Bodum Chambord 34-Ounce 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker with Insulating Coffee Coat Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Got this for Christmas and am on my fifth day of use. I'm a fully converted french press freak and will never use my drip machine again except for social occasions where I need a bigger brew.
This press works great. It's easy to press the plunger (even though I have not yet acquired a good grinder to give consistent coarse grounds...my grinder is about as crappy as you can get), it's easy to clean and the coffee tastes great (richer, thicker and more smooth)...much better than a drip. I asked for the Bodum because of its reputation for quality and so far, I'm impressed.
I typically make enough coffee to fill 2 typical mugs (about 16-20 oz of coffee) and the unit appears about 2/3 full. I've not tried to make a full 34 oz, but it doesn't appear to really hold that much. We'll see.
The thermal sleeve is a bit of a waste, though. You really shouldn't leave coffee in a french press to sit because the flavors will continue to extract to the point of bitterness. I make two cups and pour the second into a small thermos until I'm ready. So, if you plan on drinking more than one cup out of this yourself, plan on acquiring a small thermos for this purpose.
My only other concern is that I have read reviews about cracking glass. I'd still prefer glass to any plastic container (not convinced of the safety/health of using plastics with hot products). As an engineer, I would recommend filling the unit with hot tap water while the water for your coffee is heating to near boiling. This will preheat the glass and minimize the thermal stresses as a result of pouring ~200 degree water into a room temperature glass container. Also, I would recommend letting the glass cool to room temperature before trying to wash/rinse with tap water.

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Anyone who has tasted the bitterness of coffee that\'s been sitting on a heating element for a long time, knows that directly applied heat can\'t be the way to go, keep it warm by putting a coat on. It\'s all about heat conservation for best flavor, the Bodum way. We are excited to introduce as a limited time promotion, our new neoprene coffee coats for free with purchase of this chambord french press 8-cup coffee maker. One bonus black nero coffee coat comes packed together with each 8-cup chambord french press purchased. Nero coats for most bodum presses are also available individually in white, red, brown, black, grey, purple and pink.

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Bodum Chambord Coffee Press Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, to some the idea of using a French press coffee maker is a little too precious, bordering on snobbishness. I used to be in that boat until a few hours ago. Tonight on a whim, I purchased this Bodum French press. Now I should warn you readers that it is generally NOT a good idea to test out your shiny new french press when you are getting home at 10:30pm on a Monday after spending way too much money at Target when you just ran in to get "dog food". I write this review so heavily caffienated that I will probably stay up until dawn tonight re-organizing my closets or alphabetizing my CD collection or doing some other useless task. Despite being a daily coffee drinker (of the muddy variety the office's Bunn machine churns out), one cup from the french press has knocked me into the stratosphere, and that alone is worth giving this product 5 stars.
My caffiene overdose aside, this press produces the best coffee I have ever had at home, and it truly rivals or surpasses coffee I've had at coffee houses. It's slightly more involved than using an automatic maker, but not difficult at all. The unit itself is pretty sturdy, and looks lovely.
French press coffee is a great alternative to using those smaller 1-2 cup automatic drip makers. Being single, I've gone through my share of those, and the coffee they make alway seems about ten times worse than the coffee from a normal-sized drip maker. If you like to make a large pot of coffee and drink it throughout the morning, I would suggest picking up a good quality carafe or thermos to keep the coffee warm.
Pros:
-Best tasting coffee you'll ever have at home, period.
-Strong, full bodied flavor
-Pretty easy to prepare
-Impress your friends with your snobby european coffee-making ways :) (looks good on your counter too)
-Great for making small amounts of coffee, for one or two people.
-Priced about the same as a ho-hum auto drip coffee maker with no extra bells and whistles, yet makes coffee a million times better.Cons:
-More cleanup than using a automatic drip maker
-No heating element to keep coffee warm. Use a thermos/carafe if you want to sip several cups over a few hours.
- 8-cup capacity is based on a 4oz beverage size. Not really a "con" but something you should be aware of. If you had a large group you were making coffee for, it might get a little tedious to be constantly making a fresh batch of coffee.
Couple other notes: Coarsely ground coffee is recommended. This is no problem for people that already buy whole bean and grind their own, but it will be an extra step for some people. Also, I recommend picking up an Aerolatte milk frother if you want to make truly effortless cappuchino. I find that there's plenty of time to warm some milk in the microwave and froth it up while the coffee brews for 4 mintues. A $20 Aerolatte milk frother + $24 french press = coffeehouse coffee at home, whenever you want it.That's really a tiny investment for coffeehouse quality java!
I also purchased a smaller 1-cup Bodum press to take to work. Tomorrow I plan to smile smugly while my co-workers chug down the crap that comes out of the Bunn machine.If my boss is really nice, I may let him use it too. Maybe.

