it takes 3 - 4 minutes in the microwave to heat it. This little pot takes 27 ounces of chilled water and heats it to a boil in less time that the microwave takes to heat one small cup. It's sturdy construction and small foot print are great for my small cubical. The pour spout pours a concentrated stream without splashing. The lid locks on good, but removes easily. It is easy to clean. The only way it could be improved would be to have a warmer mode that keeps the water warm, but it reheats the water so quick that the potential safety concerns with having it on constantly are outweighed by the few seconds you would save by not having to reheat. All around I think it is well worth the price.

This kettle is IDEAL and a part of my daily a.m. rountine. I rinse out the grounds from the Chambord French Press as the tap water gets hot and then fill the Ibis 1.3 or so inches from the top and start her up. After grinding the beans and putting them into the clean Press the Ibis is boiling and I turn it off and pour it into the Bodum press. The mini Ibis holds exactly the right amount of water for the regular (medium?) sized Presses- 27 oz. I use the Ibis for tea, cocoa, anything. But coffee mostly. Found mine at a clearance section of a gourmet shoppe at an outlet center for like 5 bucks and used it daily (usually at least 2x) for...8 years and 3 months.
Oh, and Bodum rocks. I bought a "cheaper brand" French Press and the top kept loosening and wobbling and there were grounds in the coffee. Also check out the Bodum latte foamer (hand press; can you say 3 minutes?) and tea brewers. I would work for Bodum if they wanted me!!

It looks nice but:
1) The motor doesn't really hold up, and a burning electrical smell is common after minimal use (not that you are supposed to grind for more than 20 - 30 seconds at a time, still it has problems)
2) The lid is useless as a storage or transfer container. By accident I often move the grinds to the lid thinking that I'll scoop from here, only to have it overflow.
3) The plastic is of poor quality. 1 of 3 of these started cracking like crazy.
4) For the price you can do much better, if you have to get this style of grinder.

Machine looks cool, but does not grind the coffe finely enough! And, getting the coffe out of it (with that silly shallow lid) is a trick you don't want to try before your first cup of coffe in the morning.

I like this grinder quite well. It's stylish and you can wrap the excess cord into the bottom. Of course you have to brush it off after use, just like any grinder.