Brilliant coffee, simple, elegant design and a cinch to maintain.
Positive Product Points
-Simple, elegant design -Easy to clean, maintain -Cheap
Negative Product Points
-Flimsy handle
Detailed Commentary
Ok, you people who complain about the plastic filter disk clogging, I've used this thing for a month now and haven't had it clog once. I have a Solis Maestro Plus and have set the grind to a bit finer than for auto-drip. All i can say is that your grinders must be producing lots of dust, that or you're grinding waaaay finer than you realize.
Needless to say, I am very pleased with this coffee maker. It is now my preferred way to make coffee. I bought a $9.99 electric hot plate from Amazon and have it set up in my office at work. Everyone loves to watch me make the coffee! I've owned a vac pot before, a Yama, and found the cloth filter contraption to be much more of a hassle than it was worth. The plastic disc on the Bodum works every time (Every. Time.) and the whole thing is super easy to clean.
(Update: 01/31/05 -- I have been able to clog the plastic disk (I know, karma right?) Ground some beans with one of those grocery store type all-purpose commercial thingys and I guess some dust got in the grounds because the disk clogged big time. However, I will say that even though the final product was a bit over-extracted, it was still very palatable.)
I've experimented with pre-ground Starbucks sample packs (yeah, I know, barf, right?) and guess what?? The coffee turned out really well. I was surprised. Right now I've got some aged Sumatra and it's pure heaven coming out of this thing. It couldn't be easier:
Fill bottom with water, then place on burner (no heat dispersion devices needed)
Grind beans with GOOD grinder. I use about the middle of the dial for the Solis Maestro Plus.
Pour grinds into top.
Wait till all the water goes up into the top.
Wait however long you want at this point. I ususally give it a good 30-60 sec.
Remove from heat and watch the magic.
When you're done, just dump the grinds down the disposal, wash out well with water and put in drying rack. Bada bing!
Buying Experience
I received this as a Christmas present from my parents, so I guess the experience was pretty good! I've also bought stuff from Bodum directly (brick & mortar as well as web) and found them to be exceptional.