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Commonly known as a French press or a plunge pot, these coffeemakers are fixtures in many European homes. Stylish and efficient, this is the brewing method of choice for many coffee connoisseurs.

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DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato Maker with Self-Refrigerating Compressor Review

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(More customer reviews)Being a manager of a kitchen retail store gives me a little edge because I can see a few of these machines in person. Our store carries the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker that has the prefreeze bowl, we also carry the Cuisinart self refrigerated unit, and the Delonghi gelato machine. We use the Cuisinart prefreeze models for our demo's we do
on Saturday's at the store. It works, but it's not the most impressive ice cream you've ever had.
I wanted something better. I looked at both of the other units I listed above. The Cuisinart unit didn't feel well made to me. I took out the bowl, etc and the arm that goes across the top of the machine to the bowl feels like it will be only a matter of time before that gets broke. I decided to try the Delonghi model.
I have used it several times now. I love it!! The first recipe I made was butter pecan ice cream. It was excellent and the machine had it ready in 30 minutes. It can take an extra ten minutes if you add alcohol to your recipe (and this recipe used Jack Daniels). The next recipe was chocolate hazelnut gelato. OMG...Yummy!
Everything we've made has been great. The machine is very simple to use and it works great. I'm very happy with my decision and hope this helps you if you're debating between machines. I would recommend this machine.
I've read that many people didn't like the Cuisinart unit because it's very loud when you use it.
This machine is not very loud. I would say that it's quieter than a blender running. I can still watch tv with it running without upping the volume. It's pretty easy to clean too. There is one area that can get crumbs when you add nuts, etc. I just wipe around in there with a moist q-tip and that's about the only "problem" I can find with this unit. I also purchased The Perfect Scoop book by David Lebovitz. Excellent recipes. Haven't found a dud yet and it also has great resources in the back of the book in regards to ordering ingredients, etc.
Hope this helps with your decision :)

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Impress dinner guests with delicious, authentic gelato--like the kind found in an Italian gelato shop--thanks to this easy-to-use countertop appliance. The unit's mixing paddle effectively blends ingredients, from top to bottom, for smooth, delicious results, while its built-in self-refrigerating compressor brings ingredients to temperatures below freezing, which frozen-bowl ice-cream makers can't do. Its built-in compressor makes it possible to mix up multiple batches, one after the other, without having to wait to re-freeze the ice-cream bowl--a nice detail when making multiple batches during a family reunion or backyard barbecue. Furthermore, it uses an energy-efficient, eco-friendly refrigerant (non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-corrosive) that doesn't deplete the ozone layer like other refrigerants. The gelato maker also provides a transparent lid for keeping an eye on the mixing process, a removable stainless-steel bowl for easy serving and cleanup, and a recipe booklet with great-tasting ideas for getting started. When finished wowing friends and family, the bowl, lid, and paddle clean up easily by hand or in the dishwasher. The gelato maker measures 12-4/5 by 15-4/5 by 9-3/5 inches.

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