if you can find it, its better than any drip brewer ... just need patience & inquisitive nature, to find the right set up for you
Positive Product Points
makes good quality coffee FAST & HOT ... better than any drip brew I've tasted cool design & function easy to clean
Negative Product Points
like the larger version, the Mini Santos may require minor modification to produce the kind of coffee you prefer. this engineering issue goes back a long time, and its suprising Bodum has not addressed it by now. considering Bodum has discontinued this model, I don't expect that its a top priority for them.
Detailed Commentary
I did alot of research before buying this coffeemaker, and I'm fully confident that I will be very happy with the purchase ... eventually. as of now, I'm still trying to experiment with the ideal setup in order to make the perfect (or near perfect) cup. without any modification, the unit heats up very quickly and the brew time is just under one minute. it produces a hot, somewhat weak brew. I prefer it fuller bodied, so as recommended by many others with the bigger version of the Santos, I made a slight adjustment. but rather than voiding the warrantee by cutting the downtube, I placed a 5mm wedge between the base & the bottom of the pot. this extends the brew time up in top chamber to approx 1min 25sec, which improves the taste significantly .... but as said, I'll have to fiddle with it some more to get it to where I want it. does anyone with the Mini Santos have any advice on how to extend the brew time even more? any suggestions would be much appreciated. thanks & I hope this helps others out.
Buying Experience
very positive
Three Month Followup
after 2 months of daily use, the heating element on bottom of pot stopped working. luckily, it was still under warrantee at shop I bought it from. they attempted to fix it, but couldn't, so they gave me a brand new one. so far, so good with the replacement. hope it lasts alot longer. my opinion of this coffeemaker has not changed. it makes good coffee. but it turns out, that its a hassle to clean properly. need to scrub real hard with baking soda to get these white spotty stains out of bottom of the pot. don't know what it is, but its a pain to get completely rid of. also, I found that placing dvd case under slanted end of pot, extends the up top brewing time to at least 2mins, which makes for stronger flavoured coffee.
