Product Description
The Brazil works on the same principle as all coffee presses. It combines coarse ground coffee with water that is just off of a boil. This combination along with 4 minutes of extraction time allows the oil and acids that give the coffee it’s flavor to be completely extracted so you get a balanced and flavorful cup of coffee each time. After 4 minutes, just press and enjoy. There are no paper filters to soak up the oils, and cleanup is a snap. The 3 Cup Press is 12 oz and yields 3 – 4 oz. cups of coffee.
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First off, make sure you notice in the writing above that while this is called a 3 cup press, it does not make 3 US cups. It makes 1.5 US cups. This is a sip or two more than will fit in most of my mugs and hence is exactly the amount of coffee I want since my husband can’t stand coffee. If you were wanting this to make a mug each for two people though, you won’t be happy with this little guy and need to look at the bigger models.
Other than that, this is pretty straight foward device. It’s very easy to use and a snap to clean. And the coffee it produces is excellent; after using it for two years, I now have problems when company comes over and I want to use my big autodrip coffee maker because so much of the richness of my beans get lost with the drip method.
The only thing that keeps me from rating this product a full five stars is that I have problems with the filters after about eight months to a year. The press currently in my kitchen is actually the second one I have had because the last one became unusable when the filter simply stopped being willing to stay in place. Now I am having this problem with the replacement. It is possible that my problem is due to the fact that the filters get warped and could be solved by simply buying new filters, but since the filters are $4 plus shipping and a complete replacement costs $11, it makes as much sense to me simply to replace the whole unit and have a backup in case I drop it and shatter the glass (which has happened in the last year!). But, really, I shouldn’t complain too much about this because $11 a year is a small price to pay to make perfect coffee.
most recent blog entriesSo I have every size bodum, both in glass and polycarbonate. They are indispensible in my kitchen, getting daily use. I have to say this one is my least favorite.
most recent blog entriespositive: it’s unbreakable.
negative: it’s not as pretty as the chambord (cheap and plasticy), the plunger doesn’t come apart, and the mesh in the plunger isn’t replaceable. The size is really only workable for one.
While in theory the single piece plunger seems a positive, in practice it just doesn’t work as efficiently as the three piece chambord’s. The last few times I’ve used it, I’ve had an unpleasant faceful of coffee squirted at me because the seal is too tight and the nylon mesh gets deposits over time that occludes the holes. This makes it esssentially useless over time, since you can’t replace the mesh. Even vinegar rinses don’t help with this, since the deposits have an oily component from the bean.
As for the Chambord– it’s beautiful, breaks easily, but at least replacement carafes and mesh strainers are available for an overhaul after a year or two of use. Bonus: It will never scald you.
I also recommend not getting anything smaller than the 4-cup or 8-cup. Before getting the 4-cup, I constantly used to try to eak out 2 cups of tea out of this by filling to the very top. No good. you get a better plunge when there’s room at the top, and less overflow potential as the grounds/leaves swell.
(BTW, I use these for tea and coffee interchangeably, and have found that the nylon mesh retains flavors unlike the metal strainer of the chambord.) Bottom line, I think the Chambord is the way to go.
I think you have to be an idiot to not read the directions and complain when you pay the price afterwards. This little machine couldn’t be simpler, which suits me as I practice the simple living lifestyle.
Making coffee is a snap. You heat some water, pour an 1/8 cup of coffee (I use Folgers Gourmet Supreme, no fancy grind), pour the not-quite-boiling water into the beaker, gently place the plunger on top but do not press, let it stew for 4 minutes, then plunge slowly as the directions clearly state. I never have a problem with grounds, but I do notice some sediment at the bottom of my cup resembling fine sand. It doesn’t hurt.
To call this a three-cup coffee maker is a stretch, unless these are European standards. I usually get one 8-oz serving of coffee out of one batch, which I enjoy after dinner with real half-and-half, not “Coffee-Mate®” artificial creamer.
Don’t buy a $40 12-cup electric coffee maker for one or two cups of coffee; reclaim your kitchen counter as well as your inner French girl and go back to basics with this little guy or its bigger brother. If you have common sense you won’t regret it.
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